When Lovecraft Meets Three Kingdoms and Pop Music: Super Robot Wars UX

[BrassSaturday]

Pretty much the only series I’ve any direct experience of in this roster is 00, so two of my picks are going to be from that.

Namely the 00 Qan[t], because protagonist… and also the Brave, because Graham’s a pretty good guy… and also because I’m a Jojo fan - Graham’s VA is confirmed to be voicing Bruno in the upcoming part 5 anime.

And my third pick would be Lu Bu… because since you’re already giving him one version of his Dynasty Warriors theme, it’s only fitting that he has the strength to match it (I got into the series with 8 a few weeks ago). And so that more foes can behold his SOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL!

[NotoriousFAP]

I’ll have to cast my votes to…
Our favorite Prime Minister Cao Cao
Manipulator-in-chief Judah
And while he isn’t on the list, I will defy fate and vote for my boy Jack Smith

[Mattman324]

First off - do not go into this mission thinking you can kill all of the Machina. You cannot. Or at least I think you would have to be cheating to do it - I tried so damn hard to manage it, but they hit too hard and they hit too often, and Deceive IV isn’t exactly a tank.

2 - I haven’t watched Heroman, so I can’t say much as UX didn’t go into detail… but, from what I can surmise, it’s his gauntlet running out of control in respose to his raging emotions. In essence, his plan was to unleash all that wild energy on top of Gogorr and kill him in the explosion.

It’s not properly explained in Heroman, and UX doesn’t go into more detail about it as far as I know. But it’s some sort of backlash caused by either Heroman or Joey getting taken out that makes the other go completely berserk (Heroman went into that mode back during the original Gogorr battle, remember?). Joey’s original plan was to basically selfdestruct on Gogorr, but the power of love and Heroman not being dead made him not do it.

Anyway, as for my vote, I choose DOCTOR WEST, because he is Doctor Best, LU BU, because he’s Lu Bu, and MAZINKAISER SKL because I want to see so many Hot Blood/Zeal shenanigans happen.

So, as promised, time to do the “what happened after the end of this” segment. First off: Kouichi kind of fucked up by teleporting in. No one was able to teleport after him (no Fold tech, and the guys on the Shangri La and the Glen Neidr were getting gangbanged by giant baby Machina so they couldn’t support), so Deus Ex Machina showed up and activated his own compressed warp field, and the collision jumped both of them into the future, thus causing the timeskip. And from there… well… spoiler territory. The manga jumps around the timeline a little so I’m going to attempt to order this in chronological order.

Linebarrels Of Iron, Post Timeskip

The big thing to know is that Kouichi getting shot to the future was almost certainly not intended, and he was intended to kill Deus Ex Machina on the moon. There’s a lot of shit that goes wrong because of Kouichi’s absence that it is almost certain Ishigami didn’t prepare for. So when things go south here… well, he might not be to blame.

Anyway, in more plot relevant details, Katou being kind of evil and everyone joining him resulted in everyone getting somewhat branded “villains who we begrudgingly trust”, which killed Miu’s marketability, so she’s lost her job. She’s clearly going even more off the deep end because of that and Kouichi being missing. There’s an actual heartfelt conversation between her and Katou that points out their similarities to establish “oh yeah, so Miu absolutely had her suicide switch flipped.” This ends when the Machina launch their invasion on Earth, leading everyone back to the fight. This also caused a few Hitomachina infiltrators to Earth to turn against their side.

The posttimeskip begins in terms of “what you see first” with Emi, Yajima, and a few others fighting Hitomachina in a city, because there’s kind of a large scale invasion going on. In the middle of this, a unit shoots down from space. Codenamed “Lovebarrel”, it turns out to be essentially power armor for a small fully humanoid Machina named Ohba Makishi. She is a small child and acts like one, but in the fight against her we are introduced to the true hero of Linebarrels of Iron - Yamashita got some mods to his unit, so now it is the HINDTANK!

(that was a thing mentioned in a few joking panels pre-timeskip. It became a thing after the timeskip. Truly HINDTANK knows no boundaries)

Anyway she’s one of the traitor Hitomachina and she decides to go with them after seeing Reiji’s face and crushing on him hard, which starts a rivalry with Yamashita that is eventually ended when it turns out she likes the same silly manga that he does and so they become friends. Truly riveting. Her plotline is mostly unimportant overall so I’ll just spoil that she ends up with Furuya to try to give him a reason to exist. On that note, Yajima got together with Risako. In more important news, Ohba notes that the one who sent her to Earth, her “grandfather”, wanted her specifically to try and figure out how to save the humans, and her Grandfather is absolutely not Deus. Also, the evil people who were manipulating human history (Accelerators? Fuck if I can remember their names) killed JFK. Little random shit like this happens over a lot of exposition that is generally the reason the timeskip is so hated (that and the focus on plots that Do Not Matter That Much.) On an unrelated note, Ohba’s grandfather shows up and lands near the White House in a giant disk UFO, and he’s literally Evil Robot Abraham Lincoln.

Cut back to the Shangri La, where Izuna and Miu start getting a suspicious amount of focus. Miu’s still spiraling out of control and very clearly barely holding on, while Izuna tries to help… with some advice that will cause problems later, but eh. Also Sawatari is a horrifying mass murderer right now and they can’t find him.

Oh, and here we get a big flashback to Izuna’s past. Turns out his dad worked on Deceive and was a bastard to the point where Ishigami didn’t really like his shit, and before he got paired up to the machine he was quite a downer and had the ability to see death. When he was forced to go near Deceive it saw this as what it was - a defected flipped suicide switch, and tried to save his life. Except that when he connected to the machine, the exact thing he saw would happen did happen - in a brief bout of insanity, Izuna and Deceive murdered his dad. At this, Deceive locked away this ability from the both of them to save them.

That bout of horror aside, the two are actually seemingly helping each other, and Izuna goes to Miu’s last concert… which is a complete fucking bomb because everyone thinks she’s a villain. Domyouji and Jack, in conversation, happen to hit on at the last moment something horrible - Deceive sealed that ability away to help Izuna live, but if it ever decided he needed it to survive… and then Izuna regains his ability and sees his immediate death.

Deceive has gone completely insane as the two are fully resonating in terror of “oh my fuck I’m about to die.”, which causes it to rampage. Izuna manages to get Shizuna to run the fuck away, but everyone in that concert hall… well… Miu summons Painkiller, and Izuna tells her that Deceive is fully a Humanoid now - it knows its own death intimately, and it is afraid. Miu’s clearly fucking baffled and Domyouji points out that he knows the score, and something is off - Miu was JUST ABOUT TO SNAP, and only the attack saved her from that… so basically Izuna killed everyone because Miu was about to. Fucking whoops. They tell this to Miu too, just to hammer it in. And Deceive is holding Izuna hostage with their life. Izuna tries to give her some advice to get her to stand on her own, which sort of works… except it causes her to go completely out of control herself, double fucking whoops. Painkiller combines with Pard and Roc to form a mode I forget the name of.

What follows is probably the most horrible and terrible chapter in the manga, which I have like eight pictures from and which I will post none of them because they make me cry bitch tears sometimes. Izuna apologizes to Deceive for turning it into a murderer, as it flings Domyouji out of the way to save his life from the rampaging Miu. Izuna then says goodbye to his sister as Decieve is gorily disemboweled by Painkiller. Following this are two pages of a small kid in a large shadow crying soundlessly by itself. Izuna shows up, offers it a hand, and the two walk off into the blank nothingness, out of the shadow of Deceive. Following that bit of abject fucking horror we see what Deceive and Izuna originally saw, transmitted to Domyouji as it was flinging him away, and Katou responds to a “…was that part of what was needed to save the world” with “god I fucking hope so.” Miu escapes in the madness, and Domyouji comforts a Shizuna who is desperately trying to cope, which is the origin of their entire ship (and also why the last episode of the anime hinted at them getting together!)

That chapter was basically the best thing to come out of the post timeskip of Linebarrel, so sorry for devoting an entire paragraph to it. It’s all downhill from here.

Lincoln says some mysterious shit to Sawatari, who shows up in full LET’S MURDER PEOPLE style during the ‘final offensive against the Machina on Earth’. The enemy opens up a massive compression field, but this turns out to be a part of Katou’s plan, because interrupting their reinforcements… is Kouichi! TWO FUCKING CHAPTERS TOO LATE. Turns out this was part of Lincoln’s plan too. He meets everyone, they talk about what’s happened, and it’s revealed that Shizuna is helping to make a new Arma - spoiling it early but it’s the Deceive V.

More shit happens. Shizuna reveals that she was partly behind her father’s death, which clashes with what we read literally four or five chapters before, and Domyouji decides to pilot with her. Lincoln shows up with a force of his own, and takes to the field with the best mecha design of the second half, the all-nanomachine exoskeleton known as the Rail Splitter. Sawatari decides to help Kouichi fight this time because the Machina want Kouichi to live and he wants to kill Kouichi. (LOGIC) Abe uses Override right when Kouichi does and the two get stuck in a giant ball of nanomachines, letting him connect up to Linebarrel, so he can do a giant exposition dump, featuring Nano and Machine again.

He shows Kouichi some of the rebuilding. See, at this point in the manga it’s been revealed that everything from the machina time was the past, with no time travel involved, and the reason turns out to be that the Machina forcefully took apart everything and rebuilt the entire world to the state it was in in 1871. They then vat-grew cloned humans to refill the world - as Lincoln puts it, “humans created Machina, so Machina created humans.” They also created a giant simulator machina to figure out how to make everything work out properly which is very clearly shown to be Juda, though it’s not named yet.

…It’s at this point that Katou showed up, and found the thing. This is where he got the time to make all of those Kizaki Amagatsu clones. So they made the machina re run everything to make sure it still worked, except that when it did, it saw its own death as a possiblity, causing it to go Humanoid. So it hit upon a new plan - the backstory of the manga, where the various Machina were dropped onto the planet and Katou was basically told “if every one has a Factor, we’ll come down there”. The plan was that Katou would activate some, others would activate others, Juda would go down to check on things ahead of time, and when the time was right the Machina would descend to Earth and save the world from all the various humans fighting. Being recognized as ALLIES OF JUSTICE, they could then lead humans into a time of relative peace.

And then Juda met Kunio Ishigami. It betrayed the rest of the Machina, taking up the name Juda (after Judas, of course), and worked with Ishigami to make a new pathway, and basically gaslighted the entire Hitomachina force. And so when the Hitomachina came through, and every Machina on Earth attacked them, they realized - Juda had turned them into the common enemy to get humanity to work together and save themselves. Lincoln didn’t realize precisely what it meant for a while though, and like all of the Machina saw this as a situation that required another reset. But then he realized - Juda did create an ally of justice to unite humanity, it’s just that it’s Kouichi Hayase.

In imparting this, Lincoln notes that he’s the villain, and Kouichi is the hero, so his death is needed. Deus Ex Machina is going to reset humanity again, and Kouichi is needed to stop that. He tells Ohba to carry on his will, and dies when he hijack’s Linebarrel’s Executor to kill himself.

Sawatari meets Miu, who is now an insane mass murderer. She wants to join him. Lots of talking happens all over the place. It looks like Sawatari and Miu are going to join, and then Sawatari blatantly murders her and Painkiller and steals Pard and Roc because he’s an asshole. Also because he’s an asshole - his first command is for them to eat her and Painkiller’s remains. Lots more talking. Cut to Deus still doing that fucking cross armed and legged pose. Kouichi and Emi are totally together. There’s a giant battle against an invading force from the moon, the start of the last battle, and facing against a Machina that’s honestly easily 3L size and is literally just called “Death”. It summons a massive horde of the giant babies, but Deceive V takes control of most of them through NERVE CRACK shenanigans. Things then take a turn for the worse when it shrugs and just summons another one of itself.

The plan for the allies on that fight were to essentially get something through one of their summoning portals and transmit the location of the enemy so they could get reinforcements up to it, like last time except actually successful. Ohba sacrifices Lovebarrel to make it up, but just before Kouichi can teleport, he is SURPRISE BACKSTABBED by Sawatari. Turns out Lostbarrel had something called the Overdrive system that makes it a lot more powerful.

Sawatari does a motive rant, Katou goes “bitch you’re ten pounds of nope in a four pound bag”, and then Kouichi, who has half his body fucking dissolved down the middle, gets up, teleports himself into Sawatari’s cockpit, and goes “you’re a fuck, stop being a fuck”. All of the Machina bow down to him and proclaim him their king (no, seriously, this is basically what happened), and to make up for that whole “he got sliced in half” bit he decides to stick his brain inside Linebarrel so he can fight injustice forever. This makes both Emi and Reiji very sad, as well as like everyone else.

While he’s acclimating, they upgrade Linebarrel with a fuckload of equipment, in a form called the EX Linebarrel. Everyone goes to the moon and finds Ohba is kind of stuck there getting attacked for being a traitor, so they save her. Giant fucking last fight, and all of the Arma users are revealed to be remote-controlling their machines so as to let them accumulate damage and not feel it (to give them an edge). Deus Ex Machina shows up, EX Linebarrel wakes up, and… unfortunately the place I’m getting the translation from lacks the rest, so I’ll have to go with what little I know about the rest.

The two fight, stuff happens, Linebarrel ditches the EX equipment at some point and stuff stuff it suddenly goes red as the Override system goes nuts, assuming its true final form - Linebarrel Overlord. Deus gets shitcanned. Everyone celebrates, goes to rebuilding, Katou IIRC ends up in jail but survives the series and is the only person with a flipped suicide switch to do so, people get married, good stuff happens, also Kouichi is still Linebarrel and poses on the moon for an eternity as a true ALLY OF JUSTICE. Oh, and, uh, I guess his life is literally tied to Emi now? Since she’s Linebarrel’s only Factor now that he’s a part of it. Huh.

[NotoriousFAP]

The full scanlations are up for those final chapters. You can check Mangadex or SMGs website. But to fill in the blanks that you missed:

Linebarrels' finale

In the final fight, Deus reveals the true motivations of the Machina. When they became “human,” they became self-aware of the fact that they were merely machines - tools for humanity. This is the reason for their entire plan.
If they, tools, had nobody to use them, there would be no use for their existence. To them, it’s the same as not existing at all. Thus, they needed to make a world in which humanity would rely on and use the Machina, which would in turn confirm their existence.
They wanted to reset the world because people still lacked imagination and wouldn’t accept the Machina. And also because Kouichi was there. Essentially, Kouichi was fighting for humans he never met, and people were putting their faith in Kouichi. And they (the Machina) hated that. I think their problem was that people put their faith in Kouichi this time, and not the Machina. (Hard to get a read on this because this is Linebarrels and the cast needs to expand their vocabulary and philosophizing beyond “SEIGI NO MIKATA”)
Then Deus realizes that Kouichi is just a brain in a jar/Machina and not really human anymore. So he lets Kouichi kill him because he realizes that Kouichi’s existence proves the Machinae’s existence.
Also, Emi only finds out that Kouichi is a brain in a jar after the mission. In the end, she and Katou retire to some farm in the middle of nowhere (also, Katou isn’t imprisoned or anything).

They published a new version of the final chapter n a recent edition of Monthly Heroes. We still don’t have scans of it, though

[RYNO_Ross]

So many choices, but here’s what I’m going for:

I’m with @BrassSaturday here, and voting for the Union’s pride and joy, Graham in the Brave. Guy’s going to need and the help he can get to avoid becoming ELS chow.

For his contribution to being the lovable villiain-turned-hero, as well as his electric guitar, Dr. West is my second vote.

And finally, for showing an amazing display of ham and OP-ness, my final vote goes to SOOOOOOOUL!!! Lu Bu.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

We’re back, having officially wrapped up the Linebarrel’s plot and convinced Deus Ex Machina to take a chance on CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE. Today, Kazuki, Rina and Akira are deploying as event units, and the game continues its quest to drive me insane trying to fit as many relevant folks on my team as possible. We’ve 19 slots to go with, which means I had to further rearrange things:
Joe/Setsuna
Aesap/Sakomizu
Liu Bei/Pretender
Kurou/Deceive
Sakura/Maya
Canon/Marvel (Zwarth – she can also do the combo, and gets the Holy Warrior attack bonus)
Shou/Lu Bu
Mazinkaiser/Moritsugu
Alto/Fei-Yen
Ishigami/Katou
Arnie/Saya
Cao Cao/Domyoji
Shinn/Lunamaria
Dancouga/Eida
Heroman/Miu
Mamoru/Shouko
Kouichi/Kiki
Sun Quan/Rennie
Mike/Kenji
Tactician: Zhuge Liang

Also note that this mission is the cut-off point for both Setsuna and Graham’s kill count related to the 00 secrets. By the end of this, they must have, respectively, 150+ and 50+ kills.
Today’s mission is also your last chance to use the HAE Twin Dog and Senior Cross Dog combos if you’re going for the final Fafner secret (of course, if you didn’t use the Junior’s combo before Seri became the substitute core, then you’ve already lost that one…).

Off we go.

: Director Hazard, we’ve received word that the UX have returned to Earth and met up with ALVIS.
: Hmph, they’re likely going to try dealing with the Festum moving in on the island.
: Of course, knowing that crew, they’re probably going to try and ‘communicate’ with the blobs, or something equally stupid.
: Calling it stupid is putting it mildly. There’s only one way for mankind to secure its future.
: Right you are, madam Secretary General.
: Still, now that The Advancers have taken their side, a change of course is necessary.
: …
: The founding of the new utopia…
: Indeed, and I’ve already taken steps to secure a trump card to help with that.
: A trump card…?

Door opens.

: …
: Prof. Shot…!
: Hmhmhm, welcome back, Shot Weapon.
: Did your friendly chat with Novel Dylan help you find the answer you’d been after?
: It did, yes…
: I’m glad to hear that. However, I’m going to ask that you keep your curiosity on a leash for now.
: Dog, give him the file.
: Yes, sir. Here.
: Is this…?
: Dr. Minami’s experiment data.
: Unfortunately, he’s been arrested again, so I’d like you to carry on with his research.
: …

Flips through pages.

: What an insignificant research. What’s there to be gained by carrying this out now?
: I’ll have you know that there’s much to be gained.
: Remote control via brainwaves is merely the 1st step of the experiment. Its true purpose is…

Flips more pages.

: Th-This is a plan for…!
: Hmhmhm, you understand now, yes?
: While Minami was only a self-proclaimed genius, he did have some very interesting ideas.
: If we can successfully implement this plan, our new utopia will be all but a reality this time.
: What do you say, Prof. Shot? Will you accompany us as we head for a new world?
: …
: (A new world, hm…?)

: First things first, I’d like you to take a look at this.

Beep.

: Is that a carrier from the Army of Mankind…?
: The Bollearios, yes. Apparently, the Festum took it for themselves after kicking the Army of Mankind’s ass some.
: And the ship, now a nest for the Festum, is headed towards the island?
: Yes. Worse, the Bollearios has even deployed an optic camouflage and Welle Shield of its own.
: Aren’t those the same defense systems Tatsumiya uses…?!
: I guess they’ve learned enough from their battles with us to grow into a bona-fide invading force.
: …
: Our God has reached the limit of its patience. It’s determined to erase all the pain.
: In that case, you—…!
: I know!
: …

SRW UX - Separation

: The light Liu Bei and his allies showed… the light of the GN Particles…
: And, also, Kouichi and Shou’s spirit when facing against a God…
: Kurusu…
: I know that humans are capable of changing…
: But, I…

Door opens.

: But you could you talk to your God if I’m with you, no?
: …? You’re…
: Mi-Miwa…?
: …
: I heard them, in that big ship. They’re all in pain, aren’t they?
: You… You understand our language?

Tzeeeeeep.

: Hm?! H-Hrk…!
: H-Hey, are you okay?!
: Sh-She…
: She is our final hope…
: Th-That voice…!
: Sou…shi…?
: Yeah…! I see Soushi’s aura inside him!
: Sh-She’s the only one… who can communicate with the Mir… in their own language…
: Soushi, stop! Your mind’s going to disappear!
: I’m sorry, Kazuki… It’s all up to you.
: Soushi…!
: They’re going to reach… what we sealed away… A-Aaargh!
: Please, stop! Why are you making yourself suffer?! Is your Mir ordering you to do this?!
: No, Misao. He’s talking to us because it’s what he chose to do.
: What he chose…?
: The place where everybody lives is something everybody protects. That’s why we’re in it.
: Because we have a desire to be here. Because that’s our place to come home to!
: The place… to come home to…
: Did you protect Soushi because the Mir told you to?!
: N-No…! I just didn’t want him to disappear…!
: Then, why don’t you start fighting like we did?
: Stand up to your God, Kurusu!
: I…I—!
: Rrk… I-I can’t! The Mir is calling me…!

: Kurusu…!
: He disappeared…?
: Kurusu, you…

BOOOOM!

: Wh-What’s going on…?!

Beep.

(TV): Makabe, we’ve got a big problem! The…

: The Mark Nicht just came out from within the Mark Sein!
: What did you say?!

: …
: Mark Nicht… The Fafner Kazuki and his friends sealed away…
: Did the Mir give me a human form so that I could pilot it…?

: …?!

: The pain… it’s growing…!
: This is… hatred?

: Kurusu!
: Ka-Kazuki…!

Kazuki grabs him!

: S-Stay away…!
: Why are you choosing this?! Why don’t you stand up to a God that’s doing nothing but add to the pain?!

: Kch… Graaah!
: Kazuki’s undergoing rapid assimilation from contact with the Mark Nicht! At the rate it’s spreading, he…!
: Kazuki, stop! You’re going to disappear…!

: Stand down, Kazuki! Get away from him or you…!
: Mr. Asuka…!
: Take care of the island… of everyone!
: Kazuki…!
: N-No… the Mir…!
: Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah!

: Th-The Mark Nicht…!
: Absorbed the Mark Sein…?!
: A-Aah… I… Kazuki…!
: I never wanted any of you to disappear…!

https://gfycat.com/BelatedHomelyIndusriverdolphin

: No… K-Kazuki…!
: KAZUKIIIIIII!

Location: Inside the Battleship Bollearios

Sweeesh!

: …
: I’m back, everyone…
: …
: …

: I feared this is what I’d find… Nothing is being born… everyone’s still dying…
: The current state of your Mir is not the possibility I sought.
: And, due to that state, no other individuals are diverging their possibilities.
: That’s why the Mir captured you. You could give us a new possibility, right?
: You gave one to Kazuki and his people, after all…
: I have already fulfilled my duty. Keeping me here will not create new possibilities.
: …

Tzeeeeep.

: Rgh… The pain won’t stop growing! I’d take your pain upon myself if I could, but I’m not strong enough…!
: Maybe Soushi Misashiro could have, but I can’t… I’m so sorry, everyone…
: Pain was Soushi Minashiro’s blessing. Life was Tsubaki Minashiro’s blessing.
: But what about you? What blessing will you bestow upon the world?
: Why are you even asking me that?!
: You are the first of your kind to have desired to exist in the absence of a Mir.
: Tell me, why are you there?
: …
: I just… I just wanted to see the sky…
: But all I found is sadness… I can’t bear this existence anymore…!
: …
: If it’ll get rid of the pain everyone is feeling… Then, I…
: I’ll erase Soushi Minashiro, Kazuki… and myself…

: A girl holding a baby?
: Yes. They’re asking lots of things about her: why she’s hurting, why she’s now sad…
: Anyone wanna explain what’s up? Because I’ve no idea.
: Miwa’s the first child born on the island after our Mir learned of life and death from Tsubaki Minashiro.
: We believe that Miwa can sense Tsubaki’s presence.
: Tsubaki’s presence…?!
: In essence, Miwa’s mind, like Kazuki’s, is in a constant state of Crossing.
: Only her mind is crossed with the island’s Mir.
: She’s crossed with the Mir…?!
: Is that even possible?!
: Solomon’s detecting an enormous flow of information being exchanged between her and the Mir.
: It’s an extremely complex sequence of data comprised of unknown transfinite numbers.
: “Unknown transfinite numbers…”?
: To put it simply, it’s what Misao talked about: the Festum’s language.
: And Miwa’s learned it intuitively, no different from how she’d learn her parents’ language.
: …
: I think Miwa’s been chosen as Tsubaki’s successor. That little girl has taken up all the joy and sorrow of life… and a brand new possibility…
: A possibility for coexistence with the Festum…?
: Exactly. She, alone, can communicate with the Festum.
: She is our final and greatest hope.
: …
: And, so, you’re going to take her into battle, aren’t you…?!

• :tfrxmas: *

: Wh-What’re you doing, Yumiko…?!
: Put the gun down, Yumiko…!

SRW UX - Prologue

: …
: Miwa’s just a little girl… You can’t bring her into this!
: But she’s the only one who can save the island right now!
: She’s my only daughter. I love her more than anything in the world!
: Please, don’t take her from me!
: Mommy…
: Yumiko, I understand how you feel. I really do.
: I know how much it hurts to see people you love being put in danger…
: …
: But remember the joy you felt the moment a new life took shape within you…
: …?!
: And I’m sure Miwa wants to pass those emotions to the Festum, in her own words, in her own song…
: The joy of life…
: Mommy, can I talk to them?
: The sky would be pretty again. That would make you happy, right?
: …?!
: Mi-Miwa… * sniff *
: Uwaaahaaaaaaa…!
: Sis…

: Daddy, why is mommy crying?
: Don’t worry, honey. She’s going to be okay.
: Daddy’ll keep you both safe – that’s a promise.
: So, how about we all head on over to our ship?
: Okay!

SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: So this is the Ægir Model, the Zero Fafner…
: And we’ll be using it to get through the enemy Mir’s barrier?
: Right. It’s more than strong enough to neutralize the thing in short order.
: While the plan’s to try and communicate with them, we’ll need to weaken the Festum’s forces a bit before we can give that a shot.
: You’re far stronger than me, Tamotsu. You never once turned your back on the Fafners.
: Ma’am…
: This machine took my daughter and son-in-law from this world, and I’d been avoiding it ever since…
: But you’re helping set it up now. Thank you for doing this for us, grandma.
: Your parents left the Zero Fafner behind for you. I’d like to think it’ll protect you both.
: Yeah…!

: Things have taken a turn for the worse at the Valkyrie’s Cave…?
: Hm. It looks like the system was damaged during the Mark Nicht’s escape…
: What’s going to happen to Seri, then?!
: Dr. Toumi’s attempting to restore the system, but it doesn’t look good…
: Oh, no…!
: Alright, then Prof. Denton and I’ll stay here to help with that.
: While this isn’t our area of expertise, we’ll do whatever we can to help Seri and the island.

: …
: You’re not going to have me arrested…?
: Any mother would’ve done the same in your position.
: I don’t know if Miwa would see it that way…
: No, she knows that you were just trying to protect her.
: …
: She spoke to me about Kazuki. That he’s not really gone, and that he’ll come back to us.
: Yeah, that’s what we believe as well.
: You should do the same, Yumiko. Believe in your daughter…
: …
: Princess Romina, could I also come aboard the Elshank?
: You…?
: I might not be of much use during this… but I at least want to be there to hold my daughter’s hand. It’s the least I can do as her mother.
: Yumiko…
: Very well. You may come with us.
: Thank you so much.
: Our mobile troops will ambush the Mir’s vessel as soon as the enemy initiates its attack.
: We’ll only have one chance to do this. Godspeed, and may you all return safely and victorious.
: Now begins the second Operation Azure!

Mission 47 – Heaven and Earth

SRW UX - The Gate of Neidhöhle Opens

: L-Look at all of them…
: And we’re detecting even more Festum headed our way!
: Our current hypothesis is that they’ve bolstered their ranks with a large number of Festum that had, to this point, been non-combatants…
: They’re bringing even their civilians into this war…
: But we can’t let them push us back…! Now it’s our turn to reach out to them!
: Wait just a bit, Kazuki…! We’re coming to save you!
: As the previous briefing mentioned, the Zero Fafner must head towards this spot in order to neutralize the Mir’s shield.

: All other units are to provide support! Our strength will pave the way not only for them, but for our dialogue with the Festum!

There’s your first order of business: get the Zero Fafner over to the tagged area. The unit moves just fine on water, which is good because there’s a TON of it on this stage. Try to get as many guys airborne or paired up with folks like Dr. West and Mike as can be, or those squads’ll have a much harder time than necessary.
As for the Festum, treat this as you did the first Operation Azure and you’ll do fine – same strategies apply, only the terrain is a lot worse and you now have those strong Eurus Types harassing you.
Clearing out all the Festum’ll also get Rina into position, and I’d say that’s the recommended approach, as you’ll want to have everyone maxed out on morale when you do that. Get all your guys up to the North/Northwest section of the map, kill everything except one enemy and take that one out with a ship so that everyone is ready to go after the plot hits.

The Zero Fafner not only looks very different from all its sibling mechs, it also functions very differently. First off, it’s a two-seater for the twins and it can’t dodge worth a damn. On the other hand, it’s surprisingly bulky, has a MAPW that blasts everything around it up to 5 squares away and packs a good punch (looking at it solo, it’s got the highest attack power of all non-Sein Fafners and is L sized).
Its durability does take a hit from the fact that Rina isn’t really tank-specced, so you’ll likely want to get her some Guard and Prevail just to be safe. But, from what I see, the biggest demerit of the Zero Fafner is the fact that it DOESN’T have the Crossing System, meaning you don’t have any of those boosts that Rina and Akira would normally get… which, in turn, weakens the unit in relation the other Fafners.
You can still set Rina and Akira back in their original units, though. If you’re deploying a bunch of Fafners, then that’s the better choice; if you’re only deploying, like, Kazuki, then the Zero Fafner will probably come out on top (though there are likely better squaddies).
Regardless, it’s squad bonus is: Armor +100, EN +50 (Armor +150, EN +100, HP +750).[/i]

SRW UX - Azure

: This Fafner bears the wishes of all our family!
: And we’ve taken those wishes upon ourselves! The road for coexistence might’ve been destroyed before, but we will bring it back!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rPeRpLH1k0

SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!

SRW UX - Azure

Dynasty Warriors 9 - Theme of Lu Bu -DW Epic Mix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6hiefUDLv8
And here’s the Zero Fafner’s best weapon.

SRW UX - Obelisk

There goes the last of the first wave, and the Zero Fafner auto-moves to the spot.

: W-We made it!
: Rina, get the shields’ wavelengths sync’d up!
: Right back at you! Don’t screw up your end!

Power uuuup!

: …! Get back, you two!
: Wha—?!

: We’re surrounded…?!
: …

Crick, crack!

: Ugh-Waaaaaaaaah!
: Akira…!
: The Zero Fafner’s starting to break apart!
: The Festum are trying to assimilate them!
: Zero Fafner, come in! Akira, Rina!
: Hrrk…! Th-This is what… assimilation is like…?!
: My mind’s fading away… Dad, mom… Rina…!

: …
: This isn’t working… We can’t ease the burden on the substitute core unless we can find a way to parse the central coding.
: Isn’t there anything you can do?!
: The Mark Nicht’s activation has caused their language to overwrite a portion of her system’s data.
: And it’d take too long to isolate and restore the overwritten sections…
: Seri…
: …

Crick, crack!

: The assimilation’s started…!
: Damn it! Professor, access the SC Code!
: R-Roger!
: A-Aaah…! Why… Why can’t I save anyone…?!

: U-Uwaaaaaaaaah!
: Gyaaaaaaaah!
: Akira…! RINA!

: A long-range blast?! Who…?!

SRW UX - Shangri-La

: …
: Is that the Mark Vier?!
: But, that unit was…!

: I-I know that fighting style…!
: So do I… it’s Koyo!
: I don’t believe it! There’s no one aboard, but we’re detecting control data being transmitted from the unit’s core itself!
: It’s really Koyo…
: He came back to protect our island. He’s turned himself into the unit’s core…!
: …
: Thank you, Kasugai…
: Koyo, you’re something else…!
: …
: L-Let’s go… Rina!
: But you’re…!
: Everyone’s putting their lives on the line here! Just like our parents did…!
: If we don’t do this, someone else’ll have to pick up our slack!
: Akira…!
: Alright, we’ll do it together!
: Haaaaaaaah!

: The enemy Mir’s Welle Shield is gone!
: They’ve succeeded!
: Proceed to phase 2 of the operation! Move in and seize the Mir’s vessel!
: …!

Alarm!

: Got an energy reading above the Mir ship! It’s…!

: …
: Kurusu…!
: I’m here to erase everyone’s pain…
: You’re still hung up on that?! You…
: Don’t worry. I’ll disappear as well… as soon as I’ve erased the pain.
: “Disappear”…?!
: You idiot… that’s the solution you found?!
: What the hell did you spend all that time with us for if this is what you’re doing?!
: …
: We need to deal with him before we even think of getting any dialogue rolling!
: Troops, focus all your fire on the Mark Nicht!

Mark Nicht (Misao Kurusu)
Pilot Skills:
Mind Read L3
Prevail L9
Support Attack L3
All Attack L3
Mech Features:
Assimilation L2
All-Canceller
Misao’s voice actor: Ryohei Kimura (other roles: Psy in Heroman, Daryl in MSG Thunderbolt, Sorey in Tales of Zestiria, and a bunch more)

Here we go again: Purple Mark Nicht, comparatively, has worse specs than Idun’s version (the 230k HP count is way higher, of course) and Misao doesn’t even come close to matching Deus Ex Machina in terms of pilot stats or in raw firepower.
On the flip side, the Nicht still has its big 1-6 MAPW which can still assimilate and Mind Read L3 is a big boost to his hit % against anyone that isn’t a Fafner or Heroman, so still be careful with folks around him. His morale gains aren’t the best, mind, so just one Daunt/Exhaust cast should be more than enough to keep him below 130 (provided you killed all the Festum before triggering the plot) while you approach.
Oh, and unlike Idun’s Mark Nicht, Misao’s strongest attack is at melee range (1-2) and is his most accurate weapon, so be mindful of that. My advice is to clear out the other Festum, since you don’t wanna risk them getting lucky and assimilating someone that Misao’s nicked, and then move in on him – pop Confuse to give yourself more leeway.
The plot kicks in once Misao’s under 70% HP.

And here’s Koyo again, back on our team. His Synergetic Code’s been replaced with Mind Read L3, his stats have all been boosted and the Vier’s been equipped with the Crossing System, so that’s something to help him catch up a bit. As for the unit, it’s still the same as it was back in Act 1 – essentially a combo-less Acht, now that Kenji’s decided to ditch his Lance – so use him as you did there if you’re looking to hit that full +30 stat up from deploying 11 Fafners with the Crossing System equipped.
Spirit command list is: Focus, Alert, Ideals, Zeal, Love.

SRW UX - Linebarrel

SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

Oh, Misao, you silly kid.

SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Are you really okay with this, Kurusu?! Your ‘God’ is going to take away our sky! How can you just accept something so wrong?!
: I don’t care anymore… It won’t be long before I disappear… I’ll disappear together with this sky…
: I can’t believe how easily you give up…! That’s a godawful way to end things and everyone, including you, deserves better!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B8E8SfOQSQ

SRW UX - Azure

: I know how you feel… You want me gone, don’t you…?
: That might’ve been the case before… but not anymore!
: We put our faith in the path Tsubaki, Seri and so many have built for us – the path our parents hoped to find!
: What we want is to live alongside all of you!
: Because you, like us, are here right now! You exist!

Rina attacking: “That Fafner is…!” > Akira: “The Mark Nicht! We can’t hold anything back, Rina!”

SRW UX - Dunbine Flies

: So much pain was forced onto us and you still…
: You got it all wrong! We’re no different from you in that regard!
: Pain is something everyone carries within themselves. But, despite that, we all carry on living, keeping our eyes locked on the future!

Shouko attacking: “I’m making you stop with this attack, Kurusu!”
Maya attacking: “The Salvator Model…! I’m not letting you take away our peace! / Give back our blue sky! You thought it was pretty, didn’t you?!”

Dynasty Warriors 9 - Theme of Lu Bu -DW Epic Mix

: Look deep within your heart and ask yourself: what are the ideals I pursue? Do not avert your eyes from that sizzling flame!
: Muster your courage and embrace the wish rising from within you! I’m certain you hear it calling out to you!
: ‘Tis the cry of your soul, demanding that you oppose the fate imposed upon you! That cry is the radiance of life given form!
: Enough… All I want is for the pain to go away.
: I don’t have that light of yours inside me…
: Nonsense! Festum, humans – that distinction matters not! There is a fate you desire, so you ought to go and claim it for yourself!
: All that are alive, all who possess the brilliance of a will, are capable of carving out their own destiny!

SRW UX - Dunbine Flies

: Why are you so fixated with staying the same?!
: If anything, that stubbornness of yours only goes to show that you ARE someone, don’t you think?!
: No, I’m just one of the Mir’s fingers! That’s why I assimilated Kazuki…!
: Baah, for how long is this kid going to keep sulking like that?! Shou, let’s give him a slap or two and pry his eyes open!
: Not beating around the bush today, are we, Cham…? Still, that might just be our only option!

SRW UX - The Eternal Soldiers

: We should have gone straight to Hell. It would have been better for everyone…
: Hah! Then you can relax, kid, 'cause you’re already in Hell!
: Life is wasted on those who can’t even speak their own mind!
: So, we’ll just give you what you want and send you spiraling into the abyss!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_fLVKwB4Yg
And here’s Misao’s best attack.
Misao vs. SKL: “Hell must be a lot of pain, right…? In that case, I’ll bring you all with me to nothingness…!”

: R-Rrgh…
: …! Do I hear the Festum’s voice?

Swoooosh!

SRW UX - Prologue

: This… This is hatred…! The pain that comes with living…!
: It’s the sorrow of life… of all the hearts that could not so much as be born!
: Mir, stop! Don’t make me bear something like that!
: Mommy… he’s crying.
: Crying…?
: Uwaaaaaaaaaah!

: Oooorgh!
: Pull yourself together, Kurusu! This isn’t how you could ever make the pain go away!
: …?!
: Open your ears to the Festum’s voice!
: That pain is proof that you’re alive!
: Proof that we’re…
: Gch… Aaaaaaaaaah!

: …

: Seri, I…
: It’s alright, Tsubaki. I’m not afraid one bit.
: Do you know why? It’s because I’m right here next to you. I can feel your voice, your life…
: Seri…!

: …
: I’m pinging a flow of information between Seri and the island’s Mir! Professor, can you parse the protocols?!
: I’ve managed to get access up to level 2, but any more than that is…!
: Her assimilation’s speeding up!
: Seri…!

: …
: A-Akane…!
: Your attempts at contacting their Mir have allowed me to free myself.
: Synchronize me with your Mir. I’ll preserve the core’s life.
: Huh…?!
: Akane…!
: This is my final possibility… No, this is what the former core told me…
: Told you what?
: …

Fades into the tube.

: That this island is where I ought to come home to.

Angela – Azure

: Sob…No, no, no…!
: Think back to everything Kazuki told you!
: I’m sure his words still echo in your ears…!
: I haven’t forgotten them!
: B-But… Kazuki’s…
: His life’s broken, scattered to the four winds… (All these are lyrics for Azure, with a twist.)
: I’m here, Kurusu…
: ?!

: …
: Wh-What… This pulse… His light should’ve been dissolved, but…!
: I know… I know what that is…
: Those are wishes who long to be born… it’s the light of life…!
: The soul changes its shape…
: And heads back to where his heart is meant to come home to…! (Also Azure lyrics)
: Kurusu, I…

: I am here!
: Ka-Kazuki…!
: We never lost faith in you, Kazuki…!
: B-But, how… You were supposed to have disappeared…
: The self does not vanish so long as the heart remains…
: We all remembered that Kazuki was here. And, so, he came back!
: He was here… the place he’s to come home to…
: You should understand by now, Kurusu!
: Life may be filled with pain, but we’ll always choose to carry on with it…
: Because for as much pain there is, there’s just as much joy over being born!
: Kch… I…I!
: You are there, Kurusu! You exist! And we’ll help you see that!

Secret Alert!
Fafner secret #4 – 3rd step: take out Misao with Kazuki.

And don’t forget about this, if you took care of all the other requirements.

: …
: You’ve split yourself from the Mir’s will and became a vessel for everyone’s wishes…
: If only I could be as strong as you…!

: Why are you shutting out what everyone’s trying to tell you?!
: I’ve had enough of pain and suffering… Don’t get in my way! I have to do this!
: If you’re in pain, that’s because something inside you hurts and is crying out for help!
: Reach out to that something, Kurusu! Save yourself!

Misao vs. Shinn: “This isn’t about any destiny! I’m like a finger, and nothing more!”
Also, vs. any SEED characters: “I feel something just like that huge flame inside you…!”

: Kouichi… you’re a truly amazing guy. I saw every minute of your struggle against God.
: But I can’t do it. I’m not capable of opposing my God…
: If you say you’re so limited that you can’t do that…
: Then you have to go and surpass that limit, Kurusu!

Misao vs. Kouichi or Kira: “You might’ve chosen this, but I’m not like you!”
Also, vs. Kouichi and Shouko: “I thought we could be friends, but…!”

: How long until you stop being such a wimp?! You’re a guy, so put on a stronger face than that!
: I’m not like you humans… A finger can’t be anything but…
: Even a finger can go and work together with other things to make stuff happen!
: Stop looking at your feet and take a look at what’s around you, moron!
: If you want everyone to be safe, then don’t give up! Keep going, no matter how faint the light of possibility looks!

Mamoru attacking: “This data… it’s even stronger than it was before?! Still, I…!”
Sakura attacking: “If you really don’t want to be fighting us, then tell that to your Mir!”; “The Mark Nicht…! We gotta do something about it before it captures someone!”
Kenji attacking: “We beat it before… and we’ll do it again!”; “You don’t wanna fight us, right?! Then do something about it!”

: I’m a bit jealous of the freedom with which you can live your life…
: As for me, I just couldn’t do the same…
: Why are you talking in the past tense, hm?
: If you don’t like the place you’re at right now, then just jump out of it!
: Fight against your God and go on living your life!
: That blazing spirit’ll more than fill up the emptiness you feel inside!

: Joey… maybe I would be stronger if I could be together with everyone else, like you can…
: But you can’t just go and disappear! You still have a place to come home to!
: Stay and live out your life with us until the end! As for your friends, we’ll save them together!

: Setsuna… I wish I could’ve touched that light you showed me.
: You have to carry on with your existence, Misao Kurusu! The light of the GN Particles embodies all emotions of life!
: It’s the will to live through the day that’ll lead you to that light… and to the future!

Misao attacking Setsuna or Alto: “I’m not the Mir! I can’t communicate with it!”

: I can’t do this… just accept it and leave me alone!
: No, that’s not true! I’m sure you know just how important it is to explain how you feel with your own words!
: So, try talking to me first! Say as much as you’d like – I’ll hear it all!

: What makes you think there’s only one role you could play?!
: The kid who wanted to save his friend, who thought the sky was pretty, that was all the same Misao Kurusu, wasn’t it?!
: I’m not like you! I can’t be that way!
: But you still have to try! You’ve a will of your own, don’t you?!

: Being forced to change doesn’t always make for a good outcome.
: So, we want you to decide for yourself what kind of a person Misao Kurusu is!
: You give me too much credit…! My destiny’s been set ever since I was born!

: I had once resigned myself, just as you’re doing right now…
: You understand, then?! A choice can’t just be undone once it’s been made!
: And I’ve already been forced to make a choice!
: But I could choose anew, and I know you can do the same! That is, if you still have something you wish to save!

: Change isn’t something you need permission to do, and it doesn’t mean letting go of who you are, either!
: Don’t walk away from your own existence, Misao Kurusu!
: But it hurts… It hurts too much! I can’t take it!
: You’ve got something you wanna protect, don’t you?! Something so dear to you that it eclipses even the pain?! Then, turn your thoughts to it!
: We can always make our decisions, and you have to make one now! And if you say you still want to disappear…
: We’ll take matters into our hands and wipe you out ourselves!

Canon attacking: “Mark Nicht…! I’ll erase every trace of you this time!”
Michio attacking: “I’m sure you can make a choice, Misao Kurusu!”

: Misao Kurusu, what is welling up within your heart?
: You witnessed so many different fates diverging, you understand the power of the possibilities within us. What is your heart telling you right now?!
: Are you asking me to continue to suffer?! Our possibilities vanished from within us by that hellfire! What could we ever do?!
: Life and possibilities walk hand in hand! One’ll never vanish while the other remains!
: And I’m sure there’s a life inside you capable of carving out a new fate for yourself!

Kazuki gets a catch-all line for all enemies, and one for Misao:

: All their emotions brought me back to this land!
: So, now, it falls on me to show him two things: how hard it is when something dear’s taken away… and what it’s like to be determined to protect that something!
: That’s what I’m here for!

–

: Don’t come any closer, Kazuki! The Mir won’t stop fighting! If you keep with this, you’ll just disappear again!
: Your Mir’s the only one here looking for a fight! That means you can put an end to this, Kurusu!
: You’re asking too much of me! I can’t make that sort of decision!
: Believe in your own strength! There’s no way Soushi would take a chance on someone powerless!
: You saw how pretty the sky was, so I know you understand how fleeting and precious life is!

Misao drops a Kazuki Curry (+10 to Melee, +5 to Defense and Accuracy).
Kazuki attacking: “Stop your Mir, Kurusu!”; “Stand up to your God, Kurusu”; “Mark Nicht… The machine Soushi and I sealed away…!”
Misao attacking: “Stop your friends, Kazuki!”; “Just surrender, Kazuki!”

: Grgh…!
: N-No…! Why do I have to suffer like this…?!

: Don’t do it!
: …?!
: Don’t do it, mister…
: Come and talk with me! Let’s talk about lots of things!
: …
: I-I… I’m not like you…
: Why are you giving up?! Are you just going to erase everything you don’t like?!
: The Mir was supposed to have been reborn, but it didn’t! The fire of mankind changed everything!
: Then, go and change again!
: Soushi bet everything on you! He sent you to meet with us!
: All so that you and the other Festum could change again!
: I’ve already been forced to make a choice!
: I’ve hurt you people… It’s too late for me to be able to change!
: No, it’s not! You can change as many times as you’d like!
: …?!
: People can always choose their fates…
: And that also applies to you!
: An endlessly evolving human will has also taken root within you!
: I-I’m… the same as you…?
: I… I also hurt Soushi before.
: Huh…?!
: So many times I pained him… But he always believed in me.
: …
: You are me…
: And I am you…
: Kazuki…
: You’re always free to choose – as many times as you have to…
: Don’t just give up because you’re hurting. Never stop choosing to be there!
: …
: I-I…
: Mir… I don’t want to fight anymore…!
: Kurusu…
: You finally talked to your God, mister. I can tell…
: …

ALARM!

: Huh?! We’ve a hit on radar! Several heat signatures are moving in!
: What…?!

SRW UX - Mark Sein

: Those are from the Machine Island gangs…!
: What’re those guys doing here…?!
: H-Heeeeelp! My controls ain’t working!
: What?!
: W-We cannot stop them! Our machines are moving by themselves!
: Doctor, I’m detecting remote control brainwaves around those robots!
: Whaaat?! Someone else is controlling them?!
: Waaaaaah! Make it stoooooop!

One of the bots rushes the Elshank down!

: Aaaaiieeeee!
: Gch… The hell are they doing?!
: They’re… they’re being used as suicide bombers!

Beep!

(TV): Do you like my little gift, UX?
: Hazard! You piece of crap!
: These are all Alcatraz prisoners who tagged along during my escape, see.
: Unfortunately, they’re just a complete waste of space. The absolute dregs of society, who’d never amount to anything beneficial to anyone. They do serve for this, though.
: You’re sick! What you’re doing is—
: Please, please, let’s not stand on formality. Consider this to be a small blessing from us, as we start our trek towards the new world.
: No need to thank me – seeing your pretty faces is all the reward I need. BWAAHAHAHAHAHA!

Bloop!

: Hazard! Get back on the line! HAZARD!
: Did he say something about a “new world”?!
: He-Help meeeeeee!
: Lord Garaaaaaaaan!

Another two bots go after the Elshank!

: A-Aaaaah…!
: Th-That imbecile… even they are still human!
: They’re people like us…!
: Magami…
: We’re all humans! We’re all here, damn it!

And the last three!

: I-I’m going to be sick…!
: This… How can any person do something like this?!

: That’s…!
: This reading is… That’s a nuclear missile!
: A nuke?! They’re doing that again…?!
: I’m scared! Mommyyy!
: …?!
: S-She…
: SHE CAN’T DISAPPEAR!

https://gfycat.com/relievedpoisedamericanblackvulture

: Kazuki, I…

: I know. I also think it’s pretty…
: Thank you…
: Let’s all be born… together…

Angela - Separation (Piano Version)

: Th-That’s…
: He… stopped the fire of mankind…
: Kurusu…
: Look! The sky’s…!
: The red aurora’s gone…
: …
: (Our blue sky is back, Seri…)
: Hmhmm, yes…
: I’m happy that I was born too.
: Mi-Miwa…
: Mommy, the sky… it looks so pretty…

: …
: Hrk… It’s too bright…!
: …?!
: It’s… bright? The light…
: I’m glad everyone’s safe…
: Kurusu…?
: I wanted to at least erase what was keeping you from seeing the sky. Sorry that I didn’t run it by you first.
: But I’m glad you can see the sky again…
: …
(new portrait!): His consciousness is gone now…
: You’re…!
: You might eventually find the place where he’ll be reborn.
: He’d be sad if you couldn’t see the sky then. That was his final thought.
: Aah… Is it really you…?
: All this time he’d protected my being.
: He struggled against the Mir even as he obeyed it, leading us not to the assimilation of one or the other, but to a harmonious coexistence.
: I can see… I can see you!
: Soushi…!
: Thank you, Kazuki.
: Thank you for the protecting the island… the place I’d come home to…
: Welcome back…
: Welcome back, Soushi!

(To clarify what happened, since the SRW format doesn’t quite make it 100% clear: Misao was keeping Soushi from getting assimilated by the Mir by keeping his soul/mind stored inside him. After Misao tanks the nuke, he rejoins with their Mir and becomes their new core (like Tsubaki) as the Mir is reborn.
As you see in the webm, Misao reverts back to his Festum form to go after the nuke, leaving both a crystalized body and the Mark Nicht behind. Whether that’s Misao’s body which transformed into Soushi, or if it was always Soushi’s body made to look like Misao due to Festum shenanigans is unclear, but the point is that Soushi got a new body to use.)

: …
: This really is goodbye, Seri…
: Tsubaki…!
: Thank you for staying with me until the end.
: And thank you, too, Akane. This is all because of you.
: Let us return to our peaceful homeland…

Flash!

: I-It’s…!
: The core… has finished its growth phase…

: Akane’s prayer helped ours be granted…

: Sob… Thank you…
: Thank you so much, Akane…

: Welle Shield output and Biosphere functions are showing no signs of reduction. There’s no fallout from the bomb either.
: The Mir’s become the air…
: The island and the Festum protected us…
: …
: What is it, Akira?
: During the battle, I… I saw the nothingness in the Festum…
: …
: It was just like when our parents disappeared…
: I thought they’d be in there, somewhere… but they weren’t anywhere…
: Well, duh, you idiot! Why do you figure we started fighting in the first place?!
: What were you thinking, heading into the Festum’s domain…
: What if something happened to us?! Grandma would be left all alone! It’d just be her, inside a house that none of her family’d go back to…
: …
: I’m sorry…
: Sniffles … You idiot…!

: What do you think’ll happen to the remaining Festum now?
: I’m sure what we felt got through to them, so hopefully…
: All that’s certain is that this planet’s just become their homeland…
: Their homeland…?
: Either way, for the time being, our long war with the Festum has come to an end…
: …
: And, with it, humanity gets a bit closer to destruction…
: Kujo…!
: I-I know I shouldn’t be saying that when everyone’s fighting as hard as they are…
: But I can’t stop thinking about it…
: What if it’s true, and when all conflict is gone and we’ve peace…
: …
: There’re still many things we don’t understand: like that voice we heard across space and time, or about the previous universe…
: But, if you ask me, we have to keep moving onwards.
: Ensign…
: We can’t be afraid of restoring peace, much less giving up on it…
: We owe this to all those who lost their lives along the way…
: …
: Yeah. We’ve got too much riding on us to stop here…

Door opens.

: And would you be fine with letting us help you through those battles?
: Soushi…!
: Is your body doing better already?
: Not so much that I can cross my mind with others with the Siegfried System as I did before…
: But I believe I could still make myself useful as a tactical officer.
: Just as a tactical officer, huh…?
: Then, the Fafners will continue to operate with the UX…?
: Yes. We’ve talked to my dad and the others and they’ve agreed to it. (His eyes aren’t red anymore!)
: Moreover, the will inside the Mark Vier’s core hasn’t disappeared yet…
: Kasugai is still…?!
: I suppose he knows that there are other threats to mankind prowling about…
: Threats to mankind, eh…
: …

: Th-This is an ELS…?!
: It looks more like a planetoid than one of them!
(TV): Worse, the ELS are fusing with everything around them and progressively growing larger.
: The big ELS there has a diameter of 3000km, which is on par with the moon.
: And this is the ELS swarm that’s headed straight for Earth?!
(TV): Not just heading – they’re gaining speed.
: We’ve revised our numbers and they’re now projected to reach Earth’s final line of defense in seven days, give or take…
: S-Seven days…?!
: That’s insane… it’s way too fast!
: And the Human Machina and Festum have just stopped menacing mankind…!
: Wh-Why…! Why is God presenting so many trials for humanity?!
: …
: (The ELS are finally approaching Earth…)
: (Setsuna…!)

And Soushi’s back as a tactician, having unlocked his final bonus: he makes everyone immune to evasion decay.

And the FUB vote is still ongoing for another couple of days. Current standings show Lu Bu crushing the competition (15), with Shinn (10), Kouichi (7), Cao Cao and SKL (6), Tobikage and Ishigami (3) trailing behind. If you haven’t voted yet, here’s your chance to help sway things in their favor.

[BrassSaturday]

Considering how many votes Lu Bu has at this point, I wonder if a theme upgrade is warranted? (Thinking the DW8 version, here… might be biased because it’s my first (and currently only) Warriors game, though)

[Mattman324]

I’ll fire a nuke at them! The last time i did it, one of their enemies grabbed it and stopped it, and now he’s working with them, but surely it won’t happen again!

Oh Hazard. Keep being you.

Also, I’m fairly certain that in Exodus, the Misao faction of Festum had assimilated that nuke and could just fire copies of it whenever? They did that to a few weapons.

[Brunom1]

Alright, here’s the vote results: Lu Bu (15), Shinn (10), Kouichi, Cao Cao and SKL (7), Ishigami (4), Tobikage (3), plus a bunch of other stuff.

I get the feeling someone gamed the system because you know what I do on draws… but alright. Lu Bu, Shinn, Kouichi, Cao Cao and SKL are getting FUB’d!

[BrassSaturday]

So it will soon be time to see what happens to those fools that choose to pursue Lu Bu?

[Mattman324]

WAGA NA WA RYOFU!

UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

TAMASHIIIIIIIIIII!

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission

FYI, my recording computer had a heart attack AGAIN, so if pictures and videos look a wee bit different than usual, it’s because stuff had to be recorded from PCs with different settings. I’m hoping to have everything sorted out by Monday, so we should be normalized next week.

And we’re back, having successfully executed Operation Azure and brokering peace with the Festum again. And then Hazard sent out some human bombs before nuking the things. Again. But that’s a problem for Fafner Exodus – today we have different matters to see to. Less interesting matters… Joe, Setsuna and Tieria are deploying as event units, which brings us to 17 slots.

And, to be noted, Seri’s back as a pilot, while Akira and Hiroto can be switched out of the Zero Fafner and into their regular units, as previously mentioned. Here’s how we’re going:

Aesap/Sakomizu

Liu Bei/Pretender

Kurou/Deceive

Kazuki/Maya

Shou/Tsubasa

Mazinkaiser/Moritsugu

Alto/Fei-Yen

Shinn/Lunamaria

Lu Bu/Seri

Arnie/Saya

Cao Cao/Domyoji

Dancouga/Eida

Heroman/Miu

Mamoru/Shouko

Kouichi/Kiki

Sun Quan/Rennie

Kira/Graham

Lockon/Masaki

Tactician: Graham (If you’re on track for the first 00 Gundam secret, set him in)

Off we go.

SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: We’re already taken steps to safeguard the citizens and respond to the media. The population will start being evacuated in twelve hours.

: Good work. And what’s the status on the army?

: All forces have been called to action and are being deployed around our final line of defense in the vicinity of Mars to halt the ELS’ advance into the Earth Sphere.

: Operational command was assigned to Brig.-Gen. Kati Mannequin. The Federation Armada is already being massed to take part in the assault.

: Lastly, the interstellar cruiser Celestial Being will be taking part as our front-line command center.

: The Ultimate Cross is also expected to rendezvous with the Federal Forces and compose its vanguard troops.

: The UX…

: Once more we’re forced to thrust Earth’s fate upon their shoulders…

: But, if anything, I can help alleviate their burden by also deploying our Showdown Fleet to the front.

: The Rubens Foundation’s fleet? I heard you took on quite a large debt to build it.

: You heard correctly. In truth, this will be their first actual battle, but those vessels were made with technology provided by the Frontier Fleet. I assure you they’ll pull their weight.

: We’re literally throwing everything we have at the ELS.

: Now we can only pray to God that it’s enough…

: It’s us, not God, who have to see this through.

: We’ve to survive and secure mankind’s future…!

: How is the situation at the parliament, Shirin?

: From what Klaus told me, things are even more chaotic than anticipated.

: That’s understandable; they’ve just been told that the fate of all humanity will be decided in but a few days…

: …

: Well, we should still do anything we can to help.

: Marina…

: She’s right. All shelters will need to be stocked with food, the populace will need to be kept from going into a panic…

: There’s plenty for us to do.

: If you’re willing, I’d also like to offer my assistance.

: We’re truly grateful.

: (Setsuna… We’re doing everything that’s within our power…)

: (So, please, be safe out there…)

(TV): You believe it’s possible to establish dialogue with the ELS…?

: That’s right. My plan is to try to create a mental-affinity field via a high-density GN Particle Field with the 00 Qant[T].

: Hmm… Didn’t your previous attempt with the 00 Raiser end in failure, though?

: We already have an idea that may help deal with that matter.

: We called you precisely to confirm if our proposed method is sound.

: Well… I don’t think you’re mistaken, no. From what we’ve observed of the ELS’ behavior, by fusing with living beings, they’re essentially looking to exchange information and knowledge between one another.

: Additionally, quantum brainwaves are indispensable to establish that commingling of minds between metallic bodies as large as theirs…

: That’s why they’re attracted to people with the potential of being Innovators…

: In other words, you’re saying the ELS are also trying to communicate?

(TV): Well, we still don’t know if it’s “communication” as humans understand it.

: It could well be just the ELS absorbing living creatures and adding them into their collective.

: I guess so…

: Folks they take aren’t turned to nothingness like with the Festum’s assimilation, but that’s not a lot better.

: Regardless, I believe that only a bona fide Innovator would have any chance of achieving a true commingling of minds with them.

: …

: Many thanks, Billy. We’ll let you know if anything turns up.

: Best of luck out there.

Bloop.

: Hey, Tieria, what’s that method you got in mind to deal with the ELS?

: …

: Ian, I’d like you to install a miniature Veda terminal aboard the Qan[T].

: Eh? What for?

I’m going to use Veda to manage the incoming information from the ELS.

: …?!

: Ah, I get it! That might be too much for a human brain to process, but to Veda…!

: As for me, I’ll establish a direct link to that terminal from the Raphael.

: Mr. Erde…

: GN Drive, Veda, Innovator – these were the three things Aeolia Schenberg sought…

: And it’s through them that we’ll bring his ‘future dialogue’ to fruition!

: You want to go and “settle matters” with the Ultimate Cross…?

: They’re currently focusing all their efforts in their clash with the aliens bearing down on Earth.

: If we use that as an opportunity to attack…!

: Why are you so obsessed with the UX, Ylbora?

: We could just as well watch them squirm from afar and deal with the aftermath, no?

: …

: Hm… Oh, very well. You may sortie your troops.

: Your Majesty…!

: Thank you very much, sire! I vow to return victorious…!

He leaves.

: My Emperor, if I may ask, why did you allow that? You are far too lenient with Ylbora! He is—

: He is a Ladorian warrior, yes.

: Thus, why is it that he could activate the Zerokage, a unit that’s been passed down through generations on Planet The Boom?

: Th-That’s…

: In the distant past, our ancestors launched an attack on Planet Ladorio and were devastated by the power of a ninja.

: The Tobikage is said to be the legacy of that ninja, wherein that grand power was locked inside… but, then, what does that make the Zerokage?

: The Zerokage was restored using Tobikage’s data, so it should be bound by the same restrictions. How can Ylbora pilot it?

: …

: Are you suggesting Ylbora also has the makings of a ninja, Your Majesty?

: Correct. And I believe he’s noticed it as well, which is why he is so fixated with having his showdown with the Tobikage.

: I understand, sire. You allowed Ylbora to carry on in order to ascertain the truth behind the Ninja Legend…

: I am not about to allow the failure of our ancestors to be repeated.

: The power of legend… we must make sure it falls into our hands, whatever the cost.

: …

: Hmmm… No, I don’t see anything particularly off with the Tobikage.

: Really? Well, sorry to have asked. I know you’re busy.

: Hm? Did something happen, Joe?

: Nah, I just keep feeling like there’s a voice coming from inside it.

: A voice? Like when that Yùxǐ thing happened?

: Maybe? I don’t really know.

: Come again? Taking a closer look is a bit of a waste of time if you’re not even sure there’s stuff to find, no?

: I guess, but…

: To be fair, there’s still a lot we don’t understand about the Tobikage…

: Take its power source, for starters. We’ve no idea what fuel it uses to operate.

: Huh? Is that true?

: Right-o. And there’s also that mechanism that allows man and machine to fuse together! Ooh, that’s the stuff dreams are made of!

: But, regarding that man and machine fusing bit, you got another example in us Factors. We’re people who coexist with nanomachines…

: There’s the Mirisha folk and Jack, too. They’re all Mecha-Humans.

: You what now? That supposed to be funny, kid?!

: You have courage, I’ll give you that. Maybe we ought to take this elsewhere.

: W-Wait, that wasn’t an insult—!

Bash! Biff! Crackle! THUNDER!

: …

: U-Um… Let’s carry on, shall we?

: Well, now that they mention it, the people the ELS fuse with also have their bodies turned into metal.

: In other words, we live in an age where a full union of man and machine isn’t the stuff of fantasies.

: So, the thing between Joe and Tobikage’s another of those unions?

: That’s a possibility, sure.

: Either way, it could be that Joe’s sensing something akin to a will inside Tobikage. If so, that might just be a prelude for something happening…

: A prelude…?

: …

Door opens.

: Folks, we’ll be arriving at the combat zone shortly. Is everyone ready to go?

: Huh? A-Ah, yes…

: Hm? Is something the matter?

: Nah, don’t worry about it! I’m hyped up and ready to kick ass!

: …

: As you all already know, if the ELS manage to pierce this final line of defense, there will be no way to stave off their assault on the Earth Sphere.

: Thus, we must all be ready to risk our very lives in the upcoming battle.

: However, I’ll also tell you this!

: Do not die!

: Major…!

: Heheh, c’mon, man. Who’s dying here?

: Not us! We’re all going to make it back in one piece!

: The Ptolemaios and Macross Quarter will be taking point on the offensive.

: Following their initial volley on the enemy, the Elshank will move in and deploy all mobile troops.

: The battlefield awaits, my comrades!

: Aye, aye!

: Up ahead lies the final battle with the ELS…

: Up ahead lies…

Mission 48 – The Future Dialogue

: Armada’s losses have exceeded 20%…!

: Rearrange our formation! What’s the charge on the main cannon?!

: Output’s at 55%, but that’s enough for a shot!

: We need to take the wind off the ELS’ sails! Aim the particle cannon straight at the giant one!

: FIRE!

: C-Crap… the shot didn’t even connect?!

: Did that ELS just bend the beam blast?!

: They’re learning how our weapons work…!

: …

An ELS moves after one of the mooks.

: Lemme go! Uwaaaaah!

: …

: What?! It turned into a GN-X…?!

: They’re taking over our MSs?!

: Tsk, even the defense platoons…! Divert troops from the other fronts!

Three ELS GN-Xs blow past Patrick and Andrei!

: Damn it, they’ve broken our perimeter!

: C-Colonel…!

: Deploy GN Field at max! They absolutely cannot get through the final defense line…!

Blast!

: What…?!

: That particle beam was…!

SRW UX - Envoy from Jupiter

: We’ve to halt the ELS’ advance!

: Roger!

: Who cares what we gotta do?! Killing ‘em’ll do the trick!

: Ready all guns! We’re sniping them with everything we’ve got!

: Sniping the targets!

: Sniping the targets!

: General, it’s the UX!

: Took you long enough, Kujou!

: That was for the assist at the North Pole, Kati. We’re even now!

: The Zabanya and Harute are engaging the enemy!

: What about the Quarter?

: They’ve just finished joining up with the Showdown Fleet.

: All ships, engage Trans-Formation! We’re ready on your mark, Sumeragi!

: Aye, aye! Ptolemy, open fire!

: TEAR THEM APART!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB5ATIVthIA
“Ride the wave!”

: Heey, is that the Showdown Fleet we heard so much about?!

: I can’t believe they built an entire fleet of Quarter-sized Macross ships!

: The Elshank will be arriving shortly! Mobile troops, return and resupply!

: How’d you two like the Zabanya and Harute’s extra weapons?

: They’re great. Thanks a bunch, Ian!

: Engine output stable! Readying catapult!

: Deploy, everyone!

: (I knew I wasn’t imagining things. I am feeling some sort of will through the Tobikage…)

: (And it just might be…)

: Ian, what’s the status on the Qan[T]?!

: Just a bit more and it’ll be done!

: We’ve already installed the terminal; all that’s left is running our checks on the Raphael’s link…

: The boy’s 00 Qan[T] is our secret weapon towards communicating with the ELS. We must hold them at bay until it can launch!

: Defend that final defense line to the last, troops! We cannot allow the ELS through!

Take out all ELS, do not let any of them into the marked area and, also, don’t lose Joe or any ship.
One last defense mission for the road, the first thing you should know is what to prioritize: the small ELS and the GN-Xs will all prioritize heading for the finish line, while the big ones won’t even move. Also, the ELS will respawn infinitely whenever you take out 12 squads of theirs (just a fresh batch of small ones), so keep that in mind during your turns.

Take out the GN-Xs first because their weapons don’t carry the Fuse effect, so there’s little danger there. Afterwards, it’s all a matter of spreading out your guys in the widest line possible to hold back the incoming tide – lead with your more evasive units, of course, and see if you can’t get Kira or Rennie to line up some good MAPWs. Keep Kurou ready to cast Atlach-Nacha, as the enemy’s liable to go after his high HP pool and that can give a lot of leeway.
Your ships are in a lot of danger here, so it might be a good idea to just have them hang back and snipe if anything gets too close. Pushing them anywhere close to the frontlines is even riskier than against the Festum, as lost EN can’t be offset by killing more stuff.

Finally, both Lockon and Allelujah’s Gundams got their new Final Mission packs, which not only provides an overall stat boost, also gives them new attacks. Both units get a MAPW and a new final attack, with the Harute changing the most and gaining another much-needed post-movement attack to use against mooks.
I didn’t have the room to deploy him today, but I’ll try to show him off later.

GN-X IV (Patrick Mannequin)
Pilot Skills:
Prevail L6
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
All Attack L2
Spirit Commands:
Focus
Alert
Lucky
Daunt/Exhaust
Love
Mech Features:
Sword
Gun
Shield
GN Field
GN Drive [T]
Trans-AM
Squad Bonus: Armor +100, Exp +10% (Armor +200, Exp +30%, EN +100, HP +750)
Patrick’s voice actor: Kenji Hamada (other roles: Selvan in Radiant Historia, Sven in Tales of Legendia, Richter in Tales of Symphonia 2, and a bunch more)

GN-X IV (Andrei Smirnov)
Pilot Skills:
Prevail L7
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L2
All Attack L2
Spirit Commands:
Invincible
Focus
Vigor
Iron Wall
Courage
Mech Features:
Sword
Gun
Shield
GN Field
GN Drive [T]
Trans-AM
Squad Bonus: Accuracy +5, HP +500 (Accuracy +30, HP +1500, Money +20%, Mobility +10)
Andrei’s voice actor: Tetsu Shiratori (other roles: Sai in Gundam SEED, Yuu in Brain Powerd, Lloyd in Code Geass and many more)

Can you say squaddies? They’re both competent enough but their customized mook suits are in no way capable of keeping up with our beefy mainliners, especially if you’ve gotten all the secrets. That said, coming in with at 50% upgrade and with good range coverage, they should have top billing if you’re looking for anyone to fill in gaps in your team.

Patrick’s a bit more ranged attack focused (he has a shorter maximum reach, but his averages are better), while Andrei focuses on melee attacks and is a better pilot (which doesn’t matter – bench the dingus forever. Do it.).

Final Mission ~ Quantum Burst 1

: ELS, big showdown, whatever! There’s no way I’m losing this one!

: Come closer and you’ll see what the man the Federation Army dubbed The Immortal Colasour can do!

: Earth’ll be done for if we don’t stop their invasion here…!

: But that’s not something I’d ever allow! I’ll keep on fighting to the bitter end, both as a soldier and as a human!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ9JF-nmPhE
Amusingly, the GN-X IVs are a bit famous for having pretty good animation by UX’s overall standards. I reckon these were some of the last units to be animated, so folks were already a lot more used to the engine.

SRW UX - Linebarrel

Final Mission ~ Quantum Burst 1

And once the number of enemy teams falls to 13…

: It’s… The Boom Army!

: I figured you’d turn up, Ylbora…!

: Hmph, I see you’ve also noticed the connection between the Zerokage and the Tobikage…!

: Ylbora…

: We cannot allow The Boom Army to break our formation! All units, engage and repel them at once!

: But, Your Highness, Sir Ylbora is…!

: …

: (Very well said, Your Highness. You have grown so strong…I’m certain the late King Ladorio VII is overjoyed to see you come into your own.)

: (And, now, there is only one thing I desire!)

: Joe!

: Yeah, I know! We’ll do this like men – guts vs. guts!

: C’mon, Ylbora! Today’s when this song and dance comes to an end!

Fair warning, you’ve 5 turns, starting now, to drop Ylbora before the plot carries on – he’s not required for any secret requirements today, but exercise due haste if you want the cash and Skill Part. Also, the ELS aren’t friendly to The Boom Army, so consider leaving some of them around in order to further slow their advance on the western flank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcnv0gOMZIs
And here’s Patrick’s best trick.
“I’m not letting you get even one fingernail on my Colonel, monster!”

And when the ELS fall under 12 units…

: O-Oh, come on! For every one we take out, another two turn up!

: Stay strong! Hold out until Setsuna and Tieria get here!

As I said: they’ll respawn endlessly whenever you reach that threshold, so be especially mindful during the enemy turn.

SRW UX - Deus Machina

SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

SRW UX - You Are Similar to Me

SRW UX - Love Survivor

: You wish to face me, Your Highness…? But know that I’ll show no mercy to any who’d disturb my battle with Joe – even you!

: We and our comrades have a task to see fulfilled!

: And if you will impede that, then your life will meet its end upon the Elshank’s wings!

SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!

: Heh, neither of us got anything more to say… There’s only one thing left to do!

: And that is to pit the blades of our souls against one another! Here I come, Joe!

And Ylbora drops another Patrick’s Night Cap.

: I-I shall not fall! I cannot! I swear it on my pride…!

: Joe, I doubt either of us wishes to prolong this battle any more than it already has!

: Let’s settle this right now!

: Come on, then, Ylbora!

: R-Rrrrgh…!

: Gaaah…!

: Wh-What’s the matter, Joe?! Surely this isn’t all the Tobikage is capable of!

: R-Right back at you… How the hell are ya gonna make good on your beliefs if this is the best you got?!

: (Joe, Ylbora…)

: I see the future waiting beyond my beliefs… and I’ll make sure that future endures!

: It’s for that reason… that I’ve taken up the Zerokage!

: Tobikage… If I really am the legendary Ninja…

: Then, lend me all your power!

: JOE!

: Haaaaaaaaah!

: A-Aaargh…!

: Ghrrrk…!

: J-Joe…!

: Oh, no! Recover Joe immediately!

: Y-Yes, Your Highness…!

: (I-I’ve found it… the truth… of the Ninja Legend!)

: Wh-What was that power they brought out…?!

: (Could it be that that was…?!)

Alarm!

: …! A new swarm of ELS is closing in!

: Uwaaaah!

: Tsk… They just won’t stop coming!

: We’re detecting an energy buildup from the giant ELS!

: Did they even learn how to mimic our cannon?!

: This is bad…! A blast from that position’ll tear our battlefront apart!

: …

: Colasour, can you still move?!

: Mannequin, not Colasour! I told you a hundred times I changed my name when I got married!

: Fine! Mannequin, we’re getting in there and stopping their cannon!

: Hah, roger that…!

: U-Uwaaaargh!

: Patrick!

: Grrgh…! The ELS are fusing with our units…!

: Cpt. Andrei!

: Damn it, eject! Now!

: Apologies, ma’am… but it’s too late for that!

: Oh, jeez, I’ve done it now. Guess I put all my eggs in the “happy” basket and lost my immortality…

: But I’m not going down for nothing! I’m at least gonna take them along with me…!

: Stop this idiocy now, you two! That’s an order!

: I-I fear nothing…!

: I’m a soldier of the Federation Army! It’s my duty to defend the people!

: I love you, Kati!

: C-Cpt. Andrei…!

: …

: Y-You idiots…!

: The enemy’s cannon is still charging!

: What?! Even after their kamikaze attack…?!

: All units, fire everything you have at the giant ELS! Do not let their deaths go to waste!

: Kch… It’s not working. In just a few moments, they…!

: What…?!

Final Mission ~ Quantum Burst 1

: …

: There they are!

: You’re late!

: We’ve been waiting, boy!

: Setsuna, you’ve to head for the core of the ELS if you’re going to communicate with them.

: Understood.

: The ELS are making a beeline for the Qan[T]…!

: I didn’t come here to fight you. But…!

: The enemy’s energy charge has stopped!

: He’s attracting them with his Quantum Brainwaves?!

: So many sacrificed themselves to clear the way for our future… it cannot be closed off now!

: Absolutely! That way’s been paved with all their wishes, and we’ll make sure it stays in one piece!

Beep, boop.

: I’ve identified the core of the ELS! That’s where you have to go, Setsuna!

: But there’s some ELS right over there!

: Then, we’ll just have to force them to step off! We’ll give Setsuna the opening he needs!

: We must hurry, though! If we take too long, the other fronts are bound to be overwhelmed!

: Your limit is five minutes! Do whatever it takes to get Setsuna over to that spot by then!

: Yes, ma’am!

: Setsuna F. Seiei, 00 Qan[T]…

: Pursuing the future dialogue!

Now you have 5 minutes to get Setsuna over to the marked area. There’s a big ELS over there, but it’s not that much tougher than the other big versions (unlike other games, the ‘king’ ELS isn’t an active enemy).
Don’t forget that you still have to keep the enemy from breaking your perimeter, so make a slow and steady approach up north. Have like Kurou and other beefy units pop valor and get rid of the ELS defending the point, while everyone else keeps the things at bay – they’ll still respawn endlessly until Setsuna makes his move (remember that you’ve people with Enable, like Shouko and Al, and Setsuna knows Zeal).
Mind, the mission ends when the 00 gets to the spot, so keep that in mind if you’re looking to squeeze out extra cash and kills.

L’Arc en ciel - Daybreak’s Bell

Not the series, but I cherish the memories of a better time.

: The world Aeolia strived to make real is taking shape before our very eyes…

: The road for dialogue with the ELS is up ahead, and I’ll blow it wide open. Such is my duty as an Innovade… or, rather, as one of the Celestial Being!

:argh:

: Here’s the finale! I’ll clear open a path for him even if it kills me!

: Don’t even think that! What Setsuna wants is for all of us to survive and live well into the future!

: That’s right! That’s not going to be any fun if we’re not there together!

: Hmhmm, no one’s dying here… That’s the most important mission of all! Here we go, guys!

1 turn passed:

: Grr, how many of these things are there?!

: Ignore the smaller units! Our highest priority is securing Setsuna’s route!

: Setsuna’s light’ll bring your wills into the future!

: And, so, now we’ll take your lives onto ourselves and clear away all your misdeeds!

: It won’t be long now… Just a bit more and the road of dialogue that Setsuna’s leading us to will open!

: We cannot let our walk towards the future be stopped… And if something tries doing so, then we’ll have to fight back!

: I know what awaits us beyond this is the world we and you all want! We might be forced to attack one another right now, but we’ll get there!

: Just a bit more and we’ll see the way to mutual understanding clearly…

: And if you’ll be an obstacle for that, then we’ll have to toss you aside… even if just for now!

: We just need to get Setsuna over to the marked spot and this’ll all be over.

: And I, Fei-Yen HD, will give 200% to help us all earn a future for ourselves!

2 turns passed:

: Hurry up, guys! A major flock of ELS is approaching!

: The Federation Armada’s suffered 55% losses!

: Kujou!

: Hold out for just a bit more, Kati!

: Do you think you can beat them?!

: No, I don’t…

: But we still have hope!

: Kujou…!

: Only three minutes left… We’re pulling through this!

: To open one’s heart even to the strangest of folk… Aye, ‘tis a veritable clash of souls!

: To stand firm and follow through with your beliefs – such is the battle of a men of ideals!

: Our chosen path may be rife with hardship, but our courage’ll see us through any obstacles!

: Seeing this dialogue brought to fruition… that is how we ply our justice!

: Everyone, forward! We shall storm through this battle!

: I might not understand what it is, but the ELS are trying to convey something to us… isn’t that right, Tsubaki?

: I can’t let Setsuna take this on all by himself… I’ll face them head on and, this time, I’ll bear the brunt of all that they feel!

Three turns passed:

: The other fronts are being pushed back by the ELS!

: Hrm… We still have two more minutes! Troops, pull yourselves together and let ‘em have it!

: We’re trying to open an avenue for dialogue, but that means having to put down more of the ELS…!

: Still, we don’t have any other option right now! The light of Aura is the guidance of life, so I know it’ll see us all through this!

: “Talk to folks and understand each other” sounds like a real optimistic plan to me, if you ask me…

: But that’s also a battle in and of itself… plus, it’s the quickest way to put an end to this mess. And we won’t let anyone keep that from happening!

: Get over here, ELS! If you really got stuff you wanna tell us, then we’re listening. We’ll listen ‘til your metal tongues drop off!

Kaido vs. ELS, Vajra and Festum: “If you’re looking for some powwow, you’re barking up the wrong tree. All you’ll find here is Hell!”

: A dialogue that’d pave the way for the future… Well, if he’s really gonna blaze this trail for us, then he’ll have me right there to back him up!

: That’s what friends are for, right, brother?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo2knHg2C2Y
Here’s Lockon’s new best attack.

: Hey, hey, you’re not getting through here!

: We’re the local troublemakers and you’ll have to contend with us until the 00 Qan[T] makes it over to the core!

: Mind, we can’t actually understand what you’re saying, so don’t take this personally!

: But, to make up for that, we’ll keep you company for as long as it takes to make you happy!

4 turns passed:

: The Federation Armada’s losses are over 70%!

: …

: All hands, prepare to abandon ship.

: No!

: Feldt…

: You want us to leave you behind like we did with Chris and Lichty, don’t you?!

: I’m not doing it! We’ll all live or die together this time!

: I’m staying too!

: You heard ‘em! Come hell or high water, we’re in this together!

: And it’s still too early to give up hope!

: We’ve to believe in them until the very last second!

: …

: Only one minute left! We have to make it happen!

: Setsuna’ll make good on his vision real soon! If it works, we oughta be able to end this without any more fighting…!

: And that’s all the reason we need to answer him in kind!

: I can’t cut them any slack until Setsuna manages to get in position…!

: But I think that can be forgiven, so long as you’re not fighting them out of hate, Aesap!

: Yeah, and I won’t! Come on, Nanajin! You’re already colored like a demon, so we’ll have to play that part for a bit!

: Setsuna’s bringing all that he’s experienced through his life, all his wishes and emotions over to the ELS!

: And I’ll readily risk my life to help him with that, just as I did when we and our parents looked for a way to coexist with the Festum!

: I have to see this through not just for our future, but for yours as well…

: That’s why I am getting past you! It’s the only way for my mind to and yours to be face-to-face!

: I know well that there’s a way for us understand each other without words!

: Come on, Heroman! We’ll make sure the dialogue between humanity and the ELS is a big success!

: Hrrmmm!

: The boy who once wore the mantle of ‘evil’ and took up arms against society now prepares to walk the path of dialogue with an alien species…

: That’s yet another way you display your love for the world… and I’ll see that those wishes are brought to fruition! Allow me to be your herald!

: As I am sure you are aware, our hearts cannot reach them, Kurou. However…

: Yeah, Setsuna can change that and make it possible!

: Here we go, Al, Demonbane! What we’re cutting down today ain’t the ELS, but the despair that’d lock away a bright tomorrow for all of us!

And we’re in.

: I’ve made it to the core of the ELS! Moving to the final phase!

: Activating the terminal unit! Linking the Raphael to the 00 Qan[T]!

Beep, beep.

SRW UX - FINAL MISSION ~ QUANTUM BURST 2

: Link online! Veda and I’ll manage to torrent of information from the ELS hivemind!

: Engage your Quantum Burst and—

: Aaaargh!

: Setsuna!

: What…?!

: There were even more ELS hiding there…!

: Wh-What do we do?! There’s no more time to deal with them!

: …

: I’ll engage the Trans-AM and break through their lines!

: No, you have to save those GN Particles! The Trans-AM is key for us to successfully communicate with them!

: Then it falls on me to be your beacon towards the future!

: ?!

: That’s insane, Maj. Graham!

: Do not hesitate! We’re fighting for our very lives here!

: To carry on with your existence, with all the contradictions inherent to it… That’s what it means to live, isn’t it?!

: Major…!

: Damn straight… This is for all our lives!

: We’ll all pave the way…!

: For our future…!

: For our tomorrow!

: Y-You…!

: Now, Setsuna…!

: …

: Activating Quantum System!

Tieria: We don’t know how powerful the ELS truly are. Don’t hold anything back! > Setsuna: Roger! Quantum Burst!

Setsuna: This is our last mission!

Tieria: The fate of mankind depends on this—!

Tieria and Setsuna: Our first contact!

: …

: I can feel the will of the ELS…

OOOoooOOOoooOOO

: Gch… GWAAAAAARGH!

: Disregard anything superfluous! Focus just on uncovering their essence… their hearts!

: Th-Their hearts…

: R-Rrrgh… Raaaaaaaaargh!

: This is…!

: The ELS’ memories… their history.

: I see… Their homeworld was on the verge of death, so they looked for a way to survive…

: They’ve been trying to truly achieve mutual understanding by fusing and uniting with other beings…

: But why is it always so difficult for us to see eye-to-eye?

: For all our intellect, we still know very little. That, in turn, leads us to misunderstandings over the slightest of things.

: Which leads to deceit, to discrimination, and then people become unable to understand one another…

: We, humans, don’t realize that it’s our own actions that keep us apart. It’s always been that way, but we remain blind to that fact.

: …

: There’s a purpose to my life…

: Setsuna…

: As is the case with everyone alive…

: We have to learn, to pass that knowledge along… and to change ourselves!

: Saji, look at the news…!

: Is that…?!

(TV): The Federation Government’s just issued a statement saying that hostilities with the ELS have suddenly come to a halt.

: And, from what we’re seeing, all the ELS that’d flown into the Earth Sphere have started to gather at the same location.

: We… Our world is saved…

: Yeah… And I’m sure we’ve Setsuna and his allies to thank…

Location: Tatsumiya

: Mommy, look! There’s a flower blooming in the sky!

: Yes, there is. And it’s so pretty…

Location: Tsubasa School - Rooftop

: Ha-hahah… That ton of ELS went and turned into a flower…!

: Wow, this is unreal! You’re amazing, Ultimate Cross!

: No, this isn’t anything amazing. After all…

: There’s a Champion of Justice up there with them!

Location: New York – Earth Federation Parliament

: We all see how you feel, Setsuna…

: That’s it… Something so simple can bring the world together…

: That’s why we have to show them… to show them how simple the world really is…!

: Billy, that’s…

: The ELS across all sectors have ceased combat activities…

: How’s this even possible…?

Beep.

(TV): My guess… is that this is the will of the ELS, Colonel…

: Patrick?! How are you…?!

: Hah, hahah… I guess my immortality hasn’t gone anywhere…

(TV): And it’s apparently rubbing off on others…

: Cpt. Andrei! You’re alive as well…?!

: Psh… You had me so worried for nothing.

: Come back to base right away. You’ve a major lecture headed your way!

: Yes, ma’am!

: The ELS were just looking to save themselves?!

: Their homeworld was at death’s door, so they set off into space to try and look for a new one.

: Looking for a new world… that’s very much like the Frontier Fleet.

: But, then, why were they always so hostile?

: Honestly… they just mistook our own hostile actions as how humanity communicated and answered in kind. That’s really all it was.

: Meaning that this whole mess started with us humans, huh?

: ELS, Festum, Vajra… I guess the reason they never fought one another was because they’ve no individual wills among themselves. Their societies are all comprised of a unified hivemind…

: It’s not that easy with humans, though. Everyone’s got an individual will, and we need words to speak our minds.

: Even my brother and I had a major beef between us. I dunno if we could ever come together as a species…

: We have to try, though.

: Race, religion, ideology… we’ll need to rise above those differences and come together as well.

: That’s why Aeolia Schenberg wanted a world without any sort of war…

: Even if humans have a Suicide Switch coded into their DNA, if we put our intellect to good use and continue to evolve…

: Then I’m sure we’ll be capable of overcoming that.

: And we’ve just taken the first step towards it.

: You’ve shown us all what you found beyond the life you’ve led thus far, boy. You’ve shown us your answer to the future…

: Graham Aker…

: I think we’ll be alright. We’ve even managed to reach an understanding with the Festum, after all…

: Hmhmm. I’m sure there’ll be a time when all the life in this universe can understand each other…

: Then, the ELS have returned to the Jupiter Sphere?

: Yes, ma’am. Our intel says that they’ve stopped fusing with nearby objects and have more or less gone dormant…

: I believe they are waiting…

: Waiting for the moment when they and mankind can walk a new path side-by-side…

: The ELS have taken a vote of confidence in us. We must make sure their wish doesn’t go unanswered.

: Right, and we will. Now is when we must all take each other’s hands…

Door opens!

: E-Everyone… We’ve an emergency!

: What happened?!

: I-It’s…

: The Frontier Fleet and the Army of Mankind have vanished from the Earth Sphere!

: Wh-What did you say?!

: They’ve vanished… What happened?!

: As The Advancers inform me, it seems they’ve left towards the Vajra homeworld.

: The Vajra’s…?

: A good while ago, the Fleet IDed a planet that they believed to be their homeworld.

: It has an atmosphere just like Earth’s, so the Frontier Fleet was looking into the possibility of settling there…

: But there’re just too many Vajra living there, and we began waging a war against them, so…

: So that plan had to be shelved.

: But what are they up to, heading towards such a dangerous planet?

: It could be that they’re after the Fold Quartz.

: The Fold Quartz…?!

: Hmm, that’s true… the Vajra homeworld would certainly be rife with deposits.

: I see… this is what Hazard meant when he spoke of a new world.

: If he and his cronies get their hands on that much Fold Quartz, a metal with the power of transposing space and time…

: Then it’d likely be a problem not just for Earth, but for the entire order of the universe.

: B-But what’re we supposed to do? You’re not suggesting that we’re going to travel to the other side of the galaxy, right?

: We can’t just ignore them, though…

: Why not? Why can’t we ignore them?!

: Kujo…!

: We’ve finally ended our battles with the Festum and the ELS…!

: Why do we need to stick our noses into yet another fight?!

: But would you be okay with the people of the Frontier Fleet getting dragged into the crossfire themselves?!

: Th-That’s…

: And the Vajra might also see their own home planet coming under fire.

: We could reach an understanding with the Festum and the ELS – how could we just turn a blind eye to the Vajra?

: …

SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: Kujo, we’re all Champions of Justice, right?

: Then, let’s go and fight this together. We’ll be Champions not just for mankind, but for the whole universe.

: Hayase…

Door opens.

: Folks, the Federation Government has just sent an official request on that matter.

: The UX will be heading to the Vajra homeworld.

: They want us in pursuit of the Army of Mankind, huh…?

: Yes, but that’s not the end of it. Apparently, The Boom Army has stopped hiding out in the Earth Sphere and is also moving towards the Vajra planet.

: The Boom Army…?!

: What is the meaning of that?!

: Our best guess is that Hazard asked them to come with…

: But, regardless, the situation’s not looking good. Everyone get ready to set out ASAP.

: R-Roger that!

: That’s fine, but… anyone wanna tell me who these two guys are?

: Whuh?! You don’t know who I am?! The ignorance!

: I am the very special, the very immortal, the very happy super ace – PATRICK MANNEQUIN!

: Ah, I remember you. We fought during the invasion of Europe, yes?

: I trust time has given you a better sense of judgment.

: Hrm… Why’d you have to poke at that old wound, huh?!

: I am Andrei Smirnov, and he’s Patrick Mannequin. We’ve been reassigned to the Ultimate Cross on orders of Brig.-Gen Kati Mannequin, commandant of the Earth Sphere Defense Armada.

: I’m here to help you protect both Earth and my lovely Kati, Ultimate Cross!

: Now that’s a real fishy guy right there…

: Still, his resilience is very much the real deal. We’ll be counting on you both.

: You got it!

: …

: Joe…

: Fusing with the Tobikage puts a far bigger strain on his body than we anticipated, it seems.

: But he’s been doing that for months and this never happened before…

: I believe that light to be the cause of it.

: “Light”…? You mean the one from his battle with Ylbora?

: Aye. That light was very similar to what the Orphes gave out when it was warping through time and space…

: You mean Joe’s life’s being eaten away just like Maj. Richard?!

: This is all purely conjecture, mind, but if the Tobikage’s using Joe’s vital force in order to move…

: Then this is less a union, and more like a battery being spent. Joe’ll be left a cripple before long…

: Christ…!

: …

: We may have asked far too much of Joe over these battles…

: Your Highness…

: Please, you must save him!

: Take whatever you need of me – my blood, my organs, anything! But, please, save Joe…!

: …

: I-I beg you… Do not let him die!

: That’s enough, Princess…

: Joe…!

: You’re awake!

: Screaming about it ain’t gonna help sort this out, ya know?

: I know my body better than anyone else…

: But…!

: More importantly, Master Kongming… your theory was that the voice I heard from the Yùxǐ was the voice of my own fate, yeah?

: Aye, that is correct. What of it?

: …

: Hmm… Then, I guess I was right…

: The Tobikage… is me.

: …?!

: Wh-What?!

: …

And that’s both 00 Gundam secrets unlocked: Graham and Andrei survive, and Patrick joins up.
Not a whole lot changes, mind, other than lines getting suppressed: Patrick, of course, survives regardless, but you only get Andrei’s line or their “joining up” line if you got the secret.
As for Graham, he doesn’t get the rest of the Celestial Being backing him up, so things proceed as they did in the movie:[/i]

: Do not hesitate! We’re fighting for our very lives here!

: To carry on with your existence, with all the contradictions inherent to it… That’s what it means to live, isn’t it?!

: Major…!

: This is no death!

: It’s me laying the foundation for mankind’s survival…!

Kamikazes into the giant ELS!

: MAJOR!

: He…!

And the rest is the same, only you don’t get the other Graham lines.
Finally, since I didn’t have room for Allelujah, we missed on his convo against the ELS:

: Establishing a connection with them… that’s our duty, the reason why we fight!

: Put as much window dressing as ya like, this is still a battle… Anyone else smelling some hypocrisy?

: No, because we see a light at the end of this! This battle will take our lives and theirs into a brighter future!

[RYNO_Ross]

(which doesn’t matter – bench the dingus forever. Do it.).

Y’know, as someone who liked Gundam 00, the amount of apathy it’s been getting has made me a bit sad.

But this? This I wholeheartedly agree with. To Hell with Papa Bear’s killer.

[NotoriousFAP]

And thus we saved Graham from becoming an ELS-Human hybrid and finally getting to pilot a Gundam.

[Brunom1]

If that’s what must happen for Sugita to get his due, then so be it!

[Mattman324]

: Kujo, we’re all Champions of Justice, right?

: Then, let’s go and fight this together. We’ll be Champions not just for mankind, but for the whole universe.

: Hayase…

Today, on SRW UX: The things Miu needed to hear before the end of Linebarrel, that she didn’t get a chance to.

Y’know, as someone who liked Gundam 00, the amount of apathy it’s been getting has made me a bit sad.

They clearly tried to give it a lot in UX, but there’s just too little plot in the movie. It’s too little butter spread over too much bread. The attempt was nice though.

BX doesn’t even really try. Z3, HA. And V literally just throws the ELS in in the last act of the game, in a different universe entirely from the 00 guys, in like five stages, which might have been a neat crossover bit but it lead to CB not really doing much all game.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

And we’re back, having understood to crap out of the ELS and jettisoning Trailblazer’s plot from the spotlight. But there’s still Frontier nonsense to deal with, as the baddies are making a beeline for the Vajra homeworld. More importantly, Hazard is there, and the blood debt must be repaid in full.
Joe’s deploying as an event units and we’ve 19 slots open, so here’s how we’re going:

Aesap/Sakomizu
Liu Bei/Pretender
Kurou/Deceive
Kazuki/Maya
Setsuna/Marvel (Zwarth)
Shou/Tsubasa
Mazinkaiser/Moritsugu
Alto/Fei-Yen
Shinn/Lunamaria
Lu Bu/Seri
Arnie/Saya
Cao Cao/Domyoji
Sakura/Mike
Dancouga/Eida
Heroman/Miu
Mamoru/Shouko
Kouichi/Kiki
Sun Quan/Rennie
Kira/Kenji
Tactician: Romina (set her in if you’re on track for the other Tobikage secret)

Off we go.

: We’ve multiple Vajra closing in, with even more headed for this sector! Our radars are reading three thousand bogeys!

: Homeworld or not, there’s a frightening number of them inhabiting this area.

: Psh, that means nothing now that we’ve our new weapon ready to go…!

: Mr. President, requesting permission to expend Island 1’s energy stock to broadcast the jamming code.

: Are you certain this will work? I’m not sure if it’s worth endangering Island 1’s populace…

: Remember that we’re facing a foe that brought the mighty Galaxy Fleet to the brink of destruction. You must make a decision now, Mr. President.

: …

: Very well. Deploy the Fold Jamming device and begin the anti-Vajra operation! Engage hypnosis!

: The Vajra have stopped moving?!

: Troops, shift to Phase 2! Launch the Implant Munitions!

: Ooh, the Vajra are…!

: Fold Network connectivity at 93,5%!

: The Vajra are firing on each other…!

: The Fleet used their Fold Jamming device to block their intercommunications…

: And with the Implant Munitions lodged into them, they now have full control over the creatures…

: The Vajra have become living weapons in every sense of the word.

: Hmhmhm… We’ve nothing more to fear from them!

: Congratulations on your success, President Howard, Mr. Mishima.

: We’re the ones who should be thanking you.

: We would never have finished our control technology as fast as we did without your assistance.

: Well, my research on Aura Battler development has given me much know-how regarding control of Direbeasts and equivalent. Plus, we have our Odyssite.

: Reining the Vajra in was quite simple once we were capable of analyzing their Fold Wave communication protocols.

: Mr. President, all we’ve left to do is rally our troops and descend upon the Vajra homeworld!

: Yes, order all mobile units to return right away! We’re making landfall!

: I’ll hang back and take care of things up here, then.

: Give me a bit and I’ll have any Vajra we missed under our finger.

: Very well, Commandant Hazard. Please do.

: …

: That went swimmingly, if I do say so myself, Director.

: Hmph, those Frontier morons can go and handle their pest control themselves.

: What about Annex’s fleet? Have they made it here?

: Yes, sir. They’ve already concluded their warp and are standing by at a neighboring sector.

: Hmhmhm, good. Looks like everything’s in place for our final play.

: Yes – it all comes down to these next steps.

: Pay attention, Dog. You’re about to see the greatest fracas of my life!

: BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Blast!

: A-aargh…!

: Give up and I’ll put you down easy. You’re not winning this after being disconnected from the Implant Network.

: Kch…! Who do you think helped you analyze those communication protocols…?!

: And we’re very grateful for your help, Col. Grace Godunova. But our project doesn’t need any Weavers of the Wind.

: …?!

: The homeworld of the Vajra will be our new Frontier.

: Farewell, Col. Grace!

Blast!

: Hrk… Gaaaah!

: I-I cannot die yet! Not here…!

Jump!

: What…?!

Slash!

: Gwaaaargh! I-Impossible…!

Dead.

: Hahah… Don’t underestimate one of the Galaxy’s cyborgs…

: Rrgh…!

: (N-No… Just let me do one last thing before I go…!)

: The Vajra are fighting each other?! How’d that happen?!

: I suppose the Frontier’s finished analyzing their Fold Network.

: With that knowledge in hand, they must’ve found a way to exert some sort of external control over the Vajra and compel them to fight…

: They can do stuff like that?!

: They can, yeah… with Shot’s technology on their side.

: Shot Weapon…?!

: That man dedicated himself to researching Byston Well’s Direbeasts and perfecting Aura Battlers.

: I don’t doubt his technology to be capable of weaponizing the Vajra as well…

: And we already know the Army of Mankind now has units that draw upon Aura Power.

: Jin and Ayul’s…!

: Then, you think it’s Shot Weapon that’s helping them with all that?

: Yeah, I’m pretty sure it is.

: It makes sense now…

: The Army of Mankind used those Machine Island escapees as a trial run for this.

: You don’t think they’re going to turn the Vajra into kamikaze weapons like those guys, right?!

: That’s awful… The Vajra feel just as much as we do…

: But I’d expect them to need a massive amount of Fold Quartz to control that many Vajra.

: How did they ever manage this…?

: …

: Odyssite…!

: …?!

: The Odyssite has similar properties to the Fold Quartz, so if they used that…!

: I suppose that’s the reason behind the Frontier Government’s alliance with the Army of Mankind.

: They get their Odyssite from the Army of Mankind, and use it to control the Vajra…

: Following that, they conquer the homeworld and gain even more resources…

: Seems that’s the basic outline of their entire plan.

: But that doesn’t tell us why The Boom Army left the Earth Sphere to come here.

: I mean, I doubt the Frontier Fleet would ever work with those guys, even if Hazard did call them over.

: Hm, but I’m sure there’s a purpose there. What are you up to, Hazard Pasha…?

: Regardless, we’ve long-since established that the Vajra are sentient creatures, so this is nothing short of an invasion against another species.

: Not to mention that endangering all of the civilians at the Frontier Fleet is reckless to the extreme, and not something I’m willing to tolerate.

: Thus, we’re moving to descend unto the Vajra homeworld to stop the Frontier Government and the Army of Mankind’s rampage.

: And what’re we gonna do if we bump into those mind-controlled Vajra?

: Well, that’s what you have us for, no?

: Mine, Sheryl and Fei’s songs might just be able to hold the Vajra back…!

: You can count on me!

: Speaking of, we’ve installed a Super Pack in your YF-29 – it’ll help amplify the girls’ Fold Songs.

: A Super Pack?

: Right; it’s biggest feature is the Fold Wave Projector, which’ll really magnify the power of their music.

: Aha, so it’s kind of like that sonic weapon you made for Heroman back at Arkham.

: Well, certainly, my efforts back then have paid off dividends.

: The memories of my mortal struggles have sublimated this buffoon’s invention into a secret weapon on a galactic scale.

: OH, amazing! My genius truly knows no bounds!

: All you did was wail on that guitar, Doctor-robo!

: All in all, whether or not we can hold back the Vajra’ll depend on your skill, Alto.

: I know. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure their songs get through.

: Heehee, don’t disappoint us. Our show’s depending on you… cough, cough…

: Sheryl…!

: I-I’m okay. I need to get ready to sing… cough

: Cough, wheeze R-Rgh…!

Faint.

: Sheryl?!

: …

: Sheryl, stay with us! Sheryl!

: I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it…

: Her V-Type Infection’s reaching its terminal stage…

: Huh…?!

: Oi, what the hell?! I thought she’d gotten better with those meds from Tatsumiya!

: …

: Sheryl hasn’t been taking those.

: What? Why?!

: Dr. Toumi did everything she could to make a medicine that would put as little strain as possible on her vocal chords…

: But, despite that, there are still side effects.

: Whenever she takes that medicine, her voice gets really hoarse…

: That’s nuts! This is her life we’re talking about!

: Then, what, would you have stopped her, Alto?!

: …

: We all know there’s no stopping someone who’s so determined to do something that she’d risk her own life for it!

: …

: And, Alto… it’s only because you’re here that she—

: Okay, that’s enough, Ranka…

: Thank God, you’re awake!

: Sheryl, I…

: Sorry, I didn’t mean to force you to look after me…

: … And much as it pains me to say it, I’ll need you to run today’s show by yourself.

: Sheryl…

: Hmhmhm, I don’t often do freebies like this, you know…

: …

: Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll sing enough for the two of us…!

: Ranka…

: Thanks. Now, don’t worry about me – I haven’t given up on living yet, and I won’t for as long as my heart’s beating.

: Ditto. I ain’t throwing in the towel ‘til the fat lady sings.

: Joe…!

: Bro, you should be resting!

: I know we’re also workaholics, but we’re absolutely not sending you out there in that condition!

: …

: I’m so close… Just a bit more and I’ll figure out the secret of that power…

: And what if you end up losing your life getting that answer?

: …

: You have realized it as well, have you not? That power is…

: So, what?

: Joe…!

: Sorry, Princess, but this ain’t just about Planet Ladorio anymore…

: And it ain’t about me being on my last legs, or how my odds to winning are zero…

: He… Ylbora is waiting for me. So, I have to go…

: Joe…

: You said you had to talk to me, Princess Romina?

: …

: It’s possible that Joe’s next battle will be his last.

: …?!

: Whatever the outcome may be, I intend to watch over him to the very end.

: I consider that to be my duty as the one who brought him into this war to begin with.

: …

: So this is just about you feeling responsible?

: … No, it’s not.

: …

: I… love him.

: …!

: Of course, I’m not about to confront you about that. This is hardly the time for it.

: Still, listening to Joe back there… it helped me come to a decision.

: …

: If we do succeed at ending all these conflicts and bringing peace to the world…

SRW UX - Love Survivor

: Then, I’ll challenge you in earnest – not as a princess, but as another woman.

: Princess, you…

: …

: Heehee, you’ll challenge me, eh? That sounds pretty good.

: Of course, that’s assuming Joe feels that way for both of us, right?

: Hah, that is true…

: I suppose we should both pray for that to be the case.

: Thank you for being so frank with me, Princess Romina. I’m seeing things a lot clearer now.

: Rennie…

: I know what I must do… and, if anything, I’ll also make sure I’ve no regrets.

: But, first things first, the two of us need to stay alive.

: Absolutely…!

: Hrk…! A-Aargh… Haah, haah…

: You really are going to assault the UX again, aren’t you?

: …

: You may try to stop me, but I…

: Hmph, that is far beneath me.

: Go, I say. We’ll see for ourselves if you’ll emerge from this as a bundle of space dust or as the ninja of legend.

: …

He leaves.

: Ylbora went after them, hm?

: Yes, sire. Though, in his condition, I doubt victory’s a possibility – at best, this will end in a draw.

: Hmhmhm, that would be just fine.

: Hm? But if that happens…

: We still do not know what the truth behind the Ninja Legend is. Simply waiting for it to reveal itself to us is far too dangerous.

: …

: Then, the plan is for Joe Maya and Ylbora to beat each other into submission, and then we move in and claim the grand power in their units…?

: That’s it, yes.

: Now, on to other matters. Do we have the precise location for the Vajra homeworld?

: No, not yet…

: I’m certain we warped to the exact coordinates Hazard gave us, but that planet is also…

: It’s not in any of our star charts, as was the case with Earth, hm?

: Yes, sire…

: …

: (Planets that aren’t in our star charts, our missing Kylhasium, and the Ninja Legend…)

: (They all strike me as being related, but I cannot say how. This unease grows with each passing day…)

Mission 49 – The End of the Invasion

: All ships have successfully Folded to the Vajra homeworld’s sector!

: L-Look at all of them…!

: Fold Sound Stage is operational and standing by!

: Are you good to go, Ranka?

: Y-Yes! I’m ready!

: Okay, then deploy all mobile troops!

: Leave the fighting to us, Alto. You worry about making sure her song gets through to the buggers!

: Rrk…!

: Are you alright, Joe?!

: D-Don’t worry about me…! And keep your eyes open – he’s coming, I’m sure of it!

: I can feel it in my bones, and in the Tobikage…!

: Joe…

: (You’ll be okay… Just put your heart in your song and the Vajra’ll understand!)

: Kishaaaaaaa!

: Aaaaah!

: Huh?! The Vajra…!

: What’s going on?! Didn’t the Vajra see Ranka as a friend?!

Alarm!

: …! I’m reading Control Waves – powerful ones! They’re being broadcast from around the Vajra homeworld!

: I guess they expected us to try something like this.

: Blast that Army of Mankind! They are going to use the Vajra as shock troops?!

: Switch to mission plan D23!

: We’re breaking through the Vajra’s ranks and into their planet’s atmosphere!

: But we’d have to attack the controlled Vajra to do that…

: No time for grumbling! What’dya think we came here for, eh?!

: Lt. Kaido…!

: If you’re not willing to fight, then you wait in the ships!

: We can play the role of villains by ourselves!

: Heheh, you ain’t hogging this spotlight!

: Jumping into the fray and ripping through the enemy’s just the way we like it!

: The Army of Mankind’s at the planet’s surface, and there will be no freeing the Vajra until they’re stopped!

: I understand that it’s difficult, but our priority must be getting through here and making landfall!

Destroy everyone, don’t lose Joe or a ship. Big and beefy Vajra everywhere, but we’ve dealt with this before – spread out your guys to force the enemy to do the same and take them down with appropriate tactics. And don’t forget that the Vajra ships all have frontal MAPWs!

We’ve more stuff incoming from the north, so send a bit more troops to that side while you’re going through the Vajra – make sure Joe’s one of those. Mind you, with his reduced morale and no SP, you’ll want to be very careful that he doesn’t get mobbed by the buggers (just have Demonbane close by so his high HP draws their attention).

SRW UX - The Eternal Soldiers

SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!

: Gch… You’re stuck with me all the way to the finish line, Tobikage…

: Or, better put, ‘other me’!

SRW UX - A Bird’s Song

And once you’ve brought the enemy under 14 squads…

Tzeeeeeep.

: I feel something. It’s…!

: The Vajra’s pain…!

: They’re crying… They want to be free. We have to do something – fast!

: Waaaaaaah!

: Hrm…! Our starboard side’s been hit!

: Give me a check on all damaged sections…! The Elshank cannot be sunk now!

: Everyone’s fighting so hard to impart our hearts to the Vajra…

: And here I am, completely useless when I’m needed the most…

: Pii!

: Heheh, are you telling me to cheer up? Thanks…

Boom!

: Aaiieee!

: Th-There’s a crack in the wall—

SWOOOOOOOSH!

: Piiiiiii!

: Aaaaaaaaah!

: Hrm, they just keep coming! If this doesn’t stop, both we and the Vajra’ll…!

Tzeeeeeeep.

: It’s all right… I’ll take care of it, Kazuki…

SRW UX - Azure

: Th-That voice…!

: The Festum’s Worm Spheres?! They live in this part of space too?!

: No, that’s…!

: …

: The Mark Nicht…?!

: …

: It’s you, isn’t it, Kurusu…?

: We meet again…

: Why are you here…?!

: I wanted to deliver them from their pain. That’s why…

: That’s why I came back!

: Kurusu…!

: I… I understand, Kurusu! You don’t even have to say it – I can tell already…!

: I can see the flicker of your life!

: You’re alive! You are there now!

: Yes, I am, Kazuki! I am… right here!

: Folks, if he also wants to save the Vajra, then that makes us allies!

: Work with him to drive back the Vajra and find us a way through!

: Aye, aye!

And, bam, that’s the last Fafner secret unlocked. Misao’s squad bonus is Accuracy +5, HP +500 (Accuracy +30, HP +1500, 35% Double Image, Spec Debuff Immunity), and his spirits are Analyze, Focus, Sense, Zeal, Courage. It even has Assimilate L3 but, of course, the Festum aren’t a problem anymore.

Misao, as a pilot, is pretty good overall, compounded by the fact that, like Koyo, he knows Mind Read L3 for that flat +50% boost to his evasion/accuracy numbers… but the problem is the Mark Nicht. First and foremost, it doesn’t get the Crossing System which, as said with the Zero Fafner, is a relevant demerit. However, the primary issue is that, as the theory goes, the devs kind of forgot to give it actual “player unit” stats on its weapons.
You know how boss weapons have lower firepower than ours to accommodate their inflated stats and our lower HP counts? Well, that’s the issue: the Mark Nicht has appallingly low attack power – its best attack is only 200 points stronger than the frickin’ Mark Elf’s (4000 x 4200). You can guess how well it measures up to our mainline guys.
Or maybe that’s just to signify how Misao doesn’t actually make very good use of the Nicht. When Soushi takes it up in Exodus, the thing pretty much becomes Fafner Mark Granzon.

SRW UX - Azure

: So much pain is born as lives are lost… and I don’t want the Vajra to experience any more than they already have.

: That’s why I decided to be here!

SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

Keep going, and when you’ve reduced the Vajra under 10 units…

: The Vajra’s numbers are dwindling. One more push and we may yet—

: What the hell…?!

: Here he is…!

: I’ve been waiting for you, Ylbora!

: Hahahah… Joe…

: I’m glad to see you’re still kicking!

: I say the same, Joe!

: Why, I dare say we may be birds of a feather…

: Yeah, maybe we are…

: And that’s exactly why we’ve both got something we’re not willing to give up on!

: …

: Come on, then, Joe. This will be…!

: Our final battle, Ylbora!

Take out Ylbora to progress with things. He’s over by the north-northwest flank, but still pretty far away, so you can stand to spend another turn trashing the Vajra while he moves closer. Also:

Secret Alert!
Tobikage Secret #1 – 8th step: set Romina as your tactician and have Joe shoot down Ylbora.

One more time. Joe should already have plenty of morale from all the dead mooks, but killing Ylbora with no SP can be annoying – either have someone cast Attune and/or use Hope to fill his stock up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCgDrb0NPPs
Let’s get some Nicht weapons we didn’t see out of the way because I doubt I’ll ever deploy it with my limited slots.

SRW UX - Azure

: I see. Your heart is…

: You may read my mind, Festum child, but that won’t help you stop my advance!

: I know. And just as you’ve chosen to be there, I, too, have a reason for being here!

SRW UX - Roulette

SRW UX - Love Survivor

: We stand here today not as a Princess of Planet Ladorio or as a warrior of The Boom Army…

: But only as people who’ve dedicated themselves to their causes! Thus, what awaits us…

: Is a clash between our wills! Come, Your Highness!

: Away! What exists between Joe and I is a fate that none other may infringe upon!

: And we’re supposed to care…?!

: Joe might even hate us for it, but he’s hurt, and we won’t think twice of doing this if it’ll save him!

: We’ll stop you, Ylbora, even if we gotta ante up our lives!

: Hah… Very well. Stay true to your will and face me!

SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!

: The Tobikage and the Zerokage, you and I…! It is no coincidence that we’re facing one another right now!

: True. We’ve always been butting heads with each other ever since we met!

: But if that was fate, then this is where it comes to a close!

: Yes, it is – and it’s also where the sealed legend will begin!

Ylbora drops a Damian’s Karate Manual (Melee and Skill +10, Accuracy +5)

: Kch… Hrrrrmm!

: Sir Ylbora!

: Haaaaaah!

Joe repositions.

: Toryaah!

: Oorgh…!

: Joe!

: Stay away!

: Joe…!

: Hah-Hahah… It looks like the next attack will be the last for us…

: Y-Yeah… and that’s just what I want…!

: But why?! Why are you two so obsessed with continuing this…?!

: …

: Everyone’s got their own reasons for fighting… some do it to protect another, some do it change as people…

: As for the two of us, our reason is just one and the same!

: This is no longer about pride or tenacity…

: We fight in order to unravel the answer that lies beyond this battle…!

: Joe… Ylbora!

: Raaaaaaargh!

: JOOOEE!!

Bzzzzzt!

: Aaaiieeee!

: Wh-What’s going on?! The Tobikage’s stuck…!

: This technique… It’s?!

: Hmhmhm, how do you like the taste of my Ultimate Plasma Binding?

: Charme…!

: It’s that trick she used before…!

: Hmph, hardly. The energy at my disposal is far different from then!

: Her Ultimate Plasma Binding uses the Odyssite as a catalyst! I trust you’ll appreciate its power!

: O-Odyssite…?!

: Gwaaaaaargh!

: BWAAHAHAHAHAHA! I’m afraid it’s time for you to exit stage left, Joe, Ylbora!

: Gch… Hazard, you sonuva…!

: Even the fangs of the fiercest of tigers mean nothing when they’re stuck in a cage.

: But don’t worry: we’ll take our sweet time exploring the mysteries of the grand power of the Ninja Legend after you’re gone!

: Hrm… That’s what they’re after?!

: All troops forward – seize them!

: Curse you, Charme! You…

SRW UX - Love Survivor

: You won’t have this your way!

: Ylbora…!

: Rrrooaaarrgh!

: Kch… It can’t be! He broke my Ultimate Plasma Binding…?!

: Don’t tell me that power is…!

: No… this isn’t any mysterious ‘grand power’!

: It’s the power that embodies indignation towards evil!

: It’s my wrath – a force that wants nothing but to annihilate the lot of you!

: Y-You worm…!

: Joe, can you keep up?!

: Heheh, who do ya think you’re talking to?!

: Haaaaaaaah!

: That light… They’re also…

: (Director Hazard, that light is…)

: (Yes. It’s reacting to the Odyssite, just like Shot said it would.)

: (We were right. The source of their powers is…)

: Joe!

: Had you worried for a sec, didn’t I, Rennie? Sorry about that. But I ain’t taking any more punishment without a fight!

: Sir Ylbora…!

: Sir Ylbora… At last… At long last, you have returned to us!

: Hm. We’ll talk about that later!

: Our foes are Hazard… and The Boom Army!

: I got it, Ylbora!

Aay, Ylbora’s friendly again (no, this isn’t from the secret). His squad bonus is Mobility +30, Melee weapons +300, Armor +150 and Range +1; spirit commands are Focus, Sense, Drive, Zeal, Valor. By himself, he’s on par with Joe and Tobikage, but, obviously, can’t fuse with the Ladorian units. Still, he might get something else…

Famir Battleship (Hazard Pasha)
Pilot Skills:
Prevail L9
Support Attack L3
All Attack L3
Command L4
Mech Features:
All-Canceller
Hazard’s voice actor: Takeshi Aono (other roles: Helluga in SRW GC/XO, Luozol in Masoukishin, Dr. Wily in Megaman, and many more)
Dog Tack’s voice actor: Takashi Taniguchi (other roles: Grave in Masoukishin, Nylen in the Tales of Vesperia movie, and some more)

Exactly what you’d expect from a big battleship boss: big stats where it matters, lots of range, a TON of defenses and a 3x8 frontal MAPW. Firepower is also appropriately high, especially with a 2L size, but that’s only an issue if he gets a clean hit in. Move in close enough to deal with his cronies but far enough to force him to close the distance – once he’s done that, mob him and destroy.
YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM ME ANYMORE, MOTHERFUCKER! I’M COMING FOR YOU!

SRW UX - Love Survivor

: I do not take my crimes to be forgivable… nor do I seek trust or sympathy.

: All that matters to me now is being true to my beliefs! Ylbora Saro, warrior of Ladorio, challenges you!

SRW UX - Lion

SRW UX - Azure

SRW UX - Deus Machina

: Aw, you came all the way here to watch us become the rulers of the universe? You shouldn’t have!

: Ye maggot wallowing in greed… Your selfishness has blinded you to your place in the universe. I would call you a fool, but that would be insulting to fools everywhere!

: Step up, Hazard! You’re about to feel the anger of all the people you’ve hurt!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSSYlYs48xM
Here’s Hazard’s best attack.

SRW UX - Love Survivor

: You might have destroyed my trap, but I am still here!

: And I’ve taken a vow to secure Emperor Annex’ future, even if it costs me my life!

: Enemy or not, your loyalty is commendable, Benikage, warrior of The Boom Army!

: I, Romina Ladorio, shall also stake my own life and face you in battle!

: Hmph… I always knew this would happen, Ylbora. I could feel that, behind that aura of solitude, you never forsook your pride as a warrior!

: However, you’ll never amount to the ninja of legend! Your life will fade away and only dust will remain!

: I hid my beliefs deep within my heart, yet their embers continued to burn… all in preparation for this moment! The void beckons you, Benikage, and the Zerokage will usher you there!

: Hmph, you dare challenge the Benikage? I’d accept the ninja of legend, but not riffraff like you!

: Riffraff, eh? And what’s wrong with that?

: Even riffraff’s got some possibilities within them. All we gotta do is batch those together and we might just measure up to even the ninja of legend!

: We’ve been there fighting alongside Joe and the others since the start! Don’t take us seriously and you’ll get burned!

SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!

: Sucks to be you, Benikage! There ain’t no chains strong enough to tie us down!

: Each of us got the light of hope inside, and not even the deepest darkness’ll make us lose sight of it!

: You have eluded death for far too long! For the glory of His Majesty, Emperor Annex… and so the blue Earth may be his!

: I’ll personally send you screaming into the afterlife, Tobikage!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_nQkmcqKRk
I only remembered now that I still had to show off the DK for Misao’s best weapon, so here it is. FYI, this was with Valor and the Nicht’s 50% upgraded.
Charme drops a Secret Tome of Ninja Arts (Evasion and Ranged +10, Skill +5).

: Hrk… Curse you Earthlings!

: You force my hand…!

Beep.

(TV): Stop, Charme. Return at once!

: B-But…!

: There are plenty of other ways to crush them. Do you understand?

: Y-Yes, sire…!

: The enemy commander retreated…?

: Weird, considering this is about as close to “final battle” as you’re going to get. What’re they up to?

Dunno, don’t care. I’ve more important matters to see to…!

SRW UX - Azure

: Not content with what you did to the Festum, now you’re looking to use the Vajra as fuel for your ambitions?! Isn’t there anything you care about protecting other than yourself?!

: Ahaa, I thought you were familiar – you’re that boy who defended me back then, right?

: Then, you can die protecting my glory this time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbCTxwWyKcw
And here’s Hazard’s second strongest attack – didn’t connect, but it’s the same.

Now we can begin!

Hitsuto Boy - Love Survivor
LOVE SURVIVOR! LOVE SURVIVOR!

: Mwahahaha! This is goodbye to those days spent in the Martian boonies!

: A brilliant future awaits Hazard Pasha just around the corner, and you’re not stopping me!

: That’s fine – we’ll just guide you over to that future of yours…

: Though what’s waiting you won’t be Earth, Mars, or even that utopia you dream of!

: Damn straight; the only place you’re going… is Hell!

: You were meant to lead to people in the right direction, but, instead, you want nothing but to subjugate them to sate your greed…!

: Yours is a black, impure soul! And one who cannot appreciate the essence of life is not fit to tread upon that land!

: You care for none other than yourself. The arrogance… Pigs like you could never walk the path of a conqueror!

: A bunch of weird action figures are lecturing me on how the world works? Give me a break!

: But it’s a good thing you’re here! I look forward to nabbing that “Yùxǐ” of yours and figuring out how its powers work too!

: Every single being who calls this universe home is entitled to happiness!

: It is an evil man who would deprive them of that right purely for his personal gain! And, by the will of the heavens, we shall have you answer for all of it!

: Hazard Pasha… Here is where your evil ambitions come to an end!

: All you care about is yourself – the lives of others mean nothing to you. But now we’ll rid the universe of your presence!

: Hmhmhm, how quaint. Didn’t you kill a bunch of innocent lives yourselves? You’re doing it right now with the bugs. And it was all in line with your own rules, so who are you to say anything to me?

: We did, and we’ll carry the weight of all the possibilities we’ve erased forever…

: But we won’t lose any sleep over wiping out your possibilities and your greed, Hazard!

: Give it up, Hazard Pasha! How can you not see that your greed will kill our future?!

: Do you actually believe your ambitions are so important to justify all the people you’re sacrificing?! Are you that sick?!

: I’m sure a world where no one has to get hurt exists somewhere out there…

: But everything you do serves only to spread sorrow!

: Spare me the platitudes! It’s human nature to be greedy! If you ask me, selfless people are missing something essential to them!

: And you’ll have plenty of time to watch from the afterlife! You’ll get a bird’s eye view as I create a beautiful future – for me!

: The Vajra’s raw power is all mine! And I already had tons of influence to boot…!

: It’s just a little bit more until the world is mine for the taking! You’re the only obstacles left!

: We’ve been watching your arrogant ass parading around for a long while, but now it’s finally time for you to get what you deserve!

: Get over here, ya crook! I’m about to smash your bullcrap dreams of world domination into a billion pieces!

: Gehehehe, how about this, kid? Your machine’s the best there is when it comes to killing Festum.

: Come work for me, and I’ll give you an even better paradise than that island!

: I don’t want or need anything of the sort! Our island’s all the paradise I need!

: Tatsumiya, where Soushi, Toumi, and all my friends are, is where I’m meant to be!

: To claim and control everything! It’s because I cling to that wish that I’ve clawed my way back from every fall!

: And, finally, success is so close, I can taste it!

: Now that’s a cliché goal if I’ve ever heard one. Men’s Pipe Dreams Monthly is chock full of those.

: I guess while some folks take a look at the environment they’ve to survive in and see adversity, others see it differently…

: But living just to satisfy your own desires is how you become a villain.

: I wouldn’t dream of preaching about living a righteous life, but…

: Whatever happens, there’re always people trying to live honestly… and pooh-poohing the power of those people is something you should never do!

: Enslaving the Vajra, turning them into weapons to help your agenda… Are you just that heartless?!

: What I did was make these brainless beasts useful!

: Give me a bit and I’ll have you dimwits under my leash as well!

: Not in a million years! Both us and the Vajra are more than capable of deciding what to do for ourselves!

: That’s what life is all about!

: My great intellect now has a massive force to match it… I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s bright! We’re entering the age of Hazard, King of Earth!

: Do you think an oversized doll like you could actually stop my plans?!

: … This isn’t about whether or not I can stop you. Intellect, power… neither of those things are meant to be used to turn people into tools.

: You may believe that from way up your high horse, but it only makes your plans sound even stupider!

: It’s always one dirty trick after another with you! Is that all you think about?!

: Blah, these bugs won’t stop buzzing around me!

: Still, I owe that mech a bit of gratitude! It was because of it that I found the clue I needed to pry open my road to glory!

: I don’t need gratitude from someone who shows such disregard for everyone and everything around him!

: All you do is to fulfill your delusions… and now I’ll tear them all to ribbons!

: The Army of Mankind, the Vajra… the universe is mine for the taking with all that power under my control! The future is called Hazard Pasha!

: Everything your greed touches gets hurt, and, worse, you don’t even care…

: We’ll wipe out every trace of the future you’re trying to create!

: It might be that your evil was fruit of living so far away from your home planet, but that’s not enough to make me sympathize with you…!

: In your greed, you twist the will of everyone around you and turn them into pawns! That’s unacceptable!

: Shut your trap, kid! What do you think you understand of me and my past, huh? You’re just a spoiled brat who’s been coasting through life under daddy-o’s wing!

: But that childish mentality of yours’ll still make for good kindling for my dream!

: Heheheh, look at you, boy. Controlling that robot and making it fight on your command…

: Why, it’s like looking in a mirror!

: You’re wrong! Heroman has a heart of his own and a life that only wants to protect people!

: And that also applies to that Vajra you’re enslaving! We’re taking him down together, Heroman!

: Hmmm!

: Hazard, I’m no saint myself, but even I could never let you off the hook after everything you’ve done!

: I’ve acquired all the power I could ever need! And once you and your machines are gone, I’ll just be a stone’s throw away from realizing my dream!

: Too bad for you, the only thing you’re a stone’s throw away from is total defeat!

: This is it, Hazard… the battle that started that day on Mars is coming to an end now!

: Our arrival on Mars brought disaster to that planet, causing hardship for so many people…

: We share in the responsibility of spreading your evil influence and spurring on your ambition, and I, Romina Ladorio, will personally bring it all to a close!

: That’s rich, but no sheltered little princess is going to stop me!

: When you play with fire, you get burned – it’s time for you to learn that!

: So many of my friends were hurt by you… I cannot even begin to tell how sad that made me.

: But I learned that you can’t fight out of anger and hate… So, rather, I’ll fight to stop you from spreading any more hate across the universe than you’ve already have!

: I’ve no idea what you’re babbling about, but if you’ll be a problem, then you’ll die along with them! See how you like getting blown to smithereens!

: The UX, The Boom Army… you just can’t go five minutes without switching sides, can you, Ylbora?

: That said, I still have plenty of use for you. You’ll be working for me now, little bat-man!

: Silence, fiend!

: I’d never submit to a man who so easily sacrifices others for his self-protection, who’s such a blind slave to his greed…! Swift and utter death is all you’ll get from me!

: I reckon it’s also time to put things to bed with you! We’ll see who comes out top here!

: I admit I didn’t expect you to escape that cage and come take a swing at me. Still, tigers and lions might bear down on me, they’ll wind up dead just the same!

: You don’t seem to get what a mess you’re in! You mess with a tiger, you get bitten – and I’m about to rip apart both your face and this annoying little relationship of ours!

And he drops another Hazard’s Favorite Athlete’s Foot Medicine… Wait a minute, no, this isn’t anywhere good enough.

I AM NOT DONE WITH YOU.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qG0reY5d8k
You have been a royal pain in the ass for the entire game, and you will answer for all of it!

This is about ten times more satisfying than bending Miwa over my knee in MX.

: I think this is good enough.

: Should we proceed as planned, then…?

: Yes. Have the ship to retreat for a bit!

: Roger that!

: Hazard’s—!

: The hell is he up to?!

: All enemy forces have been routed!

: That’s what you get, The Boom Army!

: Okay… All them pests are gone. What now, Ylbora?

: …

: Hah, that should be obvious.

Ylbora repositions.

: Heheh, I guess we gotta!

Joe goes after him.

: N-Now wait just a minute, Joe!

: You guys’re still gonna fight?!

: Nah, that ain’t what this is…

: Then, why…?!

: We’re just putting things to order…

: We ain’t gonna be able to either fight together or hate each other the way we are right now…

: Joe…

: I see that you have realized the power that dwells within the Tobikage and Zerokage… or, rather, within us, Joe!

: Yeah! Let’s do this, Ylbora!

: That light…!

: Is that the power mentioned in the Ninja Legend?!

: But it’s…

: Yes, it’s the same! That is the light we saw when we were brought to this world!

: What…?!

: …

: (Indeed, this world and Mirisha are…!)

: What…?!

: The Boom Army…!

: Hmhmhm… I have been waiting for this moment!

: Annex!

: That is most certainly the grand power of legend!

: And it’ll belong to me, Annex The Boom!

: Aaaah!

: Mwahahaha! You’ll rue the day you underestimated The Boom Army!

: This is the might of Emperor Annex! Prostrate yourselves before him!

: Rgh… Those sons of…!

: Go, Hazard. Seize the Tobikage and Zerokage!

: …

: Did you really think it’d be that easy?

: Excuse me…?

: The Vajra…?!

: Hmhmhm, get them!

The Vajra go after Annex and Charme’s ships!

: Gaaah!

: H-Hazard… have you lost your mind?!

: BWAAHAHAHAHA! Looks like I’m a cut above you as well, “Your Majesty”!

: Y-You’re…?!

: Yes, I am… the Ninja Legend, the Fold Quartz and The Boom Army’ll all be mine!

: It’ll be Hazard Pasha who rises to rule the entire universe!

: D-Damn you straight to hell!

: GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!

: Kch… Ylbora!

: Hm, I know! We’ll crush them with our power…!

: Now, Dog!

: Yes, sir!

: Grrgh!

: Wh-What was that?!

: The Zerokage isn’t obeying…!

: Wh-What’re you doing, bro?!

: I-I’m not! This ain’t me!

: Stop, Tobikage! What happened to you?!

: …

: O-Oh, no…!

: Oh, yes! That’s my Implant Munitions for you!

: And I’ll be making some wonderful sacrificial pawns out of you, just like the Vajra!

: H-How can you—

: Uwaaaargh!

: T-Tobikage! Stop!

: …

: Gaaaaaaaaah!

: JOOOOE…!

SRW UX - Tobikage Appears!

: Y-Your Highness…!

: R-Rrgh… Haaaargh!

: Wh-Whaaat?!

: The Elshank…?!

: The Zerokage heeds me again…!

: Princess… What was that?!

: I-I don’t know what happened either…

: I was just desperate to save you both and that wish overcame me…!

: You did? … I have it! This is the truth behind the grand power of legend!

: Wh-What did you say?!

: Our powers are the same. The same in nature, yet diametrically opposed…!

: That is to say, they can only cancel each other out when they come into contact… However!

: All it needs is a will as the core. Do that, and that power’ll fall in line, magnifying into infinity!

: Magnifying Willpower…!

: Th-The infinite power of legend…?!

: S-Screw that Ninja Legend! Fire, Dog! FIIIREE!

: That attack won’t work on us anymore!

: I-It can’t be…!

: I reckon even you can see all the power we’ve got now!

: Wh-What’s going on…?!

: Joe, Ylbora and Romina… That is the grand power born of their three wills!

: Ooh… I am certain of it: that is the light of legend!

: …?!

: I’ve figured it out…!

: The power written about in the G-Records is… the Ninja Legend is…!

: Every single person hides possibilities capable of changing fate itself within!

: And as those possibilities are brought together, their strength turns to a boundless light!

: Do you know what it is, Hazard?! That is what people call…

: LIFE!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcGHognrJ7U
Captions are available for DIIIIEEEEE!

: GYAAAAAAAARGH!!

BLAAAAAAST!

: Uwaaaaaaaah!

: I-I’ve finally seen the truth…!

: Aah, I am a fool! This universe is…!

: Sire?!

: The problem wasn’t with our star charts, but with the fact that this isn’t the universe we knew!

: …?!

: The Ninja Legend had never happened!

: No… The Ninja Legend are events unfolding now!

: Gwaaaaaaaaargh!

b BOOOOOOM![/b]

: A-All hostiles confirmed destroyed…

: …

: Rgh…!

: Y-Ylbora…?!

: …

: Ylbora…!

SRW UX - Separation

: You heard the Vajra’s pain…?

: Hm. I kept hearing their voice as my consciousness was fading away. And, so, I thought…

: “I want to help them”…

: By the time I realized, I was back inside the Mark Nicht and my human form was restored.

: Your core had been destroyed, but it still managed to come back… amazing.

: …

: Can I ask to fight together with you?

: Kurusu…

: I want to pass on to the Vajra what I learned from you guys…

: What it means to live, and the joy of having been born…

: We hear you.

: …

: Kurusu, there’s something I’d always hoped to tell you in case we saw each other again.

: Thank you. It’s only thanks to you that I’m here right now.

: Soushi…

: I’m glad that you feel that way.

: And, once this battle is over, I hope we can all go and see that blue sky again.

: Yeah, that’s a promise. We’ll see Tatsumiya’s sky together…

: U-Urk… I’m…

: Careful, you are still quite wounded. Please, sir, get some more rest.

: Gameran…?! I see… This is the Elshank.

: What of The Boom Army…?

: Annex and all his servants are gone from the face of the universe…

: The legendary power we and Joe unleashed destroyed them…

: …!

: … I am glad to hear that. Their deaths mean the end of my struggle as well.

: Cmdr. Ylbora, what you were after was to uncover the truth behind the Ninja Legend, was it not?

: Because you believed it would enable you to defeat The Boom Army and save Princess Romina…

: …

: The Boom Army was far too mighty…

: If I was to have any hope of facing them, then I would need the power of the Ninja Legend on my side…

: Ylbora…

: …

: Regardless, no excuses will change the fact that I turned my sword upon Her Highness…

: Sir Ylbora…

: Hm. Indeed, your actions are not something that could ever be forgiven.

: …

: However, if even a shred of your pride as a warrior remains…

: Then, you should spend the remainder of your life atoning for your crimes – as part of the UX.

: …?!

: It’s way too early for you to curl up and die. You gotta live and keep on fighting.

: Let us hear you answer, Ylbora.

: …

: You have my sincerest gratitude for your benevolent words, Your Highness…

: I, Ylbora Saro, hereby swear once more to dedicate my life to your service…

: (What did I say? You still had a place to call home.)

: Cmdr. Ylbora, we owe you our gratitude as well…

: It was through your life-threatening assault that we, at long last, have uncovered the underlying truth of this world…

: The truth of this world…?

: …

: Planet Ladorio… is the Earth from the future.

: …?!

: C-Come again?!

: And that’s not the end of it – the same can be said for Mirisha…

: W-Wait just a minute! Do you mean…!

: That Earth, Mirisha and Planet Ladorio were all the same planet?!

: Yeah…

: And we’ve the sinking feeling that the Vajra homeworld—

Door opens!

: Alto! Everyone! Sheryl… Sheryl’s…!

: Ranka?!

: Calm down, Ranka. What happened?

: It’s Sheryl… she’s gone! We can’t find her anywhere on the ship…!

: What…?!

Chalk up another secret down – we get Ylbora and the Zerokage. You can set him back in the Elshank if you’d like, but he and his bot are certainly a good fit anywhere melee-oriented, especially if you’d rather deploy Joe by himself rather than have him plug into a Ladorian machine.
Of course, if you didn’t do his secret, the ending of the mission changes after Ylbora explains why he’d turned traitor:

: Ylbora…

: Y-Your Highness… I am truly sorry… What I’ve done is…

: Argh…!

: You’re in no condition to talk right now. You can tell us later…

: Joe…

: What is it…?

: Joe… I entrust Her Highness… to your care…

Dies.

: S-Sir Ylbora?! Stay with us!

: Sir Ylbora…!

: Kch… Uwaaaaaaah! Sir Ylboraaaaaaa!

: Tsk, “entrust her to my care”…

: He always had to have the last word…

: …

: (Your actions were not something that could ever be forgiven.)

: (However, you fought by lonesome in a bid to catch sight of our future… And I have taken that devotion onto myself.)

: (Come, Ylbora. Together, we shall be the Elshank’s wings as it soars above fate…)

And, from here, the rest is the same. Finally, here are a couple of convos we missed:

: Karen… your crimes run deep. Not only did you let yourself be tainted by love and betrayed The Boom Army…

: But you have also forsaken your loyalty for the Emperor! Only with your life can you find redemption!

: Lady Benikage, I have learned what it means to live freely.

: That’s why I chose to fight alongside Damian, just as you’ve pledged your life for the Emperor!

–

: You’re so loyal to your cause that you’d get in bed with the people you were supposed to beat… That much is as clear as day to me.

: In which case, I trust you understand that my will shall not be swayed!

: Hm, I guess so. We better have at it, then!

[Mattman324]

Alright, so UX has significantly changed Tobikage’s finale. I brought this up in my unhinged Tobikage related rant earlier, but to repeat - Tobikage didn’t actually have a finale. What happened was that after a few Tobikage/Zerokage clashes that started drawing out the ninja powers (the red/blue glowing the two bots do in their combo), and a few episodes away from the end, they did a lengthy assault on the main Zaboom fortress, a massive motherfucker of a ship. Benikage died, but Annex Zaboom managed to retreat, and in fact ended the show without dying. Yllbora and Joe were actually temporarily held by Hazard but escaped, and managed to finally work together to kill him with the help of the rest of the cast - but Hazard put explosives into the Zerokage which nearly killed Yllbora. When they took him to the Elshank, he was suddenly, fairly miraculously kept alive by Tobikage and Zerokage glowing gold - a la the end of the combo - and then disappearing into the TOTALLY MYSTERIOUS ROOM of the Elshank, which itself started glowing gold and shot off at warp speed into space. And then two clip shows happened. UX gave the show an Actual Ending by ensuring all the loose ends got tied up. (Impact did too, but IIRC had Annex just kind of randomly die early in Part 3 and well before most of his forces did.)

Also that “have everything kill Hazard” bit was brutal and horrifying, and goddamnit, I’m doing that on my next run. Fuck Hazard Passha.

But oh boy, here we go. Next up is the thrilling conclusion to Macross F’s second movie, something I’m sure everyone here has been waiting for. (There’s something I really want to comment on about it, but it’s actually related to BX rather than UX - more on that after next update)

[RYNO_Ross]

If I ever get a chance to play UX, I’m going to find a way to kill Hazard with the Vulcans on a Gundam. It will be difficult, but it will also be humiliating: perfect for the sunnuva bitch.

[Brunom1]

Click to see the mission!

And we’re back, having brought karmic balance to the universe by ridding it of Hazard’s presence forever – Annex and Charme are gone, Ylbora and Misao have joined up. Everything’s good… but the Vajra still needs sorting out, which means another round of Frontier Plot. Bah.
Ozma and Alto are deploying as event units today, so here’s how we’re going:

Joe/Ylbora
Aesap/Sakomizu
Liubei/Kiriyama
Kurou/Deceive
Kazuki/Maya
Shou/Tsubasa
Sakura/Mike
Mazinkaiser/Vardant
Shinn/Luna
Mamoru/Shouko
Lu Bu/Seri
Arnie/Saya
Cao Cao/Domyoji
Dancouga/Eida
Heroman/Miu
Kouichi/Kiki
Sun Quan/Rennie
Kira/Kenji
Ishigami/Katou
Tactician: Ranka (If you’re on track for the Frontier secret, set her in.)

One last mission and we can say goodbye to this nonsense… Also, this is the cutoff point for the Demonbane secret kill tally. Kurou must have 200+ kills by the end.

Off we go.

: Our search for Madam Sheryl has yielded results…

: It appears she was dragged out into space when the Elshank sustained damage during the previous battle…

: Huh…?!

: Ha-Hahah… You’re joking, right? Sheryl getting dragged out into space…

: Hey, come on, tell me you’re not serious!

: Unfortunately, he is. Footage from inside the ship show that she was right around the area the attack hit…

: We ran scans with every conceivable sensor in and around the ship, but found no signs of life…

: What… Then, Sheryl—!

: No, she’s not dead.

: Alto…

: I know she’s not…

: “The self does not vanish so long as the heart remains,” right?

: Yeah, right on. That was the case with Soushi, with Al…

: And with so many of us, too. I’m sure Sheryl’ll be no different…

: Her earring’ll relay her heart to me.

: So, I’m not facing away from this. Come what may…

: I’ll keep on flying until this battle is brought to an end…!

: Heh, I guess I shouldn’t call you princess anymore…

: …

: (“So long as the heart remains…”)

: (My heart, my emotions, are…)

: And you are…?

: U-Um… I just wanted to say your kabuki was amazing.

: It was like watching an angel flying across the sky…!

: The sky…?

: Yes…

: We should get going, Sheryl… Come on now.

: O-Oh, right…

: …

: …

: I-I…

: ??

: I’ll be a singer someday!

: And I’ll do it as beautifully as you. My song’ll send ripples across the galaxy!

Location: Island 1 – Ruins

: H-Hmm…

: …?!

: Th-This… This is Island 1! But… how did I get here?

: Pi… Pii…

: Ai-kun…? You look so weak…

: That larva protected you… Using the Fold Barrier all Vajra have…

: Y-You’re…?!

: I’ve… finally found you… Sheryl…

: So, that’s the Vajra Queen’s nest…

: All in all, this is a magnificent land… Its atmosphere doesn’t leave anything to be desired compared to Earth’s. This planet, indeed, is…

: Hmhmm. It’s a grand new Frontier for us – one blessed with both large stores of Fold Quartz and livable land…

: (Fold Quartz, the other mineral with properties akin to the Odyssite…)

: (With this planet’s resources handy, I may just uncover the universal truth, that which transcends time and space…)

: Mishima, fellows of the Army of Mankind, you have my deepest gratitude for all your efforts.

: All that remains is sending our troops to assault their nest and bring the Vajra Queen under control!

: When it happens, the galaxy itself will belong to us…!

: Indeed, it will belong to us…!

: Th-That voice…!

Location: Battle Frontier – Bridge

: Wh-What…! You’re—

Machine-gun fire!

: Yaaargh!

Dead.

: Eliminating all obstacles…

Machine-gun fire!

: Gwaaaaargh!

Also dead.

: M-Mister President?!

Machine-gun fire!

: U-rrgh…!

Beep.

(TV): Mr. Mishima, what in God’s name is happening?!

Pods appear.

(middle-aged man): You have done well, Antares 1.

: The emergency autonomous program is already active.

: Y-You’re from the Galaxy Fleet!

: What are you doing here…?!

(young woman): Hmhmhm, you idiot. Did you honestly expect us to be your obedient helpers?

(young man): We very much appreciate you doing all the hard work for us. Both this ship and the Vajra’s Network are under our control now.

(old man): You were always nothing but puppets dancing to the Galaxy’s tunes.

: The Galaxy Fleet?! Those abominations are launching an insurrection?!

• :tfrxmas: *

: Y-You monsters…! I won’t let you… have the universe…

: Begone…

Bang!

: Kch… Damn it all! The Frontier Government’s been taken over by monsters!

: Prof. Shot, contact Commandant Hazard immediately!

: …

: I believe Hazard is already dead.

: What…?!

• :tfrxmas: *

: I appreciate you taking me along for such a long voyage, Madam Secretary General.

: Y-You’re…!

: Prof. Shot… Don’t tell me—

Gets Shot.

: …

Beep.

: It’s me. Everything’s taken care of.

(old man): Heheh… You are a force to be reckoned with, Shot Weapon.

: Everything I do, I do to arrive at the truth.

(middle-aged man): Whatever suits you. We’re very much relying on your technological prowess now that we’ve lost Col. Grace.

(young woman): Speaking of, what happened to her?

(young man): She’s escaped, by the looks of it. But she’s been disconnected from our network, so I doubt she’ll last long.

(middle-aged man): Forget her – what’s important right now is the Fold Quartz.

(young woman): At last, we’ve found our Treasure Island!

(young man): Soon… Very soon, everything’ll belong to us!

(old man): But first things first: we’ll have the Battle Frontier storm the Queen’s nest…!

SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate

: Y-You’re feeling okay…?

: Bro, there’s really nothing wrong with your body?!

: Take a look if you don’t believe me. I’m feeling about a million times better than before.

: But you were in so much pain… How’s this possible?

: I believe it is the same phenomenon we observed with the Odyssea, Arnie and Saya.

: …?!

: Just as their souls beckoned one another, and a life took root within Saya…

: It could be that a new life has surged within Joe and Cmdr. Ylbora.

: A new life within us…

If Ylbora’s dead:

: I believe that… Cmdr. Ylbora’s soul has caused a new life to surge within Joe.

: …?!

: That man entrusted all that he was to Joe in his final moments.

: …

: He gave me a new life…

Common ground:

: And I’m certain that Princess Romina is the one responsible for it succeeding…

: I am…?!

: There is a certain passage in Mirisha’s G-Records.

: “As the lights of the moon and of the sun united, new life took root within the great ocean.”

: Th-That’s…!

: Lemme guess, there’s a similar story in Planet Ladorio, right?

: Y-Yes…

: “The righteous sun and the righteous moon heard the pulse of the crane, gathering beneath its wings and weaving a new power.”

: It’s an old tale passed among the Ladorio royal family.

: I am quite sure that tale refers to the crux of the Ninja Legend.

: Wh-What do you mean?!

: The sun and the moon would be the Tobikage and Zerokage; whilst the crane would be the Elshank.

: Joe and Cmdr. Ylbora’s souls aligned with Princess Romina’s heart, and, thus, gave birth to new life.

: The light unleashed at that time became the origin of the Ninja Legend, which was transmitted across the ages into the future Earth – Planet Ladorio.

: And Joe’s soul eventually lodged itself within the Tobikage, becoming the Elshank’s guardian…

: Oh… So, that’s why the Tobikage would always come running whenever we were in trouble.

: It… rather, our bro was protecting us all this time…

: Now that I think about it, that’s likely what happened with Karen, too.

: He felt my wish to save her…

: And Joe’s soul, within the Tobikage, decided to grant it…

: This sounds real crazy, though.

: I mean, my mind lasted all the way into the future in the Tobikage; then, he came back to the present and joined with my life again?

: On the contrary, I’d say that cycle is precisely what made the Tobikage what he is today. It’s all due to the many, many times he accumulated your life within himself.

: And I reckon that’s also the case with the Linebarrel.

: Then, my father…?!

: Yeah. Mr. Amagatsu placed his life within the Linebarrel by drawing lines between past and future and crossing countless possibilities together…

: Linebarrel, the form created by countless overlapping possibilities…

: Given enough time, machines who were endowed with souls become human…

: I believe it was from them that the divergent possibility of Mirisha came to be.

To clarify what was exposed between Kouichi and Kongming, Linebarrel wasn’t just home to Amagatsu’s brain – but also to his very soul. As shown by the bot and Tobikage, eventually, a machine will gain a soul and turn into a human.
The game doesn’t OUTRIGHT state this, but, considering the context of this conversation and UX’s world as a whole, signs point to the Mirishans being a divergence of the Human Machinas, in a universe where they actually succeeded in becoming human.
My pet theory was that the SD Gundams were ELS-human hybrids (a thing that Trailblazer showed to be possible in its ending) that literally became Gundam due to Setsuna’s influence in the ELS hivemind. However, that theory isn’t as solid due to, one, being based on a movie plot point that UX hasn’t acknowledged, two, not every Mirishan being a Gundam, and, three, going against the central point of this conversation which is MACHINES becoming human. The ELS aren’t machines, but metallic creatures (I get a much bigger giggle out of my theory, mind).

: …

: Our world and this one really were the same, then…?

: Well, they sure have a bunch of stuff in common.

: Then, from our point of view, we and this universe’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms are divergent possibilities of one another…?

: And I believe all those present here bear such possibilities within.

: Us, too?

: Aye. Our meeting with one another, how I sensed the presence of my lost Deus Machina, Aeon, coming from the Demonbane during our first encounter…

: None of it was mere coincidence. It was the result of various superimposed events which molded our fate.

: In that case, there’s got to be one divergent possibility where I became human and married my darling-robo!

: Alright, I’m going to look for that divergence and make it happen here!

: WHAT are you talking about, Elsaaaa?!

: That is a Route of perversion, and not the one you want! The fate you should strive for is one where the two of us evolve to become gods of the entire universe! (Reference to Flight of the Machine God Demonbane)

: Hmm, I really don’t see that happening, Doctor-robo…

: I’m sure Byston Well also has many different possibilities of its own…

: One being the Byston Well we knew, back in a previous universe…

: And now all these possibilities are being brought together…

: But, then, what does that make this universe we’re in right now?

: Indeed, were I to dub it something…

: I would say this is, quite literally, where all possibilities are gathered…

: All possibilities are gathered here…

Beep.

(TV): Jeffrey Wilder calling all UX personnel – we’ve located the Frontier Fleet.

: The Frontier?! Where?!

(TV): They have detached the Island 1 residential colony and are at the surface of the Vajra homeworld.

: They’re also giving out some major Fold Waves, which we presume they’re using to take control of the Vajra.

: Our fears were correct. They mean to carry out an armed incursion of the Vajra homeworld…

: Then, we should move over there ourselves!

: We’re also readying the Fold Sound stage for Ranka Lee to use.

: I’ll be singing from the Quarter again…?

: While we don’t know how effective it’ll be at countering the Frontier’s control waves, yours and Fei’s songs are our only hope with Sheryl gone.

: …

: Everything’ll be okay, Ranka… right? Come on – we’ll get through to them together!

: Yeah… I’ll sing for Sheryl as well!

: Ranka…

: Alto, wait a minute!

: What is it?

: Haah, haah…

: There’s just something that I had to say to you…

: Something you had to…?

: I… I’m ready to carry on singing to my very last breath!

: So, I made a song that captured what I feel for the man who has my heart…

: Your heart?

: …

: I… I love you, Alto!

: …?!

: Ranka… I—

: Don’t say it!

: …!

: I-I know it’s weird, but…

: The thought of hearing how you feel scares me so much more than singing right in the middle of a warzone.

: …

: Whatever that answer is, I don’t think I’d be in any condition to sing once I heard it… and I want to sing my very best today!

: I will make my song get through to the Vajra – not just for us, but for Sheryl too!

: S-So, please, Alto… promise me you’ll make it back!

: Ranka…

: Yeah, I promise…

Mission 50 – The Wings of Goodbye

(young man): Fusion rate with the Vajra Queen has just reached 75%.

(old man): Just a bit longer and we—

SRW UX - After-School Overflow

(middle-aged man): What? That’s…!

: All hands, battle stations!

(young woman): Oh my, it looks like we’ve pursuers. And such a tiny force, even – how precious.

(old man): We can just have the Vajra deal with them.

(middle-aged man): You will not interfere with us! Soon, the entire universe will belong to the Galaxy!

: The “Galaxy”?!

: But wasn’t most of their fleet wiped out in that Vajra attack?!

(young man): We have abandoned the concept of individuality. However many of us are left is irrelevant.

(old man): Just stay there and watch as we rise to become the rulers of the universe!

: I guess it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. They’re after the exact same thing as Hazard.

: Then, our task remains the same: to pave the way for both humanity and the Vajra’s future!

If Graham’s dead:

: Meaning what we gotta do’s the usual!

: Yeah. And that is to show them that we are Hell!

: We don’t know what they’re doing, but we know we can’t allow it to continue. Life is meant to be free, not to be someone’s property…!

: And that’s why I sing: to relay these feelings to everyone… and to the Vajra!

: So, hold me to the edge of the galaxy!

Destroy everything, don’t lose a ship or Alto (why did Ozma deploy as an event if he’s not even tied to a losing condition? Not that I’m complaining, since it’s a free deploy for his partner, but…).
Final battle with the Vajra, but this start is pretty much a repeat of the previous battle – only with rougher terrain for your land-bound units. Same strategy as before applies, and you won’t even have stuff coming from both ends of the map. As we saw, the Galaxy folk are holed up in the NW corner and all reinforcements’ll be coming from that end. Move as a united front and tear through the Vajra as you would – you’ve plenty of command auras to offset their evasiveness, even without Kongming’s boosts.

SRW UX - Lion

: Watch over me, Ranka, Sheryl!

: I’ll stop their plans as a pilot… no, as just another life that calls this galaxy home!

: I swear it on these proud wings of mine!

SRW UX - My Fate

And when you kill a handful of the buggers…

: Target locked. Moving to engage and destroy the enemy.

: Brera?! What’re you doing here…?!

: If I had to guess, I’d say he’s also being controlled by their Implants.

: Even he…?!

: Is there no low those people won’t sink to…?!

: Brera…

: He’s gonna be fine, Ranka…!

: Holly…?!

: That guy’s your big brother, so you just gotta pry his eyes back open with your song!

: Right. The bonds between family aren’t broken that easily – no matter the distance between them!

: You may get separated and even lost your memories, but your heart’ll still find its way to him! Because… you’re brother and sister!

: Sing, Ranka! And put everything you feel into those lyrics!

: Alto, guys…

: …

: Okay! I’ll get all that I feel over to the Vajra and Brera!

: (You’ve grown so strong, Ranka. I guess my role in this is almost done…)

: (But the one thing I can still do for you is save that man…!)

[i]Secret Alert!
Macross Frontier Secret – 6th step – set Ranka as the tactician/cheerleader and have Alto down Brera.

Simple, especially considering Brera seems to prioritize Alto. He’s appropriately evasive and accurate, as enemy Valkyries are liable to be, but it’s nothing we can’t handle with some spirits.
To make the rest of the mission easier, make sure to wipe out all of the initial Vajra BEFORE taking Brera out.

And here he comes already.

SRW UX - Lion

: A common human dares stand up to us? Idiocy…

: You may be cyborgs, but I’ll find a way to carry out my duty!

: Hold on, Ranka! Brera’s real heart is somewhere in him and I’ll get your song over to it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32P9gdIOkhY
Oh, and here’s the swanky DK for Ylbora’s best non-combo attack.

SRW UX - Dunbine Flies

SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend

SRW UX - Lion

: You were helping us save Ranka not long ago, Brera. Was that all just a load of lies? Answer me!

: I am a soldier who carries out the Galaxy Fleet’s orders. My reasons are what they tell me.

: Oh, really…? Then it falls on me to wake you the hell up even if it takes some hurting to make it happen!

: That’s my purpose right now – not as a captain of the SMS, but as Ranka’s brother…!

SRW UX - Lion

Brera drops a Ranka’s Disk.

: Rgh… There’s a noise inside my head…! Stop singing, Ranka Lee…!

: (Brera…!)

: The control from those Implants might just be too strong for us to break…!

: No, I’m sure it’ll work! Ranka’s song will get through to him, I just know…!

: Open your eyes, Brera! Take back your heart from them!

: Hrm… Enough of your nonsense!

: Please, feel Ranka’s heart! She’s trying to bring you back!

: For how long are you gonna be a wimp like that, Brera?!

: I’m sure you didn’t survive until now just to be a pawn of the Galaxy Fleet, right?!

: I-I survived to…

Tzeeeeeep.

: (…?!)

: (What… What are… these emotions inside me…?!)

: (Please, Brera…! You… You’re my brother!)

: This song… these emotions are… Ran…ka…

(young man): Stop this exercise in futility!

(young woman): Nothing can resist our Implants’ control!

: S-Shut up… I…

SRW UX - After-School Overflow

: I won’t be your puppet anymore!

(middle-aged man): It can’t be…! You’ve overpowered the Implants’ control…?!

: It was all thanks to Ranka’s song…

: She set free the memories your Implants locked away!

: Brera… thank goodness…!

(middle-aged man): Hmph. Still, being betrayed by one cyborg’ll hardly be an issue.

(young woman): We’ve already completed our fusion, you see.

(old man): Behold the birth of the ruler of the universe…!

: Wh-What the hell is that…?!

: It’s a living weapon… the Battle Frontier’s and the Vajra Queen have fused together…!

(old man): You may as well surrender. We have wired ourselves to the Vajra Queen – no outside interference will work on her.

: They’re linked to her by wire?!

: Meaning they’re controlling the Queen directly!

(young woman): Better yet, it means your songs are powerless! And with the Vajra Queen under our control, it won’t be long before all other Vajra follow suit!

(middle-aged man): Bow down before the ruler of the universe!

: Aaaaaaah!

: G-Goddamn… that thing packs a mean punch…

: Kch… I’m not giving up! Ever!

: Alto…

: Sing, Sheryl…

: I’m sure that… your song will…

: But… why, Grace? I thought you were an agent of the Galaxy…

: Not by choice… What a bad joke, this is. Only now that I’m in this sorry state… was I finally freed from their Implants…

: And I’ve raised you… like my own daughter… Please, let me hear your song… one last time…

: Grace…!

: …

: (I’ll die if I sing now… but…)

SRW UX - Obelisk

: There’re people in need of my song! And, in that case, I’ll gladly lay down my soul for this…!

(Grace): …

: Here I go, Grace. I’ll sing for you as well.

: Even if I wind up dead… my song’ll live forever!

: …?!

: This song…!

: It’s Sheryl’s…! But where’s it coming from?!

: Over there! I’m sensing something at Island 1!

: Alto! Everyone…!

: I knew you were alive, Sheryl!

Alto flies over to her.

: Alto, take me to the stage…! To the Macross Quarter!

: …

: Yeah, alright…!

Over to the Quarter.

: Sheryl…!

: …

: Are you sure about this? If you keep singing, your body’ll…

: If I’m going to die, I’d rather do so up on stage. I’m sure you can relate to that.

: Besides, I…

: My song’ll send ripples across the galaxy!

: ?!

: My song’ll send ripples across the galaxy!

: Back then… that was you?

SRW UX - Lion

: Psh, took you long enough to notice.

: Come on, Ranka! Time to kick this show into high-gear!

: Okay!

: It’s… Sheryl and Ranka’s emotions are echoing through me!

: Their hearts are spreading across this planet… across the whole sky!

: Amaaaaaziiiiiing! It’s like the shout of their souls are resounding through our hearts!

: The color of this music, its scent… I’ve felt so much, and I want the air, the sea, the sky – the entire universe – to feel all of it!

: Have a listen to the show of the Weavers of the Wind, the trio who’ll send ripples across the galaxy!

(middle-aged man): Sing as much as you’d like, you’ll never wrest control of the Vajra Queen from us!

(young man): The Legend of Lynn Minmay was just a fabrication of the past civilization.

(young woman): Song could never save the galaxy!

: Then, we’ll just have to prove how wrong you are!

: Song is a force that links all our hearts together!

: (If the sky is your stage, then let me see you dance once again!)

: (Show me the true dance of Alto Saotome!)

Now we just have to beat the Queen Frontier, while keeping an eye on Brera as well.

Queen Frontier
Pilot Skills:
Prevail L8
Support Attack L3
Break Morale Limit
All Attack L3
Command L4
Mech Features:
Fold Barrier
30% HP and EN Regen
All-Canceller

Following our showdown with Hazard, we’ve yet another battleship boss, with all that that entails. Of note is the Macross Cannon MAPW, which blasts a 3x9 directional AoE (width is 4 from squares 5 to 8), but that’s only a problem if you let them get the morale to use it. A couple of Daunt casts should be more than enough to remedy it if all you’ve left to fight are the enemy reinforcements.
The galaxy honchos have plenty good stats and the Queen Frontier’s the bulkiest enemy we’ve had to face yet, but it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before. Spread out your guys, approach from various angles if you can’t get their morale below 130 and let ‘em have it. As is true to all Macross Cannons, the Frontier can only shoot it from range 3 and beyond.

VF-27γ Lucifer F-SP (Brera Stern)
Pilot Skills:
Support Attack L2
Support Defense L1
Counter
Predict
All Attack L1
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate
Sense
Snipe
Confuse
Soul
Brera’s Squad Bonus: Mobility +5, Accuracy +5 (Mobility +30, Accuracy +30, 35% chance to Double Image, Movement +2)
Brera’s voice actor: Soichiro Hoshi

Brera’s not as massively overpowered as he was back in L, and he doesn’t get a combo with Alto, but he’s still VERY competent with stats, evasion and firepower on par with the YF-29. Loads of range and all his attacks are still ammo-based, so he can fit right in with a whole bunch of people.
Accelerate and Confuse already make him a priority pick, being able to fly, boost the squaddie’s movement range and packing good firepower means he ought to be one of the first units you turn to in order to supplement any gaps in your formation.

: This song’s lit a fire in me… What you see is the heart I’ve recovered due to Ranka!

: And I’ll go on soaring through this sky, hand-in-hand with those emotions!

(young woman): Humanity could be freed of anguish and loneliness if it were connected to the Fold Network.

: We represent the apex of our evolution!

: You’re wrong! What you’re doing is nothing but running away from that pain!

: Right. The pain that exists between people doesn’t just vanish even when their minds are connected.

: And that’s what makes them want to reach out to one another, and find a way to heal that pain!

: Despite all those hardships, we’ll never stop wanting to be here. And now you’ll see the power that wish, that will, gives us!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u8AWyzg7C4
And here’s Brera’s best attack.

SRW UX - Obelisk

(young woman): Hmhmhm, you believe you can stand up to us with a Quarter-class vessel?

: Energy buildup within the target! They’re getting ready to attack!

: Reactive Furnace, output is stable!

: Weapon systems are all green!

: Captain, let’s try and distract them! I’m sure a helmsman as skilled as Bobby can avoid any major hits!

: Aw, you’re making me flush, Cathy…!

: But you’ve got the right idea! I say we go and give ‘em a reminder of all the legends that came from ships called Macross!

: The freedom of the entire galaxy is riding on this battle. We couldn’t ask for a more deserving spot to ante up our lives! We’re going in, you lot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SplWY1SULM
[i]And, since we’re at it, the Queen Frontier’s own Macross Cannon.

Now, everyone’s still got plenty to say but, for simplicity’s sake, let’s skip ahead to when you get the Frontier down to 15%…

(middle-aged man): You waste your time opposing the ruler of the universe!

(old man): And now you’ll die for your insolence!

Alarm!

: We’ve a powerful energy reading coming from the Vajra Queen!

: They’re connected to the Battle Galaxy’s Mega Macross Cannon and it looks like they’re getting ready to fire!

: Bobby, evasive maneuvers!

: OOoryaaaaaa!

The Quarter flies away.

(middle-aged man): That won’t help you! Disappear from the face of the galaxy!

: Sheryl! Ranka!

: We won’t be beaten by them!

: We’ll sing and our voices’ll cross space and time, to the edge of the galaxy and back…!

: Listen to our song!!

SRW UX - The Wings of Goodbye ~ the end of triangle

BLOOOOCK!

: Th-That’s… What happened?!

: Those Vajra just…!

: Shielded the Macross Quarter…?!

(young woman): Th-That’s impossible!

(young man): How are the Vajra opposing us?!

(middle-aged man): Hrm… again! Fire the Macross Cannon at full blast and destroy them along with the bugs!

Blaaaast!

Bloooock x2

(old man): Wh-Whaat?!

: The ELS and even the Festum…!

: What’s going on?!

: And those aren’t the only ones! More of them are showing up all across the sector! Additionally…

Any surviving Vajra retreat.

: The Vajra are all breaking free from the Implants…?

: They’re… all helping us?

: Everyone has only one thing in their minds: they wish to protect you.

: Not just the Vajra, but the ELS and we Festum as well…!

: All life in this universe is aligning with your will…!

If Misao’s dead:

: They’re all working to protect us!

: The Vajra, the ELS and even the Festum!

: All life in this universe is aligning with our will…!

: (Are you watching, Kurusu?)

: (Your choice is helping us protect this distant sky!)

Common ground:

: All life is one and the same…!

: We weren’t wrong in what we’d been trying to do after all!

: Damn straight…! Putting an end to conflict isn’t going to lead to our destruction!

: Our lives and reaching out and taking each other’s hands…!

: Our wishes are coming together…!

: There is absolutely no way something as beautiful as this could be the cause for destruction!

Everyone gets a full SP recharge and max morale!

(young woman): Th-That’s…?!

(middle-aged man): I cannot be… Is this the power of song?!

(old man): But it won’t matter! We’re still connected to the Vajra Queen, and while it stays that way…!

: I hear the Queen’s grief…!

: You fiends! How are you so uncaring to enslave the Vajra and their Queen?!

: Hold on just a bit, queenie!

: We’re coming to set you free!

: Troops, CHAAAAARGE!!

So, yeah, you technically need to kill the Queen Frontier twice, but you get all your SP back, so it’s no big problem.
And with that out of the way, now we can get to work.

May’n & Megumi Nakajima - The Wings of Goodbye ~ the end of triangle

: Stay on your toes! The enemy has full access to all of the Battle Frontier’s weapons!

: Their barrage’s like a rain of beams…!

(old man): The Protoculture itself feared these trans-dimensional creatures. And now that we’ve united ourselves with them, we’ve risen into a greater state of being!

: And you think that’s all it’ll take to get us quivering in our boots?! Holto:dants Zentran!

: Yeah! We’ll making it out of this alive!

: Skull Leader to all units! Our target’s as big as they come, so get into their blind-spot first!

: Once you’re there, blast them with every bullet you have! Troops, Formation Charging Love Heart!

(middle-aged man): Our Fold Network allows the minds of all lives to be linked with one another!

: What is that, if not the ultimate kind of dialogue?

: That stopped being dialogue the moment you built your network around a static hierarchy!

: What’s needed for dialogue to occur isn’t a Fold Network, but just for people to wish for it!

(young woman): Mankind’ll be free of its unending history of conflict once all our minds are weaved together.

: For the first time since the dawn of time, everlasting peace is in reach!

: You’ve a point in that it’d be one way to give everyone the world they’d been looking for…

: But what you’re offering wouldn’t be real peace!

: Take away the dream given to all life, and it’d be the same as us not existing at all!

: Whatever hardships await us, we’ll rise above them all! We just have to hold onto our hearts, and, sooner or later, we’ll overcome even fate itself!

(middle-aged man): Become terminals in our Network and we’ll optimize that savagery of yours! You’ll be able to enjoy living rationally!

: “Rationally”, eh? Way you’re putting it, it sounds more like we’d be living as your servants!

: And I’m in no way interested in fighting as your pawns like the Vajra!

: Besides, “living rationally” sounds so very dull. I doubt any of us are interested.

: Right on. What we want are thrills that set our hearts ablaze!

: So, that’s a big NO to your lame offer. We’d never be happy with that!

(old man): It’s by joining with our Network that humanity could truly come to coexist with other species!

: By opposing us, you’re standing against the evolution of our kind!

: Hah, what rock have you been hiding under? You’ve been hanging out in this world and don’t even know what we’ve accomplished already?

: We didn’t need anything like that to get through to other lifeforms back then, and we sure as hell don’t need it now!

(middle-aged man): You fools… You cannot grasp the magnificence of the world our Network’ll bring about…!

: Yeah, we absolutely cannot. And that’s because what you’re putting together are just a bunch of chains to wrap around people’s souls!

: Besides, it sounds as boring as watching paint dry…

: I mean, say your plan worked and everyone got along real good. Where am I gonna find folks to fight in that kinda world, eh?!

(old man): The souls of the people could know eternal peace through our Fold Network.

(young man): A world to rival the one you knew will be born onto this land!

: Yet even Byston Well was thrown into disarray through the actions of a few men. As was the Overworld!

: I see where we’re headed quite clearly so long as beliefs as foul as yours continue to exist!

(middle-aged man): We’ve the Vajra Queen completely under our control. It’s only a matter of time before the entire universe belongs to us!

: Wrong…! The Vajra’s own will is still alive, and we’ll get them out of your clutches!

: The Vajra’s lives have to be freed, Nanajin! You took your name after divinities, so I know you can make that happen!

(old man): Humanity could reach a new level under our rule!

(young woman): We’ll rule the galaxy and all of you’d enjoy boundless evolution! Why do you oppose us?!

: Who in their right mind would just let you impose your crap on us?! You’re not even stopping to ask us if that’s what we want!

: But, on top of all that… I’m not going to turn a blind eye to all that Vajra you’re hurting!

(young woman): Hmhmhm, come to us, little boy. We could even link your mind to that robot beside you.

: What a sad group you are. You believe doing that is the only way to bring hearts together…

: But, in reality, you never need anything of the sort! All it takes is for you to really want to convey how you feel to someone!

: Ooooooo!

(old man): The world we’re creating has no need for two beings capable of linking wills together. We must stave off any factors capable of dividing our society.

: And since I carry Odyssite within me, that means I have to go, hm?

: For all your flowery speeches, your self-serving agenda is very transparent…

: We’re done talking. The only thing you’ll be getting from us is a knife through your collective hearts!

: Heh, what’s up next, Godzilla? Y’all look like something straight out of a monster flick!

(middle-aged man): You would compare the gods of this universe to foul creatures? How uncouth.

: Does reality elude you? Your very shape harkens back to the vilest of evil gods – a wriggling mass of souls!

: But you’ve gone and named yourselves gods, so I hope you’re ready to butt heads with the blade that slays your kind!

: You’ve instilled in me every combat skill I have. And now it’s your turn to feel it for yourselves!

(young woman): Well, well, you’re looking pretty feisty after breaking free of our control.

(old man): There’s no point in a puppet whose strings have snapped. But we’ll have you leashed again soon enough!

: I’ll never lose my heart again – not as long as Ranka’s song echoes within me!

(young man): People from a parallel world, hm…? You do know that you could potentially get back to your original universe if you worked with us, yes?

: And beckon you to our homeland? I think not!

: Ye fiends draped in darkness! By the souls of heroes that we bear, we shall end you!

(old man): We, as new gods, could grand order and peace to all lands blighted by war…

: Every being that calls this universe home bears a will within…

: Those who would pervade and subvert that will could never stir the heavens! And ‘tis high time you realized that!

: Aye, it is humans, with their raging souls, that compel even the very heavens! All that awaits false gods such as you is oblivion!

(old man): Heart of Diva… we no longer have any need for your songs.

: The Vajra are firmly under our grasp.

: I never cared about being needed!

: I feel, and, so, I sing! And, through that, I bring people’s hearts together! That is what being the Heart of Diva means.

: But I guess a bunch of crazies who’ve lost their hearts would have a hard time understanding that!

(old man): There’ll be no more discrimination or strife once the world is under our grasp!

: And, then, humanity will evolve into an even greater state of being!

: You don’t even care about the pain you’re causing. The only thing that’d come from your rule would be oppression and atrocities!

: Meanwhile, Sheryl and Ranka opened themselves to the Vajra. I’d much rather believe in their songs!

And they drop a Sheryl’s Disk.

(old man): This cacophony of information… It cannot be!

(young woman): The UX’s thoughts are bolstering Code Q1 and Fairy 9’s minds?!

: That’s what song is about, dudes! It ain’t rocket science!

: Song is what links and joins everyone’s hearts as one! Now, let’s sing for the entire universe!

: We’ll bring our wishes together…!

: And the whole galaxy’ll resound with our music!

(middle-aged man): Blast you all! But we just have to eliminate Code Q1 and Fairy 9, and…!

: Absolutely not!

(young man): Hrgh… There’s interference in our mental-affinity field! We can’t control the Queen!

: Now, Alto!

: This stone transmits their thoughts and emotions to me… and, with it, I’ll fly hand-in-hand with their song!

: This… is my dance of wings!

: Haaaaaaaah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpSgJCsnOMoc
This is actually an action command, which lets you set a 3x3 AoE as far as 8 squares away. It costs 80 EN and any enemy inside will be Stunned, unable to take any action, for a whole turn.

: What a beautiful dance…! Every movement showcases the light of his soul…

: He’s doing a kabuki routine with his Valkyrie…!

: Trust us, Vajra! We… We’re not enemies…!

(https://lpix.org/3213058/image153.png[/img)]

: The Vajra Queen’s not in pain anymore…!

: Haah, haah…

: The Vajra understood…

: Rrk!

: Alto, are you okay?!

: I am. And, more importantly…

: Look! There’s light coming from the ground!

: That’s… the light of this planet…?

: Nay, I am certain that is the very will of this planet.

: The will of this planet…

: Maybe that’s its way of greeting us?

: The planet’s blessing us!

: The blessing of life…

: (Indeed, this place is…!)

: Hah… Hahah… Magnificent!

: You are magnificent, UX! At long last, the pathway is open…!

: Shot Weapon?!

: This is the beginning of life! The underlying truth of the universe…!

: The truth of the universe?! What’s he talking about?!

: This is it. Now I shall reach… the origin of the new Yuga!

Shot blasts off towards Alto and the Vajra Queen!

: He’s going kamikaze?!

: Alto, RUN!

: …

: I-I can’t… My Valkyrie isn’t budging…!

: What?!

: A-Alto…

: …

: Ranka…

: I’m so sorry. I’m truly grateful for how you feel, but… I can’t answer those feelings in kind…

: …?!

: And Sheryl…

: I know this is a bit late, but…

: Aah…!

: I… love y—

BOOOOOM!

: ALTOOOOOOO!!

: …

: Am I dead…?

: Nope, you’re still alive. (Everyone’s faces except Alto’s are darkened, but blah.)

: ?!

SRW UX - Prologue

: You guys have proven beyond any doubt that all life in the universe is one and the same.

: Y-You’re…!

: Soon… Very soon, you’ll reach it…

: The beginning of life is nigh…

: “Beginning of life”…?

: It’s that which is already with you and your friends.

: You can hear it, I’m sure… the voice of life…

: Alto…!

: Alto…!

: Th-That voice is…!

: …

: H-Hrm… Where am I?

: Ah, thank God. You’re awake!

: Alto!

: I-I’m… What happened?

: The Vajra Queen protected you.

: The Queen?!

: She strengthened her Fold Barrier to the Nth degree at the time of the explosion…

: She all but risked her life shielding you…

: A Vajra risked its life for me…

: Just as Ai-kun did to save me when I got spaced.

: Huh?! Then, he…?!

: Yeah. As it turns out, he was a Vajra larva.

: He used a lot of his energy, but I believe he’d also joined the other Vajra helping us…

: Really? Ai-Kun…

: And, Sheryl, what about you? Is your body holding out okay?

: You know what? As weird as it sounds, I’m not feeling anything wrong.

: You’re not…?

: I’d wager the same phenomenon we saw with Arnie and Joe happened to her.

: Then, Sheryl also…?

: Hmhmm. The light we saw back there likely came from all the Fold Quartz spread across this planet.

: And I believe what happened was a resonance between our… or, rather, between all the wills that were gathered there.

: …

: Grace told me before that the way to actually cure my V-Type Infection was to transplant Ranka’s organs into me, since she’s naturally immune to Fold Bacteria.

: My organs…?!

: But not anymore. The Vajra gave me the strength I needed to survive.

: The ELS, the Festum, and the Vajra… They, and we, have all been blessed with life.

: We all have a place in the universe…

: A place, huh…?

: Sheryl, Ranka and Fei’s songs showed them how we felt…

: Our songs…

: …

: Ranka, keep living life as your heart tells you to.

: Just as you did in Galia 4, when you were just a little girl singing… now and forever…

: Brera…

: Hm? Are you just going to walk away like that?

: …

: How can you just leave? You’ve finally been reunited with your sister…

: We haven’t been brother and sister for far too long…

: All the more reason for you to make up for it, no? There’s certainly no rush…

: But, I…

: However you look at it, there’s no denying your blood. She is your sister.

: You’re free now, aren’t you? Then, this is when you should stay by Ranka’s side and watch over her.

: That is, if you also consider yourself to be her brother…

: Ozma Lee…

: You’re not leaving again, are you?

: …

: Is it really alright for me to stay with you, Ranka…?

: Of course – I want you to stay, even…

: After all, you’re… you’re my dear brother too, Brera…

: Heh…

: Thank you… Ranka.

: But what about that guy, Shot? What was he trying to do?

: He mentioned the “truth of the universe” and the “beginning of life”…

: The beginning of life…

: I would say that his goal was the same as that man, Jin.

: Jin…?!

: The Ninja Legend, Fold Quartz, the Yùxǐ and the Dragon’s Chalcedony, Aura Power and the Odyssite…

: It could be that the light those give out are manifestations of life itself. And if so…

: I see you have found the answer at last, UX…!

: Th-That voice…!

Magic!

: …

: Where… am I…? What am I doing here…?

: I see nothing… I hear nothing…

: Why? I was supposed to have arrived at the truth, no?

: …

: Ah, I see… I picked the wrong option.

: This is not the beginning, but the end…

: The other side of a Yuga that’s detached from the Samsara’s rule…

: Wh-What in blazes…?! It’s the leader of the Black Lodge…!

: The hell are you doing here, Master Therion…?!

: Rejoice, lost children of the Samsara. The restless flow of karma has been wholly restored to normality thanks to your grand efforts!

: And, now, I will reveal to you the true purpose of the C Project!

: Its true purpose?!

: Come forth, O God who is the Gate and the Key! Come forth!

: (The hell…? I know this incantation…? But from where?!)

: These words… I am certain of it…! Everyone, stop him!

: You are too late, Al Azif…

: O God who is All-in-One, and One-in-All! Come forth…!

: My father… Yog-Sothoth!

It’s not shown in the game, but what Master Therion does here is straight-up use Cthulhu as a sacrifice for his ritual – he’s inside the circle of pillars, being melted into a gooey paste!

: Whaa…aaaat…?

: Hatred… Loathing… Wrath… This whole area’s overflowing with negative Aura Power…

: “Past, present, future, all are one in Yog-Sothoth”… He who is the Key and guardian of the Gate, who exists at all places, at all times.

: An entity who connects this World to the Dark Tapestry, where myriad Great Old Ones dwell. A genuine Outer God.

: How could a man summon anything like that…?

: Aye, he can…

: For Master Therion is a god-child, the offspring of Yog-Sothoth!

: Correct. I am an inhuman child, the cursed result of the union between humanity’s most powerful sorceress, Nero, and the Outer God Yog-Sothoth.

: A god-child…?!

: And if you wish to save the world, you would do well to follow me! Come to the end of the World, to the end of Time! It is there what we shall settle matters between us!

: I will be waiting, blade that slays gods, and lost children of the Samsara…!

Flash!

: H-He vanished…

Beep!

: G-Guys, we’ve got trouble! That gate just…

: It also appeared at Earth’s South Pole at the exact same time!

: S-Say what…?!

: My suspicions were correct. The Vajra homeworld is another such case…

: Another case of what? What do you mean?!

: It is a planet whose life shares the same origin as Earth’s.

: Humans, ELS, Festum, Vajra…

: And I have a feeling that the Skrugg as well. All these lives share one beginning…

: …?!

: B-But, then… that’d mean!

: Aye… There never were any parallel universes. The Frontier Fleet’s Earth, like Planet Ladorio and Mirisha, is a different future version of Earth…

: Wh-What…?!

: …

: All those possible universes lie spread across a spiderweb centered around this one…

: In the end, we were all born in the exact same universe…

: …

: There is only one beginning…

Now, let’s go over everything we learned on this mission because I expect a lot of “whuh?”. I gave this a good amount of thought, hit the wikis, and worked myself into a head-splitting migraine, and here’s my take on it:
As we learned from Shou’s Byston Well and whatnot, the universe undergoes cycles (the Samsara).
The universe, across each cycle, goes off in a different direction and there are endless divergent possibilities it can follow. In one universe, it led to Shou’s world, with his Byston Well; in another, it led to Mirisha; in another, it led to the world where the SDF-1 Macross fell; in another, Earth became the Vajra homeworld; in another, it led to Planet Ladorio, etc.

In regards to the Vajra, as proven by Yog-Sothoth’s presence – it working like Chrono Trigger’s Black Omen, in that it exists concurrently everywhere in time – the buggers’ homeworld is also another possible future of Earth, which was brought over to our world (either by the Queen Folding it here – as she’s wont to do in SRW – or by something else). The Macross Earth proper, where the SDF-1 fell, is yet another possible future, wherein the planet was home to humans.
Ultimately, these were never actually parallel universes – because that’d imply they exist side-by-side – but, rather, alternate possible futures, spread across different cycles, for a single universe. While every cycle may turn out differently, they all have the same starting point. That is why all life – even the alien ones – shares a common origin: this universe; in time, it diverges into one of an infinitude of possible paths, until it resets again.
All those alternate futures of Earth were self-contained within their respective cycles, but something went and brought many of them here, where it all starts – “gather at the beginning”.

Phew, that’s it for the show and tell. Now, getting Brera, as you might expect, is the Macross Frontier secret (and the sole reason it takes 3 runs to get all secrets, due to the Europe route carrying one of his flags, and nothing else).
If you couldn’t be arsed to go for him over a whole other bunch of great units, like sane people, the scenes change appropriately – starting at the end, once you’ve downed the Battle Frontier:

(middle-aged man): Blast you all! But we just have to eliminate Code Q1 and Fairy 9, and…!

: Absolutely not!

: Haaaah! RANKAAAAAA!

Kamikaze!

(young man): Hrgh… There’s interference in our mental-affinity field! We can’t control the Queen!

: (B-Brother…!)

: Now, Alto…! Don’t waste the opening Brera gave you!

And then the rest is the same. But, of course, when Brera would talk to Ranka in the epilogue, you get this:

: Sheryl, Ranka and Fei’s songs showed them how we felt…

: Our songs…

: There’s nowhere your songs cannot reach.

: Your brother finally recovered his self in the end, and I’m sure your notes will also find their way to his soul…

: Yes… Thank you, brother…

And that’s it. I appreciate the fact that not a whole lot of people care that Brera’s gone. Quickly now, here’s the one convo we missed:

(middle-aged man): There would be no pain or loneliness if people were linked to one another through Fold communication…

(young man): You, of all people, should understand that the Network we’re creating is the avenue that’d bring us our ultimate evolution.

: You’re right in that I wasn’t lonely when I was united with the Mir.

: That said, we chose to live by our own individual wills! It might be painful, but we learned that that’s what life is about!