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Hiryu Kai Bridge

Lefina: …What’s the status of the Moon Cradle?

Eun: The UCC have it surrounded…but they haven’t attacked it yet.

Lefina: Even for them, taking it over would be…

Sean: …Nearly impossible, but still possible.

Lefina: Huh…?

Sean: Let’s hurry. There’s something I’m worried about.

Hiryu Kai – Hangar

Radha: The ARGUN…no, R-Gun can now move without that system?

Viletta: Major Ingram ordered it. It’s so we can get data from more pilots.

Radha: But, the power supply’s instability is still a problem.

Radha: And the frame can’t endure those yoga transformations…

Viletta: I know. I plan to disassemble it to make adjustments later…

Kyosuke: (…Viletta Vadim…There’s something strange about her…)

Kyosuke: (For some reason…she reminds me of Sanger…)

Excellen: What’s up? Ahhh, is she your type? You’d better not cheat on me!

Kyosuke: …You don’t notice anything about her?

Excellen: Huh? Well…I guess an Ice Queen would be more your type.

Excellen: Ah, ma chère sœur! How could you! …No response?

Kyosuke: I have no idea what you’re trying to say.

Gilliam: …What are you two doing? It’s almost time to dispatch.

Kyosuke: …Sorry, Major.

Excellen: Hey, while you’re here…can you tell us about the Moon Cradle?

Gilliam: That’s right, you don’t know. About the hibernation plant…

Excellen: Hibernation…like a sleeping beauty on ice?

Gilliam: …Well, yes, minus the beauty part.

Kyosuke: …What did they build it for?

Gilliam: As a protective haven in case the end of days came.

Excellen: Like…Noah’s Ark?

Gilliam: In a sense. The Moon Cradle holds the seed of mankind.

Excellen: But, why does the UCC want it?

Gilliam: Well, it’s protected by a solid shell…

Gilliam: And it has an automatic defense system set up underground.

Kyosuke: Automatic defense system…so, it can function as a military base as well?

Gilliam: Yes. And it’s also still under construction .

Gilliam: So if the UCC occupy it, they can turn it into a fort.

Excellen: If they do, that wouldn’t be very good for us.

Gilliam: …Enought talk. Prepare to board your PTs.

Kyosuke: Roger.

Kyosuke: (…It holds the seed of mankind?)

Kyosuke: (The danger Sanger mentioned must be serious…)

Kyosuke: (But…something’s definitely up. What is it…?)

Moon Cradle

Ring: What is the UCC doing now, Yuan?

Yuan: They have AMs at a distance, and ships overhead.

Yuan: Yet…they still haven’t moved.

Ring: That’s odd…

Yuan: Maybe they don’t know what to do next?

Ring: My company is in charge of building the Moon Cradle…

Ring: But the design is by the EOTI…the DC’s predecessor.

Ring: So, the UCC should know of its flaws and unfinished sections.

Yuan: R-Right. The network systems still have bugs…

*Like that?*

Ring: !

Tech: Intruder warning…it’s not a human…a rat, maybe?

Ring: Don’t be foolish. How could there be rats on the moon?

Yuan: Maybe it’s a rabbit…ha, that’s a good one. Rio would like that joke…

Ring: I’ll dock your pay for stupid jokes, Director Yuan Meilong.

Yuan: S-Sorry Ma’am. So what’s the problem?

Tech: It says there’s an intruder…but I think it’s a malfunction.

Yuan: A malfunction?

Tech: Yes. It’s only the size of a small animal…

Ring: Technology isn’t perfect. Remember the Huckebein accident?

Ring: Check the system again with hackers in mind.

Tech: Yes, ma’am!

Chapter 12: Moon Cradle

Moon Cradle Exterior

Tasuku: Wheeeew! Right down the center of the enemy fleet!

Bullet: Captain Lefina’s usually more cautious…

Excellen: Kyosuke and Lt. Katina have been rubbing off on her.

Bullet: …You mean in a bad way?

Katina: Hey, Bullet! Ya wanna suffer the same fate as Tasuku!?

Bullet: Th-Thanks, but I think I’ll pass…

Tasuku: (Wh-What fate am I going to suffer?)

Lefina: …In any case, we’ve succeeded in reaching the surface.

Sean: Excellent judgment, Captain. But…

Lefina: Yes, I know. The reason we were able to break through…

Lefina: Is because the enemy didn’t pursue us.

Sean: …Exactly.

Gilliam: …Something’s not right.

Kyosuke: I agree. The positioning is too simple for an ambush.

Tasuku: Heheh, then let’s see what they have up their sleeve!

Excellen: I’m worried. Something…is coming…

Lefina: Let’s hope you’re wrong. All units, dispatch!

*Prep Screen, Units deploy*

Lefina: Eun, contact the Moon Cradle, just to be sure.

Eun: Roger.

Eun: …? Captain, it’s not receiving our transmission.

Lefina: …!

Radha: Viletta, is the communication facility…?

Viletta: It is completed.

Tasuku: So…the enemy must be up to something.

Kyosuke: Then, we just have to stop that as well…let’s go.

Gilliam: Heh…quite daring, Lieutenant…sometimes that’s the only way.

Bullet: (He’s always like that, though.)

Excellen: (That’s how he always is.)

*Conditions shown, Battle starts*

*Turn 2 Player Phase*

Eun: The enemy ships are descending! 30 seconds until arrival!

Tasuku: They’re revealing their hand already?

Lefina: All units, proceed with caution!

Kyosuke: (In spite of our arrival, the enemies haven’t moved yet…are they decoys?)

*Turn 2 Enemy Phase, Enemy reinforcements appear*

Katina: C’mon, I was expecting more than a shoddy pincer.

Excellen: There needs to be a twist. Like 7 and a half of ‘em.

Kyosuke: That’s too much…we should assume this isn’t all.

Lefina: Eun, any progress with the transmission?

Eun: No, none.

Lefina: (…What’s going on inside the Cradle…?)

*Turn 3 Player Phase, NPC Gespensts spawn*

Kyosuke: Gespenst MK IIs…did they come from the Cradle…?

Bullet: Are they going to help us!?

Excellen: …Maybe. But, who’s in them?

Viletta: Those are the Cradle’s AI defense PTs.

Bullet: So, they’re our allies?

Viletta: I can’t say for sure, since we can’t contact the Cradle.

Tasuku: Uuuhhhh…I have a bad feeling…

Kyosuke: …I don’t like the look of this.

Excellen: You too, Kyosuke? Don’t you think we make a good couple?

Kyosuke: Then, you’d make a good couple with Tasuku too.

Excellen: …You think? But I never know when Tasuku is…going to croak.

Tasuku: What!? I mean, Lt. Katina might do something, but…

Katina: …Ah?

Kyosuke: Anyways, keep your guard up.

*Turn 4 Player Phase*

Bullet: Lt. Excellen, those Gespensts…they aren’t attacking us.

Bullet: They MUST be our allies.

Excellen: To be a detective is to doubt. That’s elemetary, my dear Bullet.

Bullet: D-Detective…?

Tasuku: My sixth sense is telling me they’re suspicious.

Bullet: But, all they’re doing is guarding the Hiryu…

Excellen: ! Excellent observation, Bullet!

Bullet: …Huh?

Excellen: (We’ll see how it goes…)

*Destroy all UCC Units*

Excellen: Gotcha!

Bullet: !? G-Got what, Lieutenant!?

Excellen: Those Gespies are enemies! They’re after the Hiryu…

Excellen: So let’s go get ‘em!

Bullet: H-Hold on! How can you be so sure?

Excellen: The Gespies aren’t attacking the UCC either.

Bullet: That’s because they’re protecting the Hiryu…

Gilliam: …I see. They’re protecting the wrong thing.

Bullet: Huh!?

Tasuku: In other words, they’re being controlled.

Viletta: The Cradle’s system might’ve been hacked by a Net Worm…

Sean: And they cut communications so we wouldn’t find out…that must be it.

Excellen: Bingo! Only the UCC would benefit from sinking the Hiryu…

Kyosuke: And it’d only hurt us to destroy the few PTs we have.

Excellen: Mhm. It took awhile, but you can trust me on this one, OK?

Kyosuke: Alright…I’ll take that chance.

Excellen: Wait, chance…? You don’t believe me?

Kyosuke: I’ll let you answer that.

Katina: Trying to make fools of us…I’ll show them!!

*Conditions updated, Battle resumes*

*Clear the Map*

Katina: Heh, that’s it…?

Kyosuke: Not yet. Someone…was watching us.

Viletta: Right. The person who had the Cradle’s system hacked into.

Excellen: Shouldn’t he be coming out soon?

Excellen: If not, we can “hoist him out by his leotard”.

Viletta: That’s “hoist with one’s own petard”.

Excellen: Wow, that was fast, ma chere soeur!

Viletta: Souer? But I don’t have any sisters…

Excellen: Ooh, you’re quick to play the boke.

Viletta: Boke? Is that a flower?

Katina: Will you sober up!? Another enemy’s here!!

*Peregrine appears*

Siebel: Not bad, seeing through my ruse. However…I always have a backup plan.

Excellen: Confident, huh? But your acting…it could use some soap.

Viletta: Soap?

Kyosuke: Because it stinks…get it?

Viletta: …I see. Very funny.

Bullet: Ms. Viletta, you just gotta take it with a grain of salt…

Siebel: Hm…will you still say that after seeing this?

*Missile appears*

Lefina: Is that missile…a MAPW?

Katina: He’s tryin’ to blow up the Moon Cradle with us!?

Siebel: Too bad, the only thing blowing up will be you lot.

Siebel: The Moon Cradle was designed with the Aerogaters in mind…

Siebel: This MAPW won’t even crack its shell.

Excellen: What, cheap tricks didn’t work, so now you’re trying brute force?

Excellen: Sounds pretty shallow to me.

Siebel: What…! How dare a woman belittle me!

Excellen: This ain’t the 19th century…we’ve got plenty of career women here.

Lefina: Career women…?

Tasuku: …Now that’s old fashioned.

Kyosuke: Quit taunting him, Excellen. Right now…

Excellen: Yeah, yeah. We gotta get rid of that MAPW…right?

???: There’s no need for that!

Excellen: !?

*Grungust Type-0 appears*

Siebel: The Grungust Type-0…! Sanger Zonvolt!?

Sanger: Major Siebel…you fail to grasp the meaning of this battle.

Siebel: What!?

Excellen: What’s up? The boss…is he coming back to us?

Kyosuke: …..

Siebel: Sanger, you’re not part of this operation! You’re just here to earn points, aren’t you!?

Sanger: I have but one objective!

*Type-0 moves adjacent to MAPW and smites it*

Eun: The Grungust Type-0 brought down the missile!

Lefina: !!

Siebel: You…! So, you plan on stabbing US in the back this time!?

Sanger: The Moon Cradle isn’t finished. A MAPW would destroy it.

Sanger: Your mission was to occupy it, not demolish it.

Siebel: Rrr…!

Sanger: Yet you were willing to use a MAPW to sink the Hiryu Custom…

Sanger: Doesn’t that mean you are the one who’s trying to earn points?

Siebel: Curse you! Pull this ship out!

*Peregrine evacs*

Excellen: What’s up? Well, he IS the type the Boss would hate.

Sanger: …..

Lefina: Major Sanger, why did you save us…?

Sanger: …Farewell.

Kyosuke: Major, wait.

Sanger: I don’t intend to fight you here.

Sanger: But soon we will settle this…at an appropriate place.

Kyosuke: …Roger.

Excellen: Hey, Kyosuke! Boss! HELLO!?

*Type-0 leaves*

Kyosuke: …..

Bullet: Why did the Major…?

Viletta: It may have been just to save the Moon Cradle from harm.

Lefina: …He’s not one to act on interest alone…

Excellen: That’s true. What do you think, Kyosuke?

Kyosuke: Nothing. For now. We’ll know the results soon enough.

Kyosuke: …Whatever those results may be.

Excellen: …..

Yuan: Ms. President, we’ve removed the Net Worm! The system is back to normal!

Ring: Alright, open the Cradle’s upper gate for the Hiryu.

Moon Cradle Interior

Lefina: …So, someone hacked in with a Net Worm?

Yuan: Yes. They took over our defense and communication systems.

Ring: I apologize. Had we acted faster, this could’ve been avoided…

Lefina: It’s OK…we also destroyed your Gespensts…

Ring: PTs can be rebuilt. Humans cannot.

Excellen: Hmm…that’s Mao Industries CEO?

Kyosuke: That’s right.

Excellen: She’s pretty young. What is she, about Radha’s age?

Kyosuke: She just took over her father’s position recently.

Excellen: Hold it, Kyosuke…you know her too?

Excellen: First Viletta, now her…you’ve been keeping track of the ladies lately, huh?

Kyosuke: Ring Mao…former member of the PTX Team.

Excellen: PTX Team? The special PT unit of the Far East Brigade?

Excellen: Which means…wow! She’s an elite pilot?

Kyosuke: Yeah. She was famous when I was still at the base.

Excellen: An ace pilot…and then a CEO? Maybe I should do that.

Kyosuke: CEO of what?

Excellen: Hmm…Let’s see…

Kyosuke: …..

Kyosuke: (We won this battle pretty much thanks to Sanger…)

Kyosuke: (But, this doesn’t change things…)

Kyosuke: (We can’t win on the defensive…we need to take a risk…)

Moon Cradle End

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