Previous Chapter: Kill or be Killed | Next Chapter: Soaring Dragon and the Winds of La Gias

Somewhere in American Airspace

Jonathan: Come on! Can’t you go any faster!?

Pilot: I’m trying! They’re too quick, I can’t shake ‘em!

Jonathan: Where are our escort jets?

Pilot: They were shot down, sir!

Jonathan: Tch …Is this the end for Jonathan Kazahara?

Jonathan: Ah, well…I guess when it’s your time, it’s your time…

*On-cue explosion*

Jonathan: ! I-I take it back, I don’t want to die!

Langley Base – ATX Lab

Marion: Scramble…?

Rishu: Yes. Dr. Kazahara’s carrier is under attack.

Rishu: He’s close, but it looks like he’s having trouble reaching our anti-air cannon coverage.

Marion: …This is a good chance.

Rishu: For what…?

Marion: Lt. Kyosuke, may I have a word with you?

Kyosuke: What is it? We need to hurry…

Marion: About that. I want you to take…this mech.

Kyosuke: This…? That mech is the Alteisen?

Marion: …It’s called the Gespenst MK III.

Rishu: The name will be authorized after the mech passes the weapons trial.

Rishu: Anyways, I heard the Huckebein MK II will be the next-gen fighter.

Marion: Excuse me! My MK III will not lose to that hunk of junk!

Rishu: …I don’t see a difference between the two.

Marion: Anyway! The Gespenst MK III is ready for battle.

Kyosuke: So…you want it to be tested under live fire?

Marion: Yes. And don’t hold back; the MK III can handle it.

Rishu: No! The Alt is not ready for combat!

Marion: I told you, it’s the Gespenst MK III!

Rishu: Okay, okay. But the mech is still unstable. It must be adjusted…

Marion: Why should that matter to someone who equipped a gigantic sushi knife to the Type 0?

Rishu: S-Sushi Knife!? The sword is the soul of the samurai…!

Kyosuke: Master Rishu, I’m used to operating unstable mechs.

Kyosuke: And I have a personal interest in the Alt…

Marion: Oh ho ho…the Lieutenant has a good eye, Master Rishu.

Kyosuke: In all my life…I’ve never seen a more stupid mech.

Marion: Stupid!?

Kyosuke: Sorry…

Rishu: I agree with you. I fail to see the purpose a stake driver has in a real war.

Rishu: A samurai only needs his sword.

Marion: Nonsense. You are aware that this is the Space Era…not the feudal times?

Kyosuke: The Revolver Stake…I guess I’ll have to use it like the Jet Magnum.

Rishu: Well, if you say so…

*Communicator beeps*

Excellen: Achoo!

Kyosuke: …Hm? Did you catch a cold, Excellen?

Excellen: No. *sniff* I just got out of the bath…hey, what’s taking you? We gotta go!

Bullet: Hurry up Lieutenant! We’re waiting on you!

Kyosuke: Roger that. I’ll be taking the new one.

Bullet: That one!? Lieutenant, are you sure? Maybe you should just take the MK II…

Marion: Don’t worry, it’s based on the Gespenst. And besides…I’m coming too.

Rishu: What? Now, Marion…you should just let the young folks handle this.

Marion: The young folks…!? I’m young too!

Kyosuke: …Excellen, this may take some time.

Excellen: We don’t have time. If something happens to him, do you want it to haunt you?

Kyosuke: I know. As soon as the Alt is ready, I’ll be there!

Excellen: Okay, but if you’re going to be late, could you bring some extra weapons with you?

Kyosuke: Roger that.

*Got Steel Knife, M95 Machine Gun, M13 Shotgun, and repair kit*

Chapter 4: Steel Beowulf

*Thausendfessler and enemies appear*

Jonathan: Is anyone coming!?

Pilot: We’ve made contact! The ATX Team from Langley Base is on its way, sir!

Jonathan: Major Sanger! Men, hang in there a little longer!

Unknown Pilot: Fall back, Tenzan! You can’t be seen by them yet!

Tenzan: It’s too late for that.

Unknown Pilot: What!?

Tenzan: And anyway, soon the whole world will know about us. Who cares about the details?

Unknown Pilot: Y-You little…! Fall back or I’ll report you!

Tenzan: Did you forget I’m under the direct command of old man Alder? You’ll have to take it up with him…

Tenzan: And maybe get yourself discharged in the process? Ahahaha!

Unknown Pilot: W-Why you…!

Tenzan: Now that you understand, shoot that carrier down. Who knows what kind of prize it’s carrying?

Jonathan: Is that mech…an Armored Module!?

Jonathan: So…the rumor that EOTI was planning a mutiny is true!?

Jonathan: They must be after my cargo…!

*Conditions shown, Battle starts*

*Two turns pass*

Tenzan: What are you guys doing? It’s just a carrier! Shoot it down already!

Jonathan: Where is Sanger!? We can’t hold out much longer…!

*Alteisen’s awesome GC entrance*

Kyosuke: Did we make it!?

Tenzan: Hey! Reinforcements! And a model that’s not in the database.

Tenzan: I thought the EFA only had Gespensts, but a red unicorn…that’s new.

Jonathan: ! That PT must be…!?

Sanger: Excellen, Brooklyn, be ready!

Bullet: Sir, the M13 Shotgun and the Steel Knife that are in the carrier…

Bullet: Do we have permission to use them?

Sanger: If you think you’re going to need them, then take them. Remember, go to EQUIP WEAPON, choose the weapon you want, then select EQUIP.

Bullet: Yes sir!

Excellen: Hey, isn’t this a Repair Module? I’ll take it just in case.

*Preparations screen, Sanger, Bullet and Excellen deploy*

Marion: Gespenst MK III…Looking good so far.

Jonathan: Doctor, are you sane!? You can’t deploy a defective unit…!

Marion: Defective!? How dare you say that! The MK III can…

Excellen: …*ahem*

Sanger: Assault 1 to all units. Escort the carrier out of danger, and take out all the enemies!

Kyosuke: Assault 4, roger that.

Bullet: Kyosuke, are you sure about this!?

Kyosuke: This feels almost the same as a Gespenst…that’s good. It has a lot more horsepower…but I’ll just have to get used to it.

Jonathan: Watch out. There are AMs among the enemies.

Marion: Ridiculous. That thing can’t be…

Jonathan: It is. The EOTI mechs have made it to mass production.

Jonathan: They’re serious about this.

Marion: Heh heh heh…their mechs will be perfect to test the MK III and MK II Custom…!

Jonathan: H-Hey!

Tenzan: Man, am I lucky. Never thought I’d encounter a new model.

Tenzan: I’m tired of simluator training. Let’s play a real war game.

Bullet: War game!?

Excellen: Bullet, you should say “War isn’t a real game!”, or something else cool like that, y’know?

Excellen: Right, Kyosuke?

Kyosuke: Every time I rev it…it pulls. I’ve got to figure this out…

Excellen: Hey! Are you listening?

Kyosuke: …Just let him bark. I’m not interested.

Tenzan: Hey man! You should respond when someone’s talking to you!

Kyosuke: I said I’m not interested. If you want to play a game, go to a video arcade.

Kyosuke: I’m sure you have nothing better to do anyway. There, how’s that for a reply?

Tenzan: Hahaha! Awesome, just awesome, man!

Tenzan: You’re soooo cool. Especially when you act like a loner hero!

Kyosuke: …..

Tenzan: Unfortunately, the good guys tend to die easily…as I’ll show you!

Kyosuke: …I’ve almost got it, but I won’t really know until I try it.

Kyosuke: Okay…here we go, Alt.

Tenzan: You jerk! Would you stop ignoring me!?

*Conditions updated, Battle resumes*

{Kyosuke VS Tenzan}

Tenzan: You…for some reason, you’re really bugging me!

Kyosuke: Why? Not having fun?

Tenzan: I hate being blown off!

Kyosuke: …Sorry about that. Why don’t you go home, then? I’ll help you.

{Excellen VS Tenzan}

Tenzan: Eh? The pilot of that Gespenst is a girl!

Excellen: Hey, kid. You wanna play with me instead of the game…?

Tenzan: No thanks. I’m single by choice.

Excellen: …Is this how all gamers are?

{Bullet VS Tenzan}

Tenzan: Here we go, let’s have some fun! War makes a great game!!

Bullet: Shut up! You don’t know jack about war!

Tenzan: I know plenty, cuz it’s a game. It’s a lot more fun than Burning PT, anyway!

Bullet: Tch! I won’t be defeated by a guy like you!!

{Sanger VS Tenzan}

Tenzan: Alright! I always enjoy taking out the commander when I play!

Sanger: There is no reset button in war! If you die, you die!!

*Tenzan shot down*

Tenzan: Crud…game over. I wasted too much time.

Tenzan: Well, it’s been fun…but my test model can’t fight anymore. So, adios.

*Clear the map*

Bullet: The enemies have retreated.

Kyosuke: It’s over.

Marion: Is it over? No, there’s one more thing.

Kyosuke: …?

Marion: Well, Lieutenant? Tell me what you think of the MK III!

Kyosuke: I think…the Alt and I need more practice, but we work well together.

Marion: That’s all you have to say? I suppose for you job results are all that matter…

Excellen: Heehee, it sounds like you had no confidence in Kyosuke. Now about Dr. Kazahara…

Marion: I don’t care about him.

Marion: As long as he wasn’t shot down, all I care about is the MK III’s new settings.

Jonathan: H-Hey…

Bullet: Cruel as usual…

Excellen: Like a corn in our side.

Bullet: Lieutenant, that’s ‘horn’ in our side.

Kyosuke: …It’s ‘thorn’. Anyway, we should have won more easily.

Jonathan: No, not necessarily. AMs…Armored Modules, are flyer-type mobile weapons.

Jonathan: They’re usually at an advantage against land-bound PTs. But anyway…

Sanger: Why were they after you?

Jonathan: They wanted to steal my cargo.

Marion: Your cargo…? You mean the Tesla Drive…!?

Jonathan: …Yes. My lab was working on miniaturizing it.

Marion: …!

Kyosuke: (It could be an anti-air weapon…or a flying device…)

Kyosuke: (But, for the Alt…I’d rather pilot it without those.)

Langley Base – Command Center

Greg: So…they have Armored Modules in the test phase…

Greg: And F-32 Shwerts that haven’t been deployed yet.

Sanger: It’s safe to assume that Dr. Bian Zoldark and the EOTI are planning a mutiny.

Greg: The Far East Brigade encountered a similar outfit. The situation is worse than we expected.

Sanger: Yes, it is.

Greg: Really…what is Bian thinking…?

Greg: He’s the one who warned the world about the alien threat…

Sanger: (EOTI has been researching the super technology in Meteor 3 on Aidoneus Island…)

Sanger: (And if they’re mass producing Armored Modules…)

Sanger: (The EFA will be no match for them.)

Steel Beowulf End

Previous Chapter: Kill or be Killed | Next Chapter: Soaring Dragon and the Winds of La Gias