Stage 12 [Operation Stardust Route]: Stardust Memories
Alright, time to begin the final part of the 0083 arc, where we must save Earth from the colony drop.
Few notes:
1. If you did all the steps to get Lalah last level, SHOOT CHAR DOWN FIRST BEFORE TRYING TO CONVINCE LALAH TO JOIN YOU WITH AMURO! If try to do so before Char dies, he'll cockblock Amuro, and you can't get a do over.
2. This level forces you to a strict turn limit to win, so work fast, and throw caution to the wind. This will likely be the first hard level with a strict time limit, and in a way, it's a training wheels version of the final boss level, so if you get through this level relatively well, keep that performance up for future turn limit levels.
3. You will get some help for this level not too far in, but you'll be doing most of the work yourself.
We start as Noin informs Bright they will JUST BARELY arrive in time to interdict the colony drop, and Nina informs you all that the colony propulsion engines could possibly be adjusted to prevent the drop, assuming there will be enough left by the time they take the field. Bright wonders if they couldn't pull the Nadesico's teleport trick to get there faster, but Inez explains last time, they duped the enemy into using their teleporters to do a "Boson Jump", they currently have no idea how to replicate the experience.
We get a rundown on the Earth route situation as well, and then we cut to Inez and Erina off in Erina's quarters, where Inez notes Nergal really doesn't give a shit about how the refugee rescue attempt went down, and Inez lets the subject drop, all but calling Erina a heartless bitch and her superiors by extension. Besides, Inez know that was just a cover for Nergal's REAL goals.
We cut back to the Argamma bridge, where Fa reports they have an hour before they are screwed, and Bright orders everyone to get ready, they're gonna get jumped by Zeon forces anytime now.
We then cut to a Zeon Gwaden carrier, where the Zeon forces realize Londo Bell is closing in, and Char, Gato, Karius and the Black Tri-Stars plan to intercept them, but Char realizes Cima is AWOL, and that can NOT be good news.
We then cut to Earth at Preventer HQ, where Lady Une is about to shit herself trying to patch in to Londo Bell, but that's when a mystery man shows up and offers to throw her a rope dealing with the colony drop:
He points out the colony, if separated into sections then forced into a alternate course via the propulsion engines, that would be ideal, but since they'd need some slick bastards to sneak past Zeon and Londo Bell currently has no experienced operatives in that field, they'll need to call in some experts ASAP.
Une gets what 'Wind" means.
We then cut to the battle map, and Delaz has the colony well guarded on it's orbital descent course.
Ruri informs you that you have to take down all enemies within 9 minutes, or you will never gonna get everything done in time, and as you deploy, the team guess that Federation HQ in South America (Jaburo) is the target is disabused by Gato:
Sounds like an odd target, but since Earth's resources are still stretched thin following the events of OG Gundam, Zeta Gundam, and Gundam Wing as well as the current war with Giganos and the alien/underground forces, Gato elucidates Stardust's horrifyingly logical end game.
Zeon wants to stretch Earth's ability to feed itself beyond the breaking point, and by impact detonating a colony on one of few primary food producing areas of the Federation, Zeon plans to face the Federation with inevitable starvation. That is, unless they beg the space colonies for help, meaning Earth either swallows it's pride or dies of hunger.
Either way, Zeon's defeat during the One Year War will be avenged.
That is, unless we stop them:
Looks pretty simple, but don't be fooled, you will have more foes to fight, and the faster you kill the enemy, the better.
After a turn, Ruri reports more units incoming, affiliation unknown due to intense Minovsky particle interference.
By turn 3, they arrive, and they consist of both Mobile Suits and Metal Armors.
Led by Cima Garahau.
No prizes for guessing what she's gonna do here.
Cima tells the shocked Char/Delaz/Gato not to worry, the colony is still gonna drop, but Giganos is going to take over here.
Gato asks why drag Giganos into this, especially since Delaz points out Guiltorre has refrained from assisting Zeon, and Cima explained not everyone in Giganos is on the same page as Guiltorre, much like she isn;t on the same page as the Zeon forces she's now backstabbing.
Delaz is pissed, she was a good Zeon officer in the OYW, but Cima epxlains that's EXACTLY why she's doing this, and she gives a summarized version of her reason for hating Zeon, which I will elaborate below.
During the One Year War, she was loyal and when given orders to gas a colony, she was told it was sleeping gas, meant to knock out the residents of the colony so they wouldn't have to be witnesses to a Zeon slaughter of Feddies off their doorstep, and THAT she was cool with, if they got to sleep through the worst of it, fine by her. Thing is, she was duped, that was POISON gas, which she only found out later, meaning she was guilty of the very mass murder she wanted to avoid, and ever since then she decide Zeon could go fuck itself if they were going to put that guilt on her conscience. She's also pissed that Zeon pinned all the blame for their dirtiest wet works on her when they lost and tried to save themselves by getting rid of her.
In the original 0083 source, that's why she helped the proto-Titans doublecross Delaz at the end of the show, while in this AU, she's doing the same with Giganos, as she doesn't really care WHO helps her fuck over Zeon, just so long as they pay for what they tricked her into doing.
The Londo Bell forces aren't privy these conversations, but it's pretty obvious while they aren't Zeon friendly reinforcements, they aren't going to NOT shoot you either. However, more forces are detected coming from Earth as well.
Thankfully, they are on your side:
Meet Zechs Merquise/Millardo Peacecraft, thought to have died in the final battle of Gundam Wing (on the enemy side) as well some of the other Gundam pilots who were on the good guy side then and now. Zechs aka "Wind" as well as Duo Maxwell in the Deathscythe Hell Kai and Quatre Raberta Winner in the Sandrock Kai here to help stop the colony, so Bright's asshole unclenches a little, they aren't here to make the Londo Bell's life worse.
NOTE: I was a bit unclear due an ambiguity in the fan translation, Lucrezia Noin is supposed to have the Preventer alias "Fire" in the original source, but earlier lines seemed to indicate she was called "Water" a few stages, this may be an error in the translation or simply bad editing of the original lines, though it's probably the latter.
Anyway, your new allies are:
He's somewhat more powerful than in Alpha Gaiden, even has a MAP attack version of his Mega Cannon.
Due to space limits, they couldn't render the full name of the Deathscythe Hell Kai in the English translation. Also, Duo is somewhat better off in this game, as unlike other games, he retains the evasion bonuses from earlier versions of the Deathscythe it's Endless Waltz version usually doesn't have, probably done to increase his survivability in this hard as hell game.
Like in other SRW games, the Sandrock Kai is a tank that can take shitloads of damage and laugh it off.
As we resume, Cima's troops will focus on Delaz's troops, and they will also shoot you, whichever target is more oppurtune.
Either way, keep killing enemies ASAP.
If you recruited Lalah successfully, Amuro will ask her what's the point in causing more death, and she'll join you if Char has been defeated and you did all prior steps.
Once you take down Kelly, Boss/Ryoko/Kou all beg him to eject, but he tells them all he will die with no regrets.
Once everyone is dead, Ruri confirms you're the only forces in the area, and with that the GW guys go to work making ingress into the colony.
We cut to inside the colony, where everyone who can operate a computer worth a damn, Nina and Ruri included, make their way inside, and as they head for the propulsion engines, the GW guys set this colony to blow up.
Some Zeon soldiers are found in the control room, apparently willing to risk dying in atmospheric entry to make damn sure Stardust succeeded, but Kazuya punches them unconscious.
Gato is also there, and Nina asks Gato to stop already (they used to date, they parted on reasonably amicable terms). Char is also there, and he tells Gato to withdraw, him dying here would make everything Delaz did to this point meaningless, and Gato concurs.
As they leave, Nina has a breakdown and Ruri attends to her while everyone else continues to sabotage the colony.
We cut to an escape pod, where Karius notes to Gato the colony has blown in two, it's pieces now outside the gravity well of Earth, and as Gato curses the finale of Stardust crapping out, Karius notes Char isn't there, he may have died as the colony exploded in twain.
The Black Tri-Stars are in the pod too, and they ask Gato what to do, they don;lt have shit to fall back on now that Delaz is dead, and Gato says they'll fall back to Axis, Haman Karn is still around, she runs the biggest Zeon crew around besides Delaz.
However, as they leave, Gato is pissed. Cima was a traitor, Kelly and Char have fallen, and Stardust failed it's ultimate goal.
We cut back to the Argamma, where Bright is relieved the worst was avoided (in 0083 canon, the colony drop SUCCEEDED), and as Amuro is sure Char isn't dead and everyone is dreading Miwa's next bitching and moaning session, Lamia makes this telling remark about Miwa's intentions had they NOT succeeded in stopping Stardust:
We then cut to the hangar, where Zechs is already about to leave, citing to Noin (who always had low key feelings for him) it's not his role to be on the front stage. Duo and Quatre leave too, but Noin is sure they'll all be seeing each other sooner than later, shit is just gonna worse.
We then cut to Kou and Nina, where Kou asks Nina how she knew Gato, and as she's about to answer, we cut to the mystery people who wanted the colony to drop.
They are pissed, and the apparent leader says they must be directly involved, and Axel is told to stand to for further orders. We also find out, on top of still trying to get Lamia her next orders, they find it interesting 'this world's" Earth Federation chose to mass produce the D-Weapons instead of the Gespent.
We cut back to the Argamma, where they plan to meet up Banjou as the routes will dovetail together, and they also give a summary of events for those who didn't play the other route.
We also cut to Sayla saying she's gonna leave the Argamma, Amuro asks if she's sure, and she is.
This means she drops out of the game entirely at this point, so if anyone invested time in leveling her up, it was wasted. If Lalah was recruited, she shows up briefly to confirm this.
The routes merge at this point, and I'll cover everything else after this in a new post.
