Reactivation
Here in Uddiyana, the country closest to Heaven,
...the morning light first touches the fingertips of the goddess' outreached hands.
But the residents of this country never see that light.
Because they're still gnawing at the scraps of their dreams...
...down in the shadows of the mountains.
Miss Shirasu.
Miss Shirasu?
- Yes? - We're in sight of the base.
We'll be landing soon.
Once we get back, you can have a good, long sleep.
Sure...
Down in the depths of the same darkness, this place wasn't sleeping, either.
- She didn't take any fire. - There might be stress strain in the frame.
Get backups of the combat data.
I've already put in a request with Staff Headquarters...
...to verify the source of our intel.
Put in an additional request that they determine...
...how the Flag's signal was decrypted ASAP.
I bet the loss of a HAVWC was as unexpected...
...to the people at Command HQ as it was to us.
I think the biggest shock was for Lt. Ichiyanagi and Lt. Nikkanen.
After all, they had to destroy one of our own HAVWCs.
Even after daybreak, the cordon around the air strike targets hadn't been lifted.
Of course, this has nothing to do with maintaining law and order.
It's to keep an inconvenient truth away from the prying eyes of the world.
Even so, the people had doggedly begun their march towards the new day.
The sight of them spoke volumes.
It is said that bombs can never destroy the human drive to survive.
Of course, the L-T's decision was the best one she could've made in those circumstances.
But the person who was actually down there in the thick of battle was Ichi.
That's why she accepted Ichi's judgment call.
She can do that because she has faith in Ichi.
Faith?
Well, yeah...
It's no exaggeration to say that everything we do is built on a foundation of mutual trust.
Just like the L-T had faith in Ichi and Nik, Ichi and Nik had faith in the LT, too.
It's only when soldiers have faith in their orders...
...that they're able to fight in extreme situations.
And Ichi and Nik have faith in Beroqui, just like an F1 racer has faith in his mechanic.
Everyone tries their hardest to live up to the faith that others put in them.
But the notion of an operation being influenced by the decisions of soldiers on the ground...
...would have been unthinkable once upon a time.
Out on the modern battlefield,
...with its advanced computer integration, and situations that change in an instant,
...warfighters who do nothing but follow orders simply can't cut it.
I see that there are a lot of you here this morning...
First, the investigation report on yesterday's attack by the UN Observer Force...
The morning after the air strike, a UNF press conference was held in Subasci...
...just like any other morning.
From what you've just said, densely populated residential areas in the old city were hit.
Wasn't there any damage to the surrounding areas?
The latest precision-guided munitions were used. Collateral damage is completely...
A 500-pound bomb was used to attack the stronghold located beneath Saari ward.
However, it was the homes of carpet weavers and metalworkers that were destroyed.
I see that the rumor mill is working full force, but we do not deal in rumors...
This is no rumor.
The question is based on interviews of people at the scene.
I'm sorry, but I am not at liberty to discuss that at this time.
We will take up this topic again later.
Wait a minute! You didn't answer the question!
You're running away?
To the UN, it might have been a repeat of the same old scene as always.
However...
That was the sound of the gauntlet being thrown down.
The sound echoed powerfully in my ears.
The SDC special forces unit followed the signal...
...of the IC tag imbedded in the Flag and raided the Metazone temple.
But the Flag wasn't there.
The Flag recapture operation was forced to start again from square one.
Getting enough rest is as important a mission as any other for them.
Seeing the commander still working after more than 28 hours on duty,
...Shirasu kept doing her job, as well.
Quantum cryptography was used in the IC tag that had been attached to the Flag.
Quantum cryptography is the ultimate encryption.
In theory, it is impossible to crack it.
UN headquarters has begun their analysis, including how the Flag's code was decrypted.
Until we get the results of their analysis of that vast quantity of data,
...I instructed all staff members that R&R was their top priority.
Miss Shirasu, that includes you. Get some rest.
Thanks for the vest and helmet!
Sure.
Is it in really bad shape?
40% of the main frame, as well as the legs' shock absorbers need to be totally replaced.
I've already sent in a list of the replacement parts we need,
...so they should arrive with the replacement for Lt. Ichiyanagi's HAVWC.
Are they coming from Subasci?
No, from Seattle. Same as when we put in that request for the Sniper Cannon.
I guess this makes twice...
It's a drop shipment. Direct to our door inside of 18 hours.
Wow, 18 hours! That's way faster than mail order...
It's two different things entirely!
- Oh, my! - What is it?
You have bags under your eyes.
Once we swap out the broken parts, this baby will be as good as new in no time.
It doesn't work the same with people.
They're not something you can just up and fix when something breaks.
You really ought to get some sleep.
Shirasu decided to get a little sleep after all.
I'm exhausted...
The day after the UNF's air strike,
...the same old cutthroat competition had returned to Subasci.
The eyes of the world hunger for fresh news.
No matter how huge the event, the instant it loses its ability to spark public interest,
...it becomes a thing of the past.
That is the one reality for journalists.
What's up, Keiichi? You making a documentary about us or something?
But in spite of that, I couldn't let go of the UNF's recent behavior for some reason.
The UNF's activities around the time of the air strike?
This is a rare sight... You never come to anyone for help.
What are you up to this time?
Have it your way. I won't ask any questions.
But this won't come cheap.
My intuition was whispering to me.
It was telling me that something was going on.
Oh, you're awake?
Yeah...
You sure you're all right?
That mandala and IC tag were nothing but decoys.
Maybe it was an attempt to buy time.
It had been 36 hours since the operation had begun.
But the commander of the special forces unit had yet to sleep a wink,
...and had never left her post.
From the very beginning, there have been...
...several things about this incident that don't add up.
For example, why didn't the insurgent group that stole the Flag announce it to the public,
...and why haven't they made any demands?
And for that matter, what made them decide to steal the Flag in the first place?
If their objective is to derail the roadmap,
...simply incinerating the Flag then and there would be simpler and more effective.
The people who stole the Flag might have a goal other than stopping the cease fire.
What we know for certain now is that Ru Pou is involved.
I have no idea what that might imply...
All we can do for the time being is wait for more intel from UN headquarters.
The Flag is an indispensable icon for the mediation of the cease fire.
The people see the hope for peace in this flag.
With IC tag's code cracked and its signal no longer reliable,
...we don't have many reliable sources of information left now.
Even so... we have to recover that Flag no matter the cost.
That fact hasn't changed.
When it's all said and done, this operation ended with...
...Lt. Ichiyanagi losing his HAVWC, and you didn't even recover the FLAG.
Right?
You're right, the Lieutenant did have to sacrifice his HAVWC.
Everyone did everything they could do. No one is to blame.
If we failed to achieve the desired outcome, the fault is entirely mine.
No, um, that wasn't what I was...
Saeko, the way I see it, we got off lucky by only losing a HAVWC.
Given the situation, the fact that Lt. Ichiyanagi was able...
...to get out in one piece is practically a miracle.
We can always get replacement HAVWCs,
...but we can't replace a top-notch pilot like Lt. Ichiyanagi.
The poor guy's so frustrated he can hardly stand it.
Because the HAVWC that he left out there...
...had been tweaked countless times to custom-fit it to him.
Everything was broken in, from the seat to the control stick.
It was like an extension of himself.
He must feel like he's lost a part of himself.
I feel really bad about it, too.
But it wasn't Lt. Ichiyanagi's fault, right?
Right. But he doesn't believe it in here.
They say the HAVWC will be here ahead of schedule.
Roger that.
First, the investigation report on yesterday's attack by the UN Observer Force...
The air strike using smart bombs in Subasci yesterday...
...was aimed at the strongholds of terrorist groups that are holed up in the city.
The UNF bombed Subasci?
Looks that way.
I don't care if they used precision-guided munitions, when you drop bombs on a city, it...
Is someone you know in town?
Oh. Um, yes...
Looks like my intuition hasn't lost its edge just yet.
You live up to your reputation, Mr. Akagi.
Your hunch was on the money. Hit!
Bingo!
Around the time of the air strike, the UNF's Subasci HQ...
...sent requests directly to Seattle for weapons deliveries.
Hey, now! Put that down, please.
But that's all we knew.
Hey! Do you still get around by bike?
A description of the shipped weapons, as well as where in Uddiyana they were shipped to,
In Subasci, a bike is the best way to go.
...was guarded with the sort of heavy encryption they use on top secret files.
Let me borrow it later.
Sure thing!
On an unrelated note, I came across an interesting tidbit while I was doing my digging.
Last night, over at Mirbala Gorge...
You know the place, right? It's the stronghold of one of the insurgent groups.
Anyway, there was apparently a clash between them and the UNF at the Metazone Temple ruins.
It's nothing more than a rumor at this point, though.
If the rumor is true, it means the UNF launched an attack at the Metazone Temple to the west...
...on the same night they were dropping bombs on Subasci.
The UN hadn't made any official statements about it.
It wasn't much to go on, but that alone made it fishy.
The Flag...
Metazone Temple.
Secret weapons shipped in by the UNF...
Weapons that are treated as top secret information?
Top-secret UN files. Here.
It's the scoop of a lifetime. But don't release them.
Not unless something happens to me. Promise me.
Shirasu...
Hey, Akagi!
What have you got this time? Don't leave us in the cold, okay?
Ichiyanagi, your HAVWC will be here soon.
Signing for it isn't my job.
Huh? But I thought...
Lt. Ichiyanagi, tell us what you're feeling right now.
With the Metazone Temple operation a failure, where do you think the Flag is right now?
And your HAVWC? Please tell us how you felt about the HAVWC that you had to sacrifice.
Tell us what you're feeling right now.
Your face seems a little puffy. Did you oversleep?
As for the whereabouts of the Flag, let's hear from the woman who took the picture.
How does it feel to be on camera?
What do cameras mean to you? What are you feeling as you wave them around?
It's here!
The new equipment is here!
Come on, let's go!
When I need to buy a new camera, I don't let other people do it for me!
You think it's like a camera?
That day, the new HAVWC quietly touched down on the battlefield.
Just one time, just one is enough.
I want to see a beautiful light.
No matter long the night that comes,
...even if darkness should fall,
...if I know that light will shine down on everything,
...I don't need anything else.
"Please don't let me be swallowed up by sadness."
"Please let me have some purpose in my stride."
We just need to wish a little harder for it,
...wish for a light to erase the shadows that have come upon us.
Every time I lose my way, I'm pierced by the pain...
...of losing a little bit of myself.
And every time I set out again,
...I realize and relish that I have the strength to crush the darkness underfoot,
...and I'm able to wait for the stars once again.
Presented by Gray_Phantom #Gray_Phantom @ rizon
Next Time 0 0 8 XR-2 Longku
The Flag's whereabouts were still unknown with the signing ceremony right around the corner.
As the pressure continues to mount the SDC team,
...a bipedal weapon unexpectedly appears.
The XR-2 Longku. What does it signify?