Merida Island
Albert-4, this is Merida Final Controller.
Heading good, on course.
On glide path.
This is Albert-4.
Runway approach confirmed.
Albert-4, permission to land granted.
Jungle Groove
First Lieutenant, please sign here.
Oh yes.
Would you like your belongings brought directly to your room?
I'd appreciate that.
Please do so.
Yes, sir.
Yes?
Captain, Sergeant Sagara is here.
Please let him in.
Yes, ma'am.
Come in.
Excuse me.
Sergeant Sagara Sousuke, reporting for duty.
Thank you for your hard work.
Please be at ease.
Yes, Captain.
Did you say goodbye to Kaname-san?
No.
You have something that you want to say to me, right?
No, ma'am, not at all.
I am as much responsible as the Operations Department for the decision to recall you from your assignment in Tokyo.
After all, the Intelligence Department is fully prepared to station an agent near Kaname-san permanently.
And what about document file 05B-D113?
What are you talking about?
It's the report I wrote.
In it, I explained how the Intelligence Department has repeatedly done a poor job in protecting her.
That's nothing more than your personal opinion.
Are you saying that my report is questionable?
I didn't say that.
I made the best judgment that...
I think I am the most qualified person to protect her, Captain.
You don't seem to be aware of your own position.
Sergeant, aren't there other things that you have to concentrate on?
And what kinds of things might those be?
The Arbalest.
I want you to only focus on the handling of that unit.
You were the first person to pilot the Arbalest during that hijacking incident.
In other words, it recognized you as its ideal pilot.
Its developer is dead, so there's no way for us to alter the settings.
All we know through trial and error is the fact that only you are capable of piloting the Arbalest and using the Lambda Driver.
On the other hand, Amalgam has been using machines with similar capabilities over and over again.
Just like in the previous Nanjing incident.
Only you and the Arbalest are capable of fighting against machines thatare equipped with Lambda Drivers.
Let the Intelligence Department handle the job of protecting her from now on.
I need you to concentrate on mastering that unit for now.
So are you implying that I have no choice in the matter?
That's correct.
Sagara-san, please understand.
Is that an order?
What?
Yes.
It is.
As long as you comply with it, I don't care if it's an order or whatever.
Even if I have to take you away from Kaname-san, so be it!
It must be nice to be as carefree as you.
You can let go of your anguish by simply bearing a grudge against me.
But I have to think of the safety of my subordinates!
You know how powerful the enemy is, right?
Melissa might really die this time... or even Weber-san!
Do you have any idea how I feel every time I sit in the Captain's seat?!
Are you blind?
Is your head filled with nothing but her?!
Have you ever thought about my feelings even for a little bit?!
I...
You are really horrible!
You always act submissive and kind, but you're actually very cruel!
You're even lying to yourself...
Why don't you just say it out loud?
"I want to be with her! So don't get in my way!"
It'd be so much easier for me... if you could say that...
Yes?
Captain, First Lieutenant Clouzot is here.
Please tell him to wait a while.
I'll call for him in a bit.
Yes, ma'am.
I really hate you, Sagara-san.
I beg your pardon.
I also hate the way you always apologize immediately like that.
I'm ashamed.
There's nothing else for us to discuss.
You may leave.
Yes, ma'am.
Who's the officer that just passed by?
That's Sergeant Sagara from the Special Response Team.
Yes?
Sorry to have kept you waiting, First Lieutenant.
You may go in now.
Okay.
First Lieutenant Belfungun Clouzot reporting for duty as of today.
Welcome to the Western Pacific Fleet.
First Lieutenant, please be at ease.
Yes, ma'am.
Your name precedes you, Captain.
It's an honor to meet you in person.
It's an honor for me too.
Have you met your new subordinates yet?
I've yet to speak to them.
But, there's something that I would like to try out as a way of greeting them.
Something you'd like to try out?
Although it might get a bit violent...
And then you made her cry?
Yeah.
Wow!
You might actually possess the talent of a gigolo.
What's a gigolo?
Don't worry yourself about it.
But still, um... ah... well, never mind.
Regardless of that, you seem to be enjoying yourself.
Yeah, relatively.
The Captain's opinion is correct.
It's true that there's no reason for me to be the one protecting Chidori.
If we think about having the right man for the right job, everything we've done to date has definitely been improper.
Well, it was an unreasonable matter to begin with anyway.
Yes, but...
But?
Just thorough reasoning...
Just thorough reasoning...?
It's nothing.
What's the matter?
I'll listen to your troubles!
Just say it! Come on!
It's okay.
Spit it out!
You'll feel much better!
Oh?
I've never seen him before.
Water, please.
Are you an idiot?
Order some liquor.
I don't want liquor.
Water, please.
Jeez...
Excuse me, First Lieutenant.
Not that I'm mean or anything, and I don't really want to say this...
But would you mind sitting somewhere else?
And why is that?
These three seats here are reserved for us, the SRT...
...the Special Response Team.
And you're currently sitting in one of them.
Is that a fleet regulation?
It's something that the guys at this base decided on by themselves.
But youngster...
...it might be apt to consider that a reserved seat after all.
I don't understand what you're talking about.
That's the seat that one of our deceased superiors used to sit in.
I'm sorry, but I don't want the butt of a stranger like you sitting in it.
I see.
What's the callsign and name of your deceased superior?
Uruz-1. Lieutenant Gail McAllen.
In that case, there's no need for me to change seats.
That guy was a coward.
Eh... A coward?
Did you just say "coward"?
That's right.
He was an incompetent man.
That's really intense.
Did you hear?
He said "incompetent".
But, oh well, it's true that pops was...
Kurz!
You have poor endurance, Sergeant.
You stupid bastard...
I'm all geared up now.
Kurz!
Leave him alone.
It's just a minor cerebral concussion.
Although I must say I'm surprised that he can still stand after receiving that blow from me,
but whether it's him or that deceased lieutenant,
it seems the SRT here is full of nothing but blockheads.
I'm really disappointed.
You look like you have something to say to me.
First Lieutenant, I apologize on behalf of my comrade's rude behavior.
But, please take back what you said about Lieutenant McAllen.
And if I say I don't want to?
What's wrong?
You're not going to try hitting your superior like this blockhead here?
You can't do it, right?
From your demeanor, I can tell that you're a serious man.
But you can't do anything unless you're ordered to.
In other words, you're no different from a coward.
Because you'll always need an excuse to explain your actions.
In that case, Sergeant, how about playing a little game with me?
You want to protect the honor of that McAllen guy, right?
I happen to be very bored now too.
Come with me.
It's an order.
What's this?
Did you come to laugh at me or something?
I came to deliver the supplementary units.
The M-series, that is.
You came all the way here just for that?
Actually, there's something I want to discuss with you.
It's about those two sisters.
I can just imagine what they're trying to do.
And if possible, I would like to stop them from doing it.
Just shut up and watch.
I see.
So that's how it is.
We'll do it your way then.
Thank you.
We have to teach those naughty kittens a proper lesson.
Yes?
It's me.
So you've met her already?
Yes.
How was it?
I can kill her anytime.
In that case, wait for instructions, okay?
Okay.
Is Sensei doing fine?
Yes.
For the time being.
Bye.
Sensei, it's about time for us to begin.
Is this... a game?
That unit is...
...the one from then?
It is similar to the M9 type.
It's a prototype of the D-series.
Its specs are the same as those of the E-series.
Speaking of which, I have yet to introduce myself.
I've just transferred from the Mediterranean Fleet.
The name is First Lieutenant Belfungun Clouzot.
As of today, I've been assigned to join the SRT of the Western Pacific Fleet.
My call sign is Uruz-1.
In other words, I'm your team leader.
But you don't have to hold back.
Use that AS to prove to me that my predecessor was not incompetent.
Let's go!
This guy...
Our power is on par.
And...
...your technique is not bad either.
However!
What?!
He's strong.
Just like I thought, you're a second-rate pilot.
Your fighting shows skill, but not art.
Do you know the difference between those two?
Playing around like this, you probably don't.
Since we're already doing this, let's have a serious fight.
Warning!
Alpha-1 has armed itself with a monomonocular cutter.
Is he serious?
Let's go!
That's right!
I don't agree with his methods.
First Lieutenant Clouzot, was it?
He makes weird suggestions.
I'm the one who authorized it.
I don't think the full power of the Arbalest can be drawn out unless we do this.
But that still won't make it a force we can rely on in combat.
Knowing it can be relied on to be fully utilized whenever necessary...
That is the true essence of a weapon system.
Are you implying that the Arbalest is defective?
Yes.
I truly dislike that unit.
I'm sure Sergeant Sagara feels the same way.
And that is the problem.
Damn it!
How appalling.
It's truly appalling.
You're unskilled, aggressive, and totally inflexible!
Get up, Sergeant. Show me the full power of your unit!
Do you understand?
Its full power!
Full power...
Is he referring to the Lambda Driver?
Let's go, Sergeant!
But that's!
That's!
So you're just like a pet dog, after all.
It seems to be over.
The Lambda Driver was not activated.
I can see that.
You idiot.
I heard he totally kicked your ass.
Just see how pathetic you look now.
Neither you nor he is being blamed.
It seems to have been nothing more than a charade.
So that's what it was...
So, you're finally awake, huh?
Sergeant Sagara, do you know why you lost?
Because of the difference in our technical capabilities.
You're wrong.
The reason is more fundamental.
It's something that can't be covered up with technical capabilities... Something that's more fatal.
I don't understand what you mean.
You loathe that Arbalest.
I know that from fighting with you.
The way you move and the way you handle it...
All of your attacks are filled with hesitation and impulsiveness.
Your heart is not there.
It has nothing to do with the Lambda Driver.
The problem is deeper than that.
First Lieutenant, what's that attack you used to defeat me?
Did you think I used the Lambda Driver to create that?
Sorry to say this, but there's no need for me to use the Lambda Driver in order to defeat you and the Arbalest.
That's a technique from the Orient which combines penetration and instant decapitation.
The M9 is a unit that's capable of such potential, depending on the pilot.
Listen up, Sergeant.
The weapon called the AS, which we use, is not an ordinary machine.
It's an extension of a trained soldier's body.
The heart of the pilot is reflected through the machine.
In a high-level fight, these minor differences are what determine whether you'll be the victor or the loser.
Be aware that a man who has no faith in his own body will never be capable of defeating his future enemies.
That's all.
How long do you plan on moping around?
Go to the hangar and sign your names.
And turn in your reports as well.
I'm going to put you through a thorough retraining tomorrow.
Weber, you too.
Yeah, sir.
I can't believe that unbearable guy is taking up the new post.
But he's strong.
I completely lost to him.
So it's you, huh?
That's right.
It's been a year and a half, hasn't it?
More precisely, it's only been five days.
We met in Sicily.
Was this his room?
Yes.
This was Lieutenant McAllen's room.
Did he suffer a lot?
They said it happened in an instant.
I see.
That Sagara guy...
He's just like me in the past.
Always staggering around, unable to see his surroundings,
and always forcing himself to fit into the system.
Even though he's capable of working around the system as long as he feels up to it.
I wonder if that kid can become like that.
I don't know.
But with the way he is now, he'll probably end up dead.
Or he might become completely useless.
Useless?
I'm talking about the foes we're constantly fighting against.
Malice always breeds slowly.
It always starts with deceiving oneself,
resenting the surroundings next,
and then sneering at the world in the end.
And it always happens slowly.
Like the hour hand of a clock, it's a slow but steady transition.
And that's precisely why it's terrifying.
I'm exhausted today.
I think I'll turn in for the night now.
Melissa.
What?
Please keep the fact that the Lieutenant and I used to be good friends a secret.
I can't have them showing any mercy to me.
As you wish.
Good night, Bel.
Captain, can I speak with you for a moment?
What is it?
We've received a D-alert order from Operations Department Headquarters.
There has been an outbreak of AS-induced destructive activity,
and an appropriate response is currently being deployed.
What's the location?
Hong Kong.
Next Episode
Left behind in Tokyo, Chidori begins her solitary fight.
Loneliness and suspicions...
Her unease increases to the invisible limit.
There's no one she can rely on anymore.
Next,
Her Problems
"Her Problems."
One fight will end...
...just like the tears, lost in the rain.