August 12th 2000, Groom Lake Base, Nevada
Drop your speed, Ghost 2! You're over the limit!
It's too dangerous to keep doing this!
Get back to the standard program!
Not yet! I'm going to see how far I can push her!
You always do this!
Stop it already!
Shut up! If you can't keep up then go back to base!
What did you say?
We need to prove how good this thing is as fast as we can,
or the Raptor deployment project will be shelved!
Ghost to all units.
I will take over as Ghost 2's chaser.
That's nuts, Lieutenant!
He's suicidal, and you're going to follow him?
Development delays are going to kill this TSF.
Somebody has to make up for it somewhere.
Captain?
The best test pilot in Area 51? Don't make me laugh!
Your stupid pride got Lieutenant Sven killed!
Say something!
Say something arrogant and stupid like you always do!
Stop it! This isn't the time!
I'll never forgive you.
You're the one who killed our captain!
It must've been a lot easier to pretend to be a nice guy somewhere nobody knew about your past.
The Sound of Twisted Wings
Hey.
I heard the party last night got pretty wild.
You're looking more manly than ever.
Did Natalie tell you?
That place is our hangout.
We'll hear about it whether you like it or not.
Oh my.
Are we back to the Lonely Wolf?
Leave him alone.
Everybody wants to be left alone sometimes.
That's very grown up of you to say, Little Miss Chobi. Have some milk.
Alright, if you want a fight you've got one.
These records make it clear that Rick Sven was killed by piloting error.
Thus, the tribunal has determined that Ensign Yuuya Bridges
was in no way at fault for the accident under discussion.
That is all. The tribunal is ended.
Yuuya!
No matter what anyone says, you killed him.
Don't think you can run away from that fact.
If you don't want to get in an accident, don't follow me.
You bastard!
Leon!
Inia?
Are you guys off again today?
You were crying, weren't you Yuuya?
You were crying?
What are you talking about?
It's okay.
The sad things that happened and the painful tears
are all important memories that made you who you are today.
Hey.
Would you come with me for a bit?
Ghost 2 has passed point N-3.
-2.7. A new record!
Not yet!
Lieutenant!
No!
What happened to him?
We have a Code 413.
Ghost Team is to call off the test immediately.
Repeat, call of the test immediately!
Lieutenant!
Damn it! Come in, Lieutenant!
Damn it!
Does it still hurt?
I think Yuuya really has changed.
You saw the Bao Feng fight, right?
If the people around him didn't trust him, that duel could never have happened.
They might just have been so tired of his selfishness they gave up.
It doesn't matter how much he's changed.
I'll never forgive him for running away and leaving the lieutenant, you, and everything else.
Hey, do you know what the opposite of "like" is?
"Hate", right?
What of it?
No. The opposite of "like" is "indifference."
You're suffering from the curse you put on yourself too, aren't you?
The accident was my fault, in the end.
I had to be a good American citizen, and make sure everyone knew it.
That was the only way to shut up the people who criticized my mother.
That was what I thought.
So I needed to rise up in the military.
As fast as I could, and no matter what the cost.
I didn't care about anyone else.
The people around me were all my enemies.
And it paid off, and I achieved the pinnacle of being an Eishi, becoming a test pilot.
I was deployed to the elite Army TSF Research team.
Why you-
But...
My mother died, and all I had left was my position in the military.
That's what I started to think.
And the cost of that was that accident.
Sorry it's not a more interesting story.
No.
Maybe because we talked when we got stranded, I find you really easy to talk to.
I see.
But to be honest, I don't really understand what you said.
I'm sure.
Every time I remember it I make myself sick.
No, not that.
What I don't understand is why you feel responsible for the squad captain's death.
Accidents happen.
It's impossible to stop them from ever happening.
We test pilots are risking our lives to make the TSFs, just like the ones on the front lines.
You were the one who made the decision to risk your life on that mission.
Your Lieutenant made the same choice.
I'm the same way.
I've offered my life to the USSR.
Even if I lose it during a mission, I have no regrets.
I won't blame anyone.
When you blame something outside yourself for your own failure to do something,
the only thing you can convince is your own heart.
You can never convince anyone else.
If you can't take it all, decide what you're going to abandon.
That's what your fight is, kid.
My siblings were the same way.
Most of them died in the course of their missions, but nobody blames those who lived.
You have siblings?
Everyone dies eventually.
It's the feelings of those left behind that give those deaths meaning.
Cryska!
Did you find something neat?
Yeah.
It was really pretty.
It's about time for us to go.
Sorry for dragging you out here.
Don't worry about it. I'm here because I want to be.
That's all.
I see.
You were a big help.
Now let's go, Inia.
Observation targets A and B are on the move.
A is moving in a different direction.
Continue to monitor A and B and gather data.
I want to confirm something.
What's this all of a sudden?
You're keeping your mission and your feelings separate, right?
What do you mean?
I don't care what happened between you and Bridges.
And it has nothing to do with me.
Our job is to complete the mission perfectly.
We can't fail.
Don't worry.
I can keep the past from interfering with the mission.
Glad to hear it.
That's right.
I'm not going to be satisfied with being in his shadow anymore.
Cheers to Argos Test Flight's victory!
Cheers!
What is it, Yuuya?
You're never any fun.
Vincent's paying today, so let's drink up!
That's right. Leave it to me.
I'm loaded today.
Wow. What happened, Sergeant Lowell?
He bet on Blue Flag.
He put a ton of money on Argos winning their first fight.
And it paid off in spades.
Bao Feng was heavily favored to win that battle.
Well, it makes sense.
We've got two types of TSFs in our squad, and one TSF is straight off the line.
And thanks to that, I made a fortune betting on the dark horse!
I bought the mechanics drinks and I still had money left over.
The goddess of Alaska smiled on me too.
You're sure taking this easy.
Did you say something?
Come to think of it, Lt. Takamura is late.
I'm really late.
Lt. Takamura.
Lt. Cui?
I need to talk to you.
Can I have a minute?
It won't take long, if you don't make it.
This is my secret technique: the beer throat!
That's amazing, Vincent.
That's impossible.
2 seconds? A full mug in 2 seconds?
He's not just smart, he's talented.
Whenever he does that he's always out the next day.
Does it matter?
There's a gap in the schedule so there's no exercises tomorrow, right?
No, that's the time when the mechanics are busiest.
You seem even gloomier than usual today.
Is it because of what happened yesterday?
No. And um, I'm sorry for making trouble yesterday.
It wasn't easy to trick the MPs. You owe me dinner.
Yeah, got it.
And this is from me.
I don't think there's anybody in the world who doesn't have their own problems.
Everybody's doing their best to live right now.
You're from France, aren't you Natalie?
That's right. But I ran to Canada when I was a kid.
I barely remember a thing about France.
I see. Sorry for asking.
Don't worry about it. The past is the past.
What's most important is that we're alive right now.
But what's even more important is what comes next.
What to do with the future is more important than a past you can't change.
Right?
You're right.
And where were you born, Ensign?
The middle of the countryside in the deep south.
I figured it would be Hawaii or Los Angeles, there are a lot of Japanese-Americans there.
No, there were no Japanese-Americans in the town I grew up in.
It was a strict, conservative society.
I see. It must've been hard.
It's hard for everybody.
So what did you want to talk about?
What else?
About Yuuya, of course.
What kind of reaction is that?
If you're even lying to yourself, then there's nothing to talk about.
Lying? About what?
Give up. You'll never pull it off.
No, it was easier for me than most.
Everybody in this base lost their country to the BETA, lost their families...
They ran for their lives and came here.
That's right.
I'm sure they really want to fight on the front lines with their friends.
It's ironic.
They trained their skills so hard so they could defeat the BETA,
so they could protect their friends,
and because of that they were chosen as test pilots
and sent to work testing TSFs on the rear lines.
They were just like you.
When they first got here they were all tense and miserable.
I'm sure they were.
But they're amazing.
Amazing?
They're forcing themselves to enjoy this peace for the sake of their friends on the front lines.
They managed to change on their own.
I really respect that.
That's not true.
The Eishi who'd come before them helped them change, little by little.
Then they're...
That's right.
By doing the same for you, they're repaying the ones who helped them.
They're passing on what they received to me...
Hey there!
Why are you sitting in the corner, Yuuya?
Come over here and drink.
Sorry, Tarisa.
I was just trying to cheer up this lonely little guy.
Who's a lonely little guy?
What's that?
- "Narcissist and secret pervert" is what Yuuya is.
- Shut up!
- "Secret pervert! Secret pervert!"
- Take that back, Chobi! Take it back!
Impossible?
I can understand how a bird in a cage might long for the outside world.
But it's impossible.
You'll never be able to understand Yuuya.
I-
Can you imagine how it feels to be hated just for being there?
Can you understand how it feels?
The jealousy, the envy, the desire to kill someone out of hate?
Have you ever tried to change someone in a way that makes them better for you?
"I can't believe I have to entrust the future of the Empire to someone like you."
"You're weak."
The first thing you have to do in love is accept the other person for who they are.
Did you know that, Princess?
That's all I have to say. Bye.
Wait!
What is it?
Is that all you've got?
Yuuya's color really is the prettiest!
Right, Cryska?
That's right. Bridges is the most...
I thought so.
It was worth letting him go after he infiltrated this facility.
Yuuya Bridges is the most refined catalyst.
Bridges?
I'll need to get another stage for him ready.
Immediately.
I-If it can contribute to humanity's coming together,
I will give it serious consideration.
Isn't it bad manners in Japan to wear a towel?
So that's your plan? Not bad, Princess. Then I'll...
Deep Green
Next time on Total Eclipse:
Deep Green