S4E21: Tumor

'''The assault on the mine begins. With the Watchtower successfully eliminated, the Supervisor's forces on Earth-M745 are on their own. But will it be enough for the Sayan Squad and the Resistance to put a stop to the mining operation? And what are the Force Crystals being used for, anyway...?'''

Plot Summary
In the Vulture's Ready Room, Amadeus and Patchouli Knowledge, along with the Anathemites and Arachnos, discussed strategy in regards to taking down the Force mine. Their main target was the central and deepest shaft, which held the biggest and thicket vein of crystals. This location was also what the entire mine was built around, and if it were taken out a good portion of the rest of the mine would fall as well. It would not result in the mine's total annihilation, but it would set the Supervisor's operations back a decade, giving the Resistance plenty of time to rescue the slaves and prepare a coup d'etat.

The Sayan Squad was to assist the Resistance in the mine assault, however even with their support it was determined that entering and exiting the mine would be too difficult. A relatively safer entrance was found, especially with G Squadron and the Vulture covering them, but securing an exit remained a problem. Amadeus then said they he got in contact with RAG's local branch, and confirmed that they would support the assault. With the loss of the Watchtower, communication between Gensokyo and the rest of Earth-M745 was almost nonexistent. In other words, the Supervisor's forces were on their own; uncoordinated and confused. Amadeus planned to take advantage of that confusion. So far all that the Supervisor's forces knew was that a lone Rebel carrier was assistance the Resistance. If the Sayan Squad and the Resistance could get inside the mines, most of the enemy would focus inward. While their backs were turned, a RAG assault fleet was going to enter Gensokyo and take them by surprise. With RAG covering the sky. they could easily clear out a safe exit from the mines.

With the plan set, the Vulture's crew, the Resistance, and the Sayan Squad prepared for battle. However, several members were still missing. Jack and Kanako had yet to recover from the Watchtower assault several hours earlier, with Jack even still unconscious. Ketsueki was also still fuming in the hangar bay, leading to a conversation between him and Terminos. Ketsueki was still mad over the Rebellion essentially abandoning Earth-M745 for over 15 years, and was no longer sure if he believed in the Rebellion's cause. He despised the idea of reducing lives to a mere numbers game. Nevertheless, he agreed to go, feeling that "he had no choice."

Just then, Saiyo entered the room, wanting to confirm if she had indeed overheard talk of a new mission. With Jack and Kanako still out however, she was concerned over if they would even survive. She then offered herself to fight and help bolster their numbers. It was agreed, and everyone moved towards the drop ramp as the Vulture pulled into Gensokyo. Saiyo hung back a little, however, to speak to Ketsueki. She said that a frown didn't suit him, and that he was beginning to sound like Jack. Ketsueki conceded that he has reconsidered Jack's actions on Baur, beginning to wonder if his assessment of the Rebellion was accurate and if getting out was the right thing to do.

This comment seemed to hurt Saiyo, and she left Ketsueki alone. This conversation provided immediate fuel for her rage, however, making it much easier for her to tap into the power of her augmentations. Amadeus began the countdown to the mission's start, but Saiyo busted out of the ramp early, charging into the polluted skies of Gensokyo.

The assault began, and everyone was immediately beset upon by a Pacifier and several Z-24 Squadrons. Each Z-Squadron was escorted by a unit identified as a MEP, which were described as "Mimic killers" to make up for the Z-Units' lacking personal combat ability. Modified pursuit drones were also deployed, now modified to resemble dragonflies over their original bird-like design. G Squadron and the Vulture provided covering fire, but it was soon made apparent that they had gravely underestimated how thick the mine defenses were. It was deemed virtually impossible to enter it from any entrance. Meanwhile, Saiyo's instability was put on display as she blindly tried engaging both the Pacifier and the pursuit drones despite being horribly outclassed by both.

Patchouli suddenly launched herself towards Gensokyo's Urbanization Center, formerly known as Youkai Mountain, shouting for the others to do the same. She claimed that the Urbanization Center ran for miles underground, and that it had to have had its own entrance to the mines on the lowest levels. She recalled delivering crystals to some sort of reception port that must have connected to the Urbanization Center. With the actual mine entrance blocked off, the Sayan Squad was forced to follow.

The rush for the mountain had the teams hounded by more Pursuit drones, several MEPs and even a Z-24. One of Patchouli's Resistance youkai, one with big arms, rushed for one of the upper areas, shattering the rocky exterior. The opening led them into an administrative level of the Center, just wide enough to fit them but too small to fit anything else. With their mission complete, the Vulture made a temporary retreat.

Inside the administration area were a series of distinct offices. Officers and technicians fled the section while guards piled in. The Resistance and the Sayan Squad returned fire, while Saiyo charged in and brutally murdered anyone she got her hands on, including tearing a skull and spinal cord free from its body. Soldiers began to file into the room, replacing the guards. The soldiers, as per usual, were much tougher opponents, and the Resistance and Sayan Squad were forced to escape. The administrative offices contained a large window overlooking a large room, and the team took this as their escape route. Between the initial charge and the soldiers, Patchouli's Resistance was brought down to only ten members.

The room the window led to was not a place the soldiers followed, but it was neither a place either group wanted to be: The Conscription Machine. Inside the room, both teams were forced to watch as youkai were inserted into the machine and lobotomized, or given mechanical augmentations and implants, in both cases quite obviously done without some sort of anesthetic. Patchouli and her Resistance briefly reminisced on their own time in the machine, saying that those deemed a "threat" by Arachnos were given the full treatment while everyone else simply received the augments without losing their cognitive centers.

Oneiros suggested that they destroy the machine while they were in there, but Patchouli argued that as the hearts of every world controlled by The General, they are constructed of the most sturdy materials. They would not be able to destroy the machine without it taking a lot of time, something of which they did not have a lot of if they wanted to destroy the mine. With great reluctance, everyone left through a port at the bottom of the room, forced to abandon everyone within.

The port led to a room that appeared to function as a sort of dumping ground or temporary holding for lobotomized youkai. It was connected to a genetic research lab through tow large windows, which Saiyo promptly shattered. Exiting the chamber, Saiyo threatened to make all the operators and technicians pay for what was happening with the machine. She then went on a rampage to make good of her threat, violently killing them one by one. Patchouli cried for someone to intervene, reminding them that even the human workforce of The General's are victims as well. Olyn tried to stop Saiyo, but not before Saiyo hurled one of the scientists into several vats containing youkai, breaking them. Saiyo attempted to strike back at Olyn, only to be attacked from behind and slammed into a wall by a mutated experiment. She was continually beat against this wall by the mutant until Olyn managed to break her free.

Meanwhile, a second mutant had also risen to fight, this one capable of spitting acid. Both mutants were shortly disposed of through the efforts of the Resistance and the Sayan Squad, though it seemed Saiyo had not recovered. A black oily substance (that turned out to, in fact, be oil mixed in with a little blood) was leaking from the place on her head where she hit the wall. Likewise, a part of her right arm appeared "deflated." She soon regained consciousness however, and began to cough up more of the oil before collapsing on the ground in tears. Being reminded of what she is had triggered a small mental breakdown. She tore off the "skin" of her arm to prove her point, revealing a black metal arm underneath, saying that she was like that all the way through. She said there was almost nothing organic left of her, and everything they saw on the surface were artificial recreations of her appearance. She was in despair over "not being real," not being able to have children or to grow or to do "anything a real girl would."

The Anathemites tried to comfort her, saying that they understand very well the pain of "not being real" and though it seemed to comfort her a little it didn't help her much. She began to wish her mother there with her, having disappeared and put her up for adoption when she was seven. It was revealed that it was then that she was adopted by Dr. Greenspan and met Jack and James. Joseph was not her real father, nor were Jack and James her real brothers. She also had no idea what became of her mother or why she had to leave her.

Patchouli apologized for ruining the moment, but reminded everyone that they still had a job to do. The still-crying Saiyo was escorted into the next room, where they found a vivisected youkai lying on an examination table, her stomach torn open. She was unfortunately still alive, and Patchouli sent in a youkai named Aiko to execute a mercy kill. A nearby monitor flickered on, and Supervisor Arachnos' face and voice filled the room. It was not a direct broadcast but rather a general message wherein he compared the Resistance to a cancer. The irony was lost on no one, and it even re-activated Saiyo's augmentations. Seeing herself and the youkai of this world as similar, she was enraged over such things being called "normal" over the tumors they were more akin to, and charged off deeper into the facility.

Saiyo began tearing up another laboratory, killing guards and technicians in her typical brutal fashion, even using destroyed machinery to batter and electrocute them. Olyn and several members of G Squadron attempted to stop her, only for Saiyo to turn on them and attack. They were forced to pacify her, pinning her to the floor. The Sayan Squad was at a bit of an impasse. Saiyo's rampage could not be allowed to continue, but all available methods to subdue her would also net them a dead weight. Additionally, there was infighting, as Vate tried to freeze her solid and Arachnos wanted to attempt to tinker with her body. Most vocal was Ketsueki, who, though he admitted he had begun to see Jack's view on his sister's augmentations, tried to defend her actions as being a result of said augmentations. He did not want to have her hurt.

In the end, Patchouli stepped up to the plate and verbally berated Saiyo, calling her a child unwilling to accept life's hardships. This angered Saiyo at first, but as it went on Saiyo's augmentations rescinded and she returned to normal, though now in tears. Satisfied, Patchouli attempted to proceed, only to be halted by Ketsueki. Ketsueki scolded her and called her a hypocrite, believing a parallel existed between Saiyo's issues and the Resistances'. He found the dismissal of Saiyo's despair over losing most of her flesh to be ironic, claiming that if none of the youkai felt the same way, then they wouldn't be trying to take down the Supervisor and his mine. Patchouli responded by telling him to shut up and carried onward.

Deeper down, the Sayan Squad and the Resistance encountered the prototype weapon labs. A glance through a window at some Force Crystals told Patchouli they had to have been close. A large door to a restricted area was opened by Kazoku and the big-armed youkai, whose name was revealed to be "Guts." Both teams entered sans Guts herself, who wound up engaging a group of soldiers.

Inside the room the Sayan Squad and Resistance discovered a colossal crystal attached to some machinery in an adjacent chamber. Some nearby documents revealed the name "Project Blackstar," and it was discovered to be the true secret research project of Earth-M745. Unfortunately, there was not time to properly analyze the documents, and Arachnos stored them away in a temporary Void.

Just then, the big metal doors were blown open with Guts' body as soldiers poured into the room. Cornered, the Resistance and Sayan Squad prepared to fight their way out, until Patchouli caused a momentary distraction. Causing the metal beneath them to warp and bend, she temporarily disorientated them while she told everyone to flee into the Urbanization Center's refinery, accessed from a portal in the wall. Ketsueki led Saiyo through the opening, only to be stopped when the ground gave way to a steep drop. Saiyo re-activated her augmentations again, saying that she had been rescued enough and that it was time she "returned the favor."

Soldiers began to file into the through via the catwalks that hung above, but they were not as formidable as before. They held back their fire as to reduce the possibility of damaging the machinery. This left them more vulnerable to the rebels. Saiyo also tore apart a laser cutter, trying to use it against the soldiers. This caused uncut crystals to jam the next machine in line, at the same point Oneiros destroyed another machine. The line was halted as both machines began to smoke.

Their exit was blocked by two metal doors. These doors connected to the mines, and Patchouli recognized them from when she delivered the crystals before. The doors were blown open and both groups escaped, while the soldiers were unable to follow. From the mines, Patchouli led the Sayan Squad and her own team to the central mining chamber. She had started to hand out the detonation charges when a guardian entered the room. Resembling a large nue of Japanese folklore, it began to attack.

Patchouli told the Sayan Squad to take care of the monster, feeling that they would be better equipped to deal with another of The General's abominations. Meanwhile, knowing the structure of the mine better, the Resistance would set the charges. The Sayan Squad's goal was to take out the monster and protect the Resistance.

At first, the Sayan Squad found that they could not harm the beast, as it was protecting itself through some large crystals that protruded into the shaft. It used these crystals to fuel protective orbs that periodically healed itself. Once the rebels caught on however, the crystals were quickly eliminated. Before they could attack the monster, however, it changed form, revealing the nue to be an illusion. The true guardian was in fact Nue Houjou, modified like many others, and attacked.

After a battle that saw Saiyo knocked to the ground and deactivated, Nue was slain by the Sayan Squad. The timing was near perfect, as Patchouli and her team had just finished setting the charges. She urged everyone to get out so that Aiko could set them off. As the chamber was evacuated, Ketsueki tried to get Saiyo to get up. She refused, requesting to just be left there. He did not take that as an answer, and put her on his back to carry her.

Once they too had left, Aiko detonated the charges. The mine instantly became unstable and began to collapse, and a rush to the surface ensued. Along the way, the two groups had to avoid falling boulders and stalactites as they ran. Meanwhile, Saiyo questioned Ketsueki as to why he didn't just leave her behind so he could move faster. She conceded to the points Patchouli made, adding that she was just a burden. Ketsueki refuted all claims, saying that she had every right to feel the way she does, and that most of what was happening could be blamed on how the augmentations affected her mind. Despite all the things she said and even did to Ketsueki (such as using him as a projectile against Nue), Ketsueki refused to acknowledge her as a problem. This seemed to improve her mood significantly, and she carried herself on her own feet. This allowed the both of them to catch up with the others.

As they neared the entrance, RAG soldiers could be observed. When the soldiers spotted the groups flying up the collapsing mine tunnel, they reported it in and soon after G Squadron's Mimics landed. The Resistance and the former A Unit took to the air of their own accord while G Squadron boarded their Mimics. Ketsueki and Olyn both urged Saiyo to quickly ride in his Mimic since she could not fly herself. Once airborne, the Sayan Squad was able to get a better view of the battle. The Rebellion had gained superiority in both air and ground battlefronts. The mine had collapsed completely in on itself and the quarry fell apart. The Urbanization Center was observed to be on fire. The Supervisor's mining operation had been completely destroyed.

On board the Vulture, Amadeus welcomed and congratulated the Sayan Squad. He was quickly informed of Project Blackstar, and he seemed to freeze up. Amadeus began to explain several specifics of the project that he could not have garnered from only a few seconds of reading the documents. Patchouli called him out on this, suspecting that he knew in advance what was happening on Earth-M745. Amadeus officially denied this, but the way he spoke indicated that she was in fact completely correct, and that he manipulated the system to justify assaulting the planet. This was only reinforced when he specifically denied disagreeing with the Commander of Universe-45's decision to not even so much as investigate the planet, without provocation.

Amadeus elaborated on the project, claiming that Blackstar was supposedly an old idea of The General's, a weapon that could not only destroy a planet entirely but also essentially erase it and the surrounding dimensional fabric from existence. He claimed it could also simultaneously destroy the same target across several universes at once through this method. However, such a weapon was described as "ludicrously impossible" without the use of Force Crystals, which contained the power to bypass, subvert, and even rewrite the rules of reality. Amadeus said that he would contact the rest of the fleet about this, and would also go through the reports. Though he said that he had an idea where the prototype of this weapon was, as the machine they saw in the Urbanization Center was simply a weapons test. The surmised location was the moon, in the main layer. He requested the Sayan Squad's help, saying that it was "unlikely" but "still possible" that Sayans might be involved as they had "no proof" that they weren't. The Sayan Squad understood his coded request, and accepted the mission.

Soon after, the Vulture landed near the Resistance's base and the Resistance prepared to depart. The Resistance and the Sayan Squad mutually thanked each other for assistance, while Patchouli went further and said that thanks to them, Gensokyo has a chance at revival. Patchouli announced her plans to free the residential areas and build her Resistance into a true fighting force to take back Gensokyo from the Supervisor. She also expressed regret at not being able to join the Rebellion in their lunar assault, but said that they had a lot of work to take care of on the surface.

As the Resistance departed, Ketsueki soon joined the group. He was shortly after followed by Saiyo, who hugged him by surprise. She wanted to thank Ketsueki for not giving up on her, as well as apologize for everything she did. She confessed to believing she was not cut out for combat either physically or mentally. She then specifically requested Ketsueki return the hug, which he begrudgingly did. He warned her that his blood would be on her hands if Jack saw them. His mentioning instantly sobered the mood, but Saiyo promised that she would take the fall for her going out there (as in her state there was no way of hiding what had happened). She also said that she "needed" to stand up to her brother more. She would have plenty of time to do so during the assault, however, as she believed that neither of them would be in any sort of shape to partake in the battle.

Kanako also said he might be with them, prompting Hiroto to tease both him and Ketsueki by claiming that the former's neck will be breathed down by the latter and Jack. The implications clear, Ketsueki attempted to chase him down, demanding answers. The sight was seen to be humorous, and the episode closed with everyone laughing at the scene.

Soundtrack

 * 1) Opening Theme - Main Theme (Sonic: Time Attacked)
 * 2) Strategy Meeting - Main Theme Reprise (Star Wars: Rogue Squadron)
 * 3) Saiyo's Awakening - Main Theme (F-117 Night Storm)
 * 4) Aerial Assault - Metallic Madness Zone Present (Sonic CD; Japanese soundtrack)
 * 5) Inside the Tumor - Experiments of a Fiend (Final Fantasy VI OCRemix)
 * 6) The Conscription Machine - Singularity (Half-Life 2)
 * 7) Genetic Labs - Insaitable Hunger (Unknown)
 * 8) Hopelessness - Sara (Breath of Fire II)
 * 9) The Cancer - Dr. Neo Cortex battle (Crash Bandicoot)
 * 10) Reakaening - Main Theme (F-117 Night Storm)
 * 11) Weapon Labs - Dark Grounds (Adrian von Ziegler)
 * 12) Project Blackstar - Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM))
 * 13) Cornered! - The Enemy Approaches! (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance)
 * 14) Inside the Refinery - Pulse Phase (Half-Life 2)
 * 15) The Nue - The Mangle (Radiarc)
 * 16) Alien Invader: Vs. Nue Houjuu - Heian Inferno (REDALiCE)
 * 17) Collapse of the Regime - Wacky Workbench Zone Bad Future (Sonic CD; Japanese soundtrack)
 * 18) Victory - Main Theme (Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike)
 * 19) Blackstar - Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM))
 * 20) Hope for the Future - Quartz Quadrant Zone Good Future (Sonic CD; US soundtrack)
 * 21) Ending Theme - Dream a Dream (Pop It Don't Drop It Edit)

Trivia

 * This episode was an interrupted broadcast
 * Like all episodes of the M745 miniarc, this episode was co-written and co-GMed by both SDM and Arachnos.
 * This episode officially named two extra youkai characters that had appeared throughout the miniarc sparingly but were reused due to their notable powersets, Aiko and Guts.
 * Aiko was named first as the "combustion youkai," and the way her powers are described as "igniting the air" is notably similar to the character Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist.
 * Guts, the big-armed strong youkai, is named for and draws influence from "Gutsman" of the Megaman franchise.
 * Her physique specifically seems to be inspired by GutsMan.exe's design.
 * The two genetically modified youkai that are fought in the labs are a direct homage to the Charger and Spitter classes of Special Infected from Left 4 Dead.
 * This continues the "tradition" of naming mutants after Special Infected, which started with the Hunters and Tanks encountered on Icarthya in Hellgate 2 Part III.
 * Originally, Arachnos' speech was to be directed at the Resistance and Sayan Squad directly and he would taunt them. However, due to a misunderstanding, the collapse of the Watchtower led to this not being feasible. As such, it was changed to a general speech regarding the Resistance intended to act as encouragement for the Supervisor's forces to fight them.
 * This second message was also to play on loop throughout the whole facility, though this detail was forgotten during the actual run.
 * The initial theme for Nue's appearance was changed many times during development, including right up until it was actually used. Twice, in fact, during the run itself.
 * Nue was originally intended to appear in the next episode instead. However, the decision was made to switch her with the boss that was originally to appear in this episode on SDM's suggestion.
 * Nue's design was taken from the works of the online artist Gia. Originally, this design was intended to be used, but Arachnos switched to a slightly different version due to its right wing looking more appropriate for combat.
 * The first phase of the fight with the fake nue is a direct homage to the Nihilanth battle in the original Half-Life.
 * During the middle of the battle, Patchouli cried "Sayan Squad, where's our cover?!" This is a reference to Star Wars: Rogue Squadron where a convoy shouts a similar line if the player fails to protect one of the carriers ("Rogue Squadron, where's our cover?!").
 * The decision to implicate Amadeus used shady tactics to force Rebel involvement on M745 was impromptu.
 * The use of Quartz Quadrant's US' Good Future is a light reprise of its Bad Future theme, which was used when the Sayan Squad first looked on Gensokyo in "In a Mirror, Darkly."
 * This episode re-introduces pursuit drones, last seen in Hellgate 2 Part III, though like many other things on Earth-M745, its design was modified by Arachnos.
 * Saiyo's rampage was mostly improvised on the spot. SDM knew it had to happen but was unsure of how to preform it, and decided it was best if situational.
 * This is also the second time Saiyo's augmentations are seen fully used, first properly observed in "Family" (and first introduced in "Wicked Hands"). However, here they are finally shown to be mostly indiscriminate over who Saiyo attacks, as well as the degree it pushes her violent acts.
 * This is the first episode to end with everybody laughing.