This Is the Endless Frontier Pt. 4/10

Kyosuke: The Fau Kern, secret treasure of Regiment, and the Huckebein, a key player in an ancient war?
Haken: That's the long and short of it. We're tryin' to figure out where they are.
Excellen: Which is why you want to get some help from the Psychic Energy of Little Miss Hausie of Riksent Inc.
Sanger: The precognition of Princess Shine Hausen of the Principality of Riksent.
Arriere: I wonder how far into the future her sight can reach.
Aschen: She's a little girl. It can't be that far. She can probably foresee what's for dinner tonight.
Kyosuke: Probably has.
Excellen: Hmm. Even if it IS a peaceful place, that's a little too peaceful, if you ask me.
Ratsel: If the family's power was something so quaint, I highly doubt it would have been handed down over the generations for so long.
Sanger: Either way, they deserve to be informed that strangers and SRs similar to excavated weapons have appeared from their Crossgate.
Haken: Okay, then it's settled. We'll get back on course for Riksent's royal castle. XO, if you could do the honors—
Sean: One moment, Captain. We have a landship approaching us from 9 o'clock.
Haken: Say what?!
Marion: I could count on one hand the number of excavated landships in the world.
Sanger: There's the Wandering Bounty Hunters' Zeit Krokodil, which we're currently in, and...
Ratsel: Two more, possessed by the SRX Commonwealth to the west, and the Kingdom of Shurangran to the south, respectively. That's all I can think of.
Sean: The former is the right guess. The one approaching us is the landship Hagane.
Ratsel: The Hagane. So, the SRX Commonwealth.
Excellen: Are they after the Crossgate we came out of? Or are they here to get our help?
Aschen: After the low-down stunts they pulled on Kurogane Island, we're not letting them off the hook.
Haken: Darn tootin' we're not. There's also Lamia to consider. We ain't buddyin' up at this point.
Arriere: I'd also like to ask them about the Fau Kern.
Sean: Captain, the Hagane is hailing us. What would you like me to do?
Hagane: ...Sure, let's have ourselves a chat with the Hagane Captain. Put it through.
??? (blue hair): Wandering Bounty Hunters, do you read me?
Haken: Loud and clear. I'm Haken Browning, captain of this vessel. I know you're from the SRX Commonwealth, so care to identify yourself?
Ratsel: You must be Major Ingram Plissken, AKA the Shadow Prime Minister of the SRX Commonwealth.
Ingram: I admit I wasn't expecting to encounter Ratsel Feinschmecker, Chief of Kurogane Island, aboard the Bounty Hunters' vessel.
Sanger: Spare us the false pleasantries. It was a man of the SRX Commonwealth who attacked Kurogane and targeted my friend's Tactical Device.
Arriere: And who stole the Vaisaga and abducted Lamia.
Ingram: Do you have any proof of that?
Excellen: Wow, spoken like a cheating spouse. Are you really gonna play dumb?
Ratsel: I have no desire to argue in circles, so tell us what you want.
Ingram: My request is simple enough. I know there is a man and a woman that came out of the Crossgate, and I know they're on board your vessel.
Kyosuke: ...!
Ingram: They were meant to be welcomed into our country. I'd like for you to hand them over... together with their PTs.
Excellen: Okay uh, you're hot and all, but I don't remember making any plans for a date with you.
Ingram: Come with us, and you'll have our full assistance in searching for your companions.
Kyosuke: (Tch. Someone must've been listening in on us. It was sloppy of me not to notice.)
Ratsel: (They've completely headed us off in terms of information warfare.)
Ingram: Now, I'd like to hear your answer.
Kyosuke: ...Yeah, sure. We'll be right over.
Excellen: Kyosuke?!
Kyosuke: But we're currently indebted to Captain Haken. I'd like to pay that debt off if we're leaving.
Ingram: How so?
Kyosuke: The SRX Commonwealth is in possession of a robot called the Vaisaga and its pilot, right?
Sanger: (This man...)
Haken: (He's using himself as the ante. I'll be damned, this guy's a real professional.)
Ingram: ...
Excellen: I think it's a more than fair trade. You give them Lamia, and in return you get THIS. You'd better have some gloves on, because this bod is HOT.
Sean: (In my unbiased expert opinion, I think the term "hot bod" would apply more to Lamia, but I'll let that one slide.)
Ingram: For two robots and two pilots? That seems like a favorable deal, yes. So be it, I accept your terms.
Ingram: (For now, anyway.)
Arriere: So the ones who attacked Kurogane and abducted Haken's companion really were...
Sanger: It's nothing we didn't already know, Arriere. We simply have confirmation now. But the other side has also stepped into the dohyo.
Ingram: Will you agree to this handoff, Haken Browning?
Haken: Okay, Blackheart. We'll send our two guests out. You'd better have Lamia in the Vaisaga.
Ingram: ... (pause) Very well. I'll be waiting outside.
Aschen: Things are advancing at a breakneck pace. If we keep letting this play out, they're going to make off with the otherworlders.
Kyosuke: Considering the crew member they've abducted, and the fact that they put themselves out there while observing us, there's got to be a setup involved. A dupe's only a dupe if you catch them in the act. So I say we draw them out and put them in reaching distance.
Arriere: A... dupe?
Haken: I got this, Question Pink. Dupe, as in duplicity. Y'know, cheating and faking.
Excellen: So, Legendary Gambler Kyosuke. What comes next once we drag them out?
Kyosuke: Eye for an eye. Then we scoop up everything on the table.
Sanger: Heh. You're a greedy gambler, Kyosuke Nambu. I had a feeling you had a ploy in mind, and this one I like. I'm in.
Aschen: You go, Mustard Highlights. You carry yourself like a real protagonist. What do you say, Mr. Late to the Party?
Haken: The gambler's given us a way forward. If we don't hop on board and place our bets, we'll be a laughingstock. We'll get Lamia back, and I'm ready to go double-or-nothing to make it happen.
Aschen (DTD): Aye-aye, sir!

---

Mai: They were awfully quick to take the deal. They didn't seem like the type so willing to play along...
Ingram: Yes, don't expect this to go easily. Ryusei. Raidiese. Aya. Get the SRX prepped for launch.
Ryusei: Roger that, Instructor.
Aya: Let's move, Rai.
Rai: Yes, ma'am.
Rai: (I'll pay you back for what happened on Kurogane, Wandering Bounty Hunters.)

Ingram: Mai, what's the status on the SR Vaisaga's maintenance?
Mai: It's all done. The W-Series pilot has been given the treatment as per your instructions.
Ingram: Good. And now, we wait.
Mai: Or not. They're here.

Haken: Howdy, SRX Commonwealth fixer. I'm Haken Browning, and these here are the guests you wanted.
Kyosuke: ...
Ingram: For an outsider, he doesn't look much different from us.
Mai: The PTs nearby are definitely the ones I saw at the Crossgate. The cockpit hatches are open, and nobody's inside.
Excellen: So this is our eavesdropping wallflower. Don't you know it's wrong to listen in on other people's conversations? You're gonna get a spanking later.
Mai: Huh?!
Haken: Let's save the chitchat for later. I wanna verify Lamia's safe.
Ingram: Mai, open the Vaiaga's cockpit hatch.
Mai: On it.
Lamia (ODE): ...
Aschen: ...Huh?!
Arriere: Is she... an alien? I remember Aschen calling her green, but I didn't think she meant it so literally...
Aschen: That was just a kind of play. How many times do I have to tell her not to do that in public?
Excellen: ...Wow.
Haken: Green's her personal color, but she ain't supposed to be THAT green. Hey, Ingram Plissken. What the hell's the big idea?
Ingram: She's an excavated W-Series weapon. I can't have her getting out of hand.
Ratsel: That green coating fluid must keep her power suppressed.
Haken: Y'know, I was wonderin' how anyone caught someone as tough-as-nails as Lamia. That's a hell of a product you got there.
Ingram: We have our own data on the W-Series.
Sanger: If you're going to such lengths over this... Hm. What is your read, Aschen Brodel?
Aschen (DTD): Data cross-referencing, done and donezo! The girl with the green coating is definitely the real Lamia Loveless!
Kyosuke: Got it. Dr. Marion!
Marion: That's a roger. Here goes nothing. Bwip!
(explosion noises)
Mai: How did an unmanned PT launch an attack?!
Kyosuke: Now! Hop aboard, Excellen!
Excellen: Absolutely! C'mere, Weissy!
Ingram: ...A fakeout. Well played.

---

THIS IS THE ENDLESS FRONTIER
ASHES TO ASHES, SISTERS TO SWIMSUITS

---

Ratsel: The Vaisaga is being piloted by Lamia Loveless, a member of the Wandering Bounty Hunters.
Sanger: Move in swiftly and take that SR down!
Ingram: Ah, I see now. All the pretentions of fairness were so that you could confirm who was in the Vaisaga's cockpit.
Haken: Sorry, Lily-Liver. It wasn't my idea, and it was my mechanic that played along.
Marion: I just made a few tweaks to the Gespenst Haken's autonomous circuitry.
Kyosuke: ...
Ingram: I had a feeling you were going to pull something. I suppose this was your doing. I didn't come unprepared for this, though. Mai, scramble the SRX.
Mai: On it.
Excellen: Yeah, I shouldn't be surprised you had an ice up your sleeve. A spy AND an ambush? Guess there's something to be said for being ready for anything.
Aschen: It should be easy enough from here. The rest will be a pure beatdown. We'll shut the Vaisaga down!
Ingram: (Perhaps this group might do the same to the SRX... Heh heh heh.)

(combat over)

Ryusei: This is crazy! How could they take down the SRX so easily?!
Aya: Agh... My head!
Rai: A psychic backlash?! Captain, release the connectors!
Ingram: (The Wandering Bounty Hunters are certainly the genuine article. In that case... This will be "the end"...)

---

Ratsel: The Vaisaga is shut down, and the SRX Empire's giant PT has also been incapacitated. (note: no idea why they say "empire" here)
Rai: Captain Aya! Are you all right?!
Aya: Urgh...!
Mai: Aya, the connectors! Quick!
Haken: Okay, Super Robot X! We win! Now hand over Lamia!
Sanger: And tell us what you're after!
Ryusei: What we're after?! We're here to put a stop to your group's evildoing, of course!
Arriere: Wait, what?
Ingram: *chuckle*
Ryusei: Instructor Ingram? What are you doing in the R-Gun?!
Ingram: It seems this is it.
Aya: Urgh... Major Ingram...?
Ingram: I'll make this painless, SRX Team. It's the least I can do... when I kill you.
Aya: What?!
Rai: He's pointing his gun at us?!
(explosion noises)
Ryusei: AAAGH!
Aya: ARGH!
Kyosuke: He just shot his own side? Was that a targeting error?!
Sanger: No, that was done with clear hostile intent. What is your game, Ingram Plissken?!
Ingram: Heh...
Ryusei: Instructor Ingram? What's going on here? How... How could you do this to us?!
Ingram: Your job is done. Ergo, I'm disposing of you.
Ryusei: Disposing of us?!
Haken: You run roughshod over other countries' backyards, and now you're betrayin' your own? What the hell are you thinkin'?
Ingram: It's not a betrayal. After all... I was never part of the SRX Commonwealth to start with.
Ratsel: ...!
Ryusei: Instructor, is... is that true? This whole time was all just... you were just... lying to us?!
Ingram: Correct.
Ryusei: You're kidding... You've gotta be kidding... We fought together this whole time!
Ingram: To me, all of you are nothing more than mere control devices to draw out the SRX's potential. Ever since we first met, I've felt no greater attachment to you than that.
Ryusei: What?!
Ingram: That's right. I never thought of you all as subordinates or comrades. You were tools there to gauge the performance of excavated weapons.
Rai: Gauge performance? So when you dispatched me to Kurogane...
Ingram: That was to gauge the performance of the Dynamic General Guardians.
Ratsel: If you aren't a part of the SRX Commonwealth, then who is it that wants intel on excavated weapons?
Ryusei: Screw that! We haven't fought all this time just for your amusement!
Ingram: I care nothing for a pawn's motives.
Ryusei: SHUT UP! Instructor Ingram—No, Ingram Plissken! You're gonna pay for this!
Ingram: Is that a fact? What will you do, take me down in your damaged SRX?
Haken: Okay, Turncoat Teacher, has the thought crossed your mind that we might do somethin'?
Ingram: What becomes of my pawns is of no concern to you.
Haken: Maybe you're right and it ain't our problem... But I don't like it. You messed with my family, and now you're turnin' on your own.
Ryusei: Haken...?
Sanger: To take a stand for a cause is the path of a man. Very well, you will have my assistance.
Excellen: Seriously, talk about low-down and dirty! Not even handsome guys can get away with EVERYthing, you know.
Ingram: A foolish and futile display of emotion. Such displays do nothing for the world. That is why it needs to change.
Ryusei: What's that supposed to mean, Ingram Plissken?!
Kyosuke: I'll rip him out of that cockpit and make him talk.
Ingram: My role in the SRX Commonwealth is over, and with it, so is my business with you all.
Arriere: Ah! He's running!
Ryusei: Hey! Hold it right there, Ingram!
Ingram: Heh... Goodbye.
(jet whoosh noises)
Haken: He just up and escapes when it suits him, huh. That guy's a real piece o' work.
Sanger: What was his angle? To forsake the subordinates that he cultivated himself... In fact, what was that about not being from the SRX Commonwealth at all?
Ryusei: We were... Rgh...
Ratsel: The speculation can wait, Sanger. Let's get them on board and get their injuries treated.
Rai: You sure about that? We were...
Marion: Well, we're not just gonna leave you out here to rot. I'll clear some space in the infirmary.
Aya: Ugh... Major...
Mai: Hold it together, Aya!
Haken: Get the retrieval done on the double! Bring in the wrecked-up combiner machine while you're at it!
Aschen: Aye-aye, sir. Should we just bury the disabled Vaisaga?
Haken: Your sister's in that thing! Send it over to the mechanic and get the cockpit pried open.

Haken: Feelin' any better now, Super Robot Boy?
Ryusei: Yeah... Thanks, Captain Haken. How's Aya?
Arriere: She's in stable condition. Her sister Mai is looking after her in the infirmary.
Sean: Your excavated weapon... You called it the SRX? It's badly damaged and under repair now.
Rai: Sorry to put you out so much. If you can just get it moving, we can take it back home. Spot repairs will suffice.
Ratsel: Before we broach that topic, would you mind telling us what it is that the SRX Commonwealth—Correction, Major Ingram—was trying to accomplish?
Ryusei: I dunno how much of this is true at this point, but what we were told was that an eastern land was working in league with the Wandering Bounty Hunters to capture the Huckebein.
Kyosuke: I can corroborate that. It's what we were told when we came here.
Arriere: The only one who knows the location of the stolen Fau Kern now is the raven that heralds death.
Rai: Are you talking about the treasure of the Holy Land of Regiment? The one said to absorb different kinds of energy and control them?
Excellen: Wow, Handsome, you know your stuff! I see you're more than just an exceedingly pretty face!
Aschen: He's stealing my job. Guess he doesn't call himself a genius pilot for nothing.
Rai: ...Uh, I've never called myself that in my life.
Aschen (DTD): Really? Are you suuure?
Arriere: Um, the secret treasure was stolen by someone before you came to Kurogane, Raidiese. Was that your group, by any chance?
Ryusei: It wasn't us... and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the ins—*cough* Ingram, either.
Excellen: And here I figured Treasure Hunter Ingram was a sure bet.
Sanger: He went after Tactical Devices, the W-Series, and weapons from other worlds, all while tossing aside the immensely powerful SRX. What could his real game be?
Rai: It's hard to say at this point.
Kyosuke: ...Ingram Plissken's a hell of a master cheater.
Sean: In gambling, it's only cheating if you get caught at it. I think the same applies here.
Ryusei: Dammit...
Marion: Captain, I'm here to provide an update.
Haken: Sure thing, Doctor Mechanic. What's up? How's repairs on the SRX Commonwealth's Big Docking Robo comin' along?
Ratsel: It's possible there could be some chaos in the SRX Commonwealth with Ingram's betrayal. I'd like to get Lieutenant Ryusei's group home, and soon, if at all possible.
Marion: The spot repair work on the SRX should be done shortly. You just need it to be able to move, right?
Rai: Yeah, we'll take what we can get.
Marion: You should also know that Captain Aya Kobayashi has woken up. You can visit her in the infirmary.
Ryusei: Really?! That's great! C'mon, Rai!
Rai: Coming. And sorry again to impose so much.
Haken: Hey, don't mention it. You gotta look after your family.
Rai: I'll remember those words.
Marion: I have other news for you too, Captain. About our own family.
Haken: Did you get the Vaisaga's cockpit open? Is Lamia okay?
Marion: Yeah, we're in the middle of removing that coating fluid from her now.
Excellen: Oh, the green, slimy-looking gunk?
Aschen: Captain, let's go check in on Green-and-Naked.
Haken: Just what I wanted to hear, Sister Savage.
Excellen: Ooh, this should be good! C'mon, Kyosuke, let's go! You too, Boss!
Kyosuke: Not interested.
Sanger: Same.
Ratsel: ...I'm slightly interested.
Arriere: Ch-Chief Ratsel...
Ratsel: Don't get me wrong, Lady Priestess. I'm referring to the green coating material. Is it designed to control the W-Series?
Marion: I haven't started analyzing its composition yet, but you're a sharp one, Kurogane Chief. Unlike a certain boy who thinks with his pants.
Haken: I've got no idea who you're referrin' to, and I think you could stand to show your cap'n a little more respect. XO, I'm gonna go check up on Lamia. Once we've sent the SRX Team on their way, take the ship out to the Riksent royal castle.
Sean: Aye-aye, sir. And Captain, if you truly wish to be respected more, I would suggest keeping any untoward remarks or actions within moderation.
Haken: Okay, Gentleman Preacher. Time for a little looksie and feelsie in moderation.

Lamia (ODE): ...
Excellen: Wow, seeing her up close... She's got a real presence, doesn't she?
Aschen: If by that you mean she's a green, lewd pig, then yes, I agree. Come on, Lamia. UP.
Arriere: Is that any way to treat your sister?
Lamia: Nngh... Where am I locatified?
Sanger: Mm, I can see the family resemblance.
(Translator's note: I've been glossing over Aschen's shared speech quirk so far. I'll probably overhaul that on a second pass later.)
Haken: Okay, Sleeping Green, you awake?
Lamia: Captain? Ah, good morning. What is going to happenate to me now?
Haken: You're gonna be just fine by the sounds of it. Ain't nothin' gonna happen.
Kyosuke: I think something already has...
Aschen: Oh, something's gonna happen, all right. Hello, my completely affectionless, hopeless sister.
Lamia: Sister Aschen? What have I been...?
Aschen: You were captured by the enemy, and what's more, they gave you this beyond-lewd milk cow look.
Ratsel: It is a bit of an eyesore. Get that coating off of her and get her dressed already, would you?
Aschen: I'm not that much of a jerk, Scowly-Goggles. I've got a change of clothes right here.
Excellen: Uh, isn't that a swimsuit? What happens if she changes into that?
Aschen (DTD): I've never liked the fact that I'm stuck in this leotard getup while she gets to look all chic and classy!
Arriere: A personal grudge...?
Lamia: Now you say it's my turn?
Aschen (DTD): Consider it your punishment for how much trouble you put us through! That's gonna be your pilot suit for a while!
Haken: Okay, Leotard Sisters. That's a pretty nice punishment game, if y'ask me.
Lamia: Understood, Sister Aschen. Captain. I will atone for the trouble that I have caused for the family.
Kyosuke: (It's just wearing a dumb swimsuit.)
Marion: All set? I'm gonna clean off the coating. Stand back, everybody!
Aschen: ... (pause) Welcome back, Lamia.
Lamia: ...Thank you.

(end of chapter 4)