That's it. That's the base.
That's the artillery base?
They certainly have an impressive antiaircraft turret.
What will we do?
Huh, I have no idea.
YAKITORI
ATROCITY
Should we take out the door?
Do you realize how much firepower that would take?
And if we mess up, we'd have no way to get in there.
That would be bad.
Well, what should we do?
I don't know, but we need to figure out how to open this door.
Notification:
Trade Federation Military ID code confirmed.
How did you do that?
Notification:
Welcome to the Trade Federation
Remote Barkan Spaceport Defense Artillery Camp Two.
Would you like to use audio guidance?
Huh? Nobody even here.
I thought we'd at least see a drone.
Only thing here are the cannons. That's strange.
Who exactly is firing the cannons?
They've been shooting off non-stop.
Is the control room up there?
I bet. They're probably sending signals.
It's likely being controlled somewhere off site.
I was hoping for more fun.
This is great news for us, actually.
Let's hurry and destroy them.
- Erland, are you an idiot? - Huh?
We just said there's no one here,
so let's take over and use them ourselves.
Hey! You know, that's a great idea!
- How do we do that? - What?
They're meant to be fully automated. How will we control them?
Yeah, they're automated, but we can still try.
- Who's the idiot now? - What did you say?!
- Hold on. - What?!
I think the idiot might actually be right for once!
Are you trying to give me a compliment?
The Trade Federation made these cannons, right?
If the Barkans are as stupid as Akira, I'm sure we can figure it out.
All right, that's enough!
Okay. Let's start by going up that elevator.
Yeah, no one's here.
This shouldn't be hard.
So? Now what do we do?
Uh, well, you know, maybe we can...
we can do, um, something...
Admin AI, can you take control of the main artillery camp?
Notification:
Marine Corps Admin AI overriding local initial artillery permissions
with senior chain of command authority.
You have control.
- Huh? - Congratulations, Akira
This base is right where we need to be.
This is perfect!
Now we can blast the other artillery camps out of the water!
Huh?
HALF A YEAR AGO
MARS
PAN-STAR SYSTEM ROUTE SECURITY COUNCIL
PLANETARY NATIVE INTELLIGENT SPECIES BUREAU TRAINING FACILITY
I'm not just garbage, you ass!
Congrats are in order.
You've now completed your physical and mental training exercise.
From here on out, you'll be subjected to combat training.
What does that mean?
You're showing progress.
You group of losers just tried to take on your drill instructor
despite bailing on your daily exercises.
That took guts.
So you're saying that beat down we just took
was an improvement?
Correct.
Listen! I'm sure you were provided this information
when you signed your contracts,
but the death rate of Yakitoris is extremely high!
Yes, we were told that.
Well, the Trade Federation was curious as to why this was happening.
After some research,
they found our memory transcribing improved learning,
allowing trainees to gain new techniques quicker.
However, they noticed in combat, their success dropped significantly.
Memory transcribing?
You mean, that thing we did when we got here? The cocoons?
The only thing you were transcribed with was the Trade Federation language.
It was important for you to be able to communicate
and we didn't have time to teach it.
But why didn't we get everything?
We're training you by using an old-fashioned method from before.
That's the real truth behind this training program
they created exclusively for Unit K321.
So there's nothing new about it.
By the way, your individual combat skills aren't actually bad.
However, you weren't able to land a single punch on me.
Do you know why that is?
Because you're stronger than we are?
Because the five of you came and attacked me separately!
So... teamwork is key when you're in battle.
I want to see you working together in the future.
How many camps are there?
Four, I think, including this one.
They'll be able to fire back at us if we take too long.
We hit them as much as we can
and then we get out of here before they fire back?
That sounds sufficient for a harassment operation.
You guys are so lame.
Huh?
Notification: Scanning target perimeter.
Requesting confirmation of firing range.
That one looks more crowded than this one.
Okay, confirm.
Notification: Confirmation received.
Requesting confirmation of bombardment order.
Another one?
Yeah, confirmed.
Why do I have to keep confirming this over and over?
The Trade Federation isn't much different than human governments.
Yeah, so I guess bureaucracy has spread to the universe and beyond?
Yeah, that's right!
Confirmed?
Notification: Commencing bombardment.
Impact confirmed on enemy camp!
Ah.
What was that? Who's attacking them?
Artillery Camp Two has fired upon Artillery Camp Three!
Hmm.
It must be those Instants I sent on a harassment operation.
Notification: Enemy soldiers have infiltrated the facility.
- Damn! - Infiltrated?
When were they able to get so close to the base?
From the sewers?! Ew! That's so gross!
You gotta be desperate to crawl through some poop.
Disgusting.
- Damn rats! - They're making their way up here.
- Amalia, disable the elevators! - Okay.
Tyrone and Erland, destroy all the staircases except for one.
You want to limit their entry point, huh?
Zihan, it's your job to keep bombarding the rest of the artillery camps.
We'll go and handle these rats.
I'm coming with you.
Amalia, you're in charge. Wha...
I'm not putting my life in someone else's hands.
Come on!
Let's go!
THREE MONTHS AGO
MARS OUTDOOR YAKITORI TRAINING GROUND THREE
INSIDE MOCK BASE THREE
The exercise is going to begin soon.
How about we try some teamwork, okay?
What do you mean, "okay"?
I've got this.
You look out for yourself.
I've been thinking...
I don't understand any of this.
Why would they want to test out a new program?
Your point?
I know it's weird for me to bring this up,
but what do we all have in common?
Sure, we all have our own little quirks and personalities.
But, Akira, you're particularly aggressive,
but all of us are a little defiant.
I'd guess that Pupkin chose our group for this intentionally.
Yeah.
And the drill instructor pushing us to be a team is part of it.
I'm sure of that.
He wants to force us to work together by kicking us on our asses?
Yes, and that's the only way we win.
He may want it that way,
but I don't care.
I can handle things on my own.
Akira, dude, you really still going to say that to us?
I don't expect people who live the good life to understand.
What's that supposed to mean?
If you had to survive in the ruins of a former first-world country,
you'd know how stupid it is to rely on others.
So you don't wanna get betrayed again. I see.
What's that?
So that's it.
I had a feeling.
No.
No, that's exactly why
the rest of us got stuck with you.
Bitch!
Akira!
I don't know what happened to you in your past,
and I won't ask you to recount it just for our sakes.
But I think you know deep down that we're right.
Akira,
just one time, give us a chance to be a team.
Well, I guess I don't have a choice.
Hmm.
Now!
Get down!
These rats are so annoying!
All right, let's go.
We drew them to the point. You ready?
All good here. On your count.
The maneuver worked, so we're ready to roll.
Copy. How's it look?
- They did follow us here, right? - Yeah.
Though, it's weird.
Something ain't right.
What's wrong?
It looks like they're following a route that makes them hard to shoot.
And there's no hesitation.
They don't pause.
They don't even slow down.
Yeah, that doesn't make any sense.
Aren't they new recruits that just arrived on Mars.
You think they got some sort of trick?
There's gotta be.
- Hmm? - What is it?
What's up with them?
Fall back everyone!
It's a trap! They were the ones baiting us!
Damn it!
They're swarming us.
Well, after all the hell we rained on them,
it makes sense they'd run here.
Yeah. Where the hell are they all coming from?
Is it just me,
or are more of them here than the base?
You know, they may send another wave after us.
I guess we really pissed them off.
Yeah, we did.
Even if we wanted to retreat, we don't have a way.
We need to create a path somehow.
A cannon blast?
We have some ammo left, don't we?
There's way too many.
We'll run out of ammunition before we can create an opening!
You did make quite the scene.
- I did? - Yeah.
Admin AI, how much ammunition can we use before we're out?
Akira, we should change strategies here.
What?
There's no reason for us to handle this on our own.
What do you mean?
Request an orbital bomb.
Request? Who?
We can ask Officer Rimel, right?
You think he would do that for lowly Instants?
If he had access to the orbital fleet, he never would've used us!
We should at least try it.
It doesn't cost us anything, so give it a go.
So you know best now?
- Hang on! - What?
Ignore his prodding.
What's your gut telling you to do?
The door won't hold for long!
What is our plan?
Are we listening to Zihan?
- Officer Rimel. - Hmm?
We're receiving an emergency transmission from Unit K321.
According to this, they've enacted the support request protocol.
They're requesting support?
If I had more resources on hand,
I wouldn't have sent Instants to get the job done!
This is Rimel.
What do you want?
Sir, requesting an orbital strike.
What's that?
Did you just ask for
an actual orbital strike?
Did I just hear that right?
It's our right to request support!
Yes, you are correct.
Send us the coordinates.
Notification: Sending coordinates.
Hmm?
What the...
You're asking us to bombard this many locations?
Do you not have the resources for it?
No, that's not exactly the issue with this.
Uh...
Ah.
Yakitori,
do you have any idea what you're requesting?
There's too many of them!
We need support here!
I understand that.
However, ethically, this is complicated.
We made the request and you have the bombs and the coordinates.
What else do you need?
We can't hold them anymore!
Yakitori,
according to your ID code,
you're Akira Ihotsu, right?
I am.
Listen up, Akira.
I want to hear someone else's opinion.
It doesn't matter who it is, just put them on.
Come on!
He wants another opinion.
Zihan, get over here!
- Me? - You asked for this.
So you're gonna have to go down with me.
Hmm.
I'll be back.
Thank you, Akira. Will do.
Hello, sir. This is Zihan.
Zihan Yang, is it?
Authenticated.
I wish to confirm with you,
you and your team assessed the situation
and this is your official request?
Sir, we are Yakitoris.
All five have spoken and do agree with this plan.
And according to all of the knowledge our squad had drilled into us,
there should be no issue with our request.
Sir, your decision?
Very well.
I understand your situation.
I'll do what's necessary,
and I accept your request.
So then...
I will send the request up to the fleet
for an orbital strike.
- Hell yeah! - Nice job, Zihan!
Then these Barkan rats will be taken out!
Yeah!
Hmm.
Hmm?
How are we supposed to win this?
Well, then, I suppose you'd like to write off teamwork
because we failed the first time we tried it?
Our teamwork was perfect.
Oh.
I never thought I'd hear you say that!
I can't believe that came out your mouth.
You're missing the bigger picture.
With the way the parameters are set up,
we'll always be at a disadvantage compared to the other units.
It's no secret we're the oldest team on Mars at this point.
The ones we arrived after us already passed and got pushed through,
which means we're the ones who should be the most familiar
with these exercise training grounds.
Yeah, sure, but somehow, all the new recruits are better than us.
And what's the reason behind this, Akira?
It's the memory transcribes.
The other units, they all have the best answers to the test already.
They know every drill,
like it's burned into their brains from the beginning.
Huh?
I get it.
It is just like taking a test.
And when we sit down and work on it, we struggle to come up with the answers.
I call it rigged, because not one of us were ever guided through the fundamentals.
So no matter how hard we work,
scoring an 80 is the best we can do. But...
The other units are being given the solutions, and so
they all get As.
That's what I'm talking about.
It's the rules.
We can't ever win if they don't change.
But... why make us do this?
Well, it's just a guess.
The Trade Federation could use the information.
These exercises are a system test,
like for a machine.
So that's why all the other units
have already been given the information to the test, then.
I'm getting it.
If that's true, it's understandable the Yakitoris
have such an extremely high death rate during actual combat.
Yes.
They might be good at the test,
but when they're actually put in combat, they have no clue what to do.
Now hold on just a second.
Let's say this is true.
Then that means Akira's right,
and there's no way we'll be able to win the damn drills.
No, I believe there is a way.
Akira?
We'll pass the test, and I know how.
Notification: Emergency alert to all ground squadrons.
The fleet has approved the orbital bombardment request.
All allied forces should check the designated coordinates.
Notification: Emergency alert.
I repeat.
All ground squadrons, the fleet has approved the orbital bombardment request.
Yeah!
All allied forces should check the designated coordinates.
Yep, that's the end of that.
You seem pretty sure.
I took a page from your playbook.
Huh?
I changed up the rules,
so we had a chance.
Huh?
Wiped out today again?
All right, let's talk about it.
It'd be nice to have a worthwhile review meeting.
No, thank you.
All right.
Today we have something more important to discuss with you.
Well, let's hear it, then.
We would like to discuss changing the rules of the exercise.
What did you say?
The current rules are written
so that there's no possible way we could win.
We request that you change them so that our unit has a better chance.
Change the rules because you can't win?
Yes, sir. Correct.
Are you saying your failure isn't fair?
That's correct, sir.
I'll go ahead and ask.
Did you decide this as a collective?
I'll warn you now.
This insubordination will go on all your records!
- Sir. - Huh?
So are you threatening all of us right now?
Or is this only a warning?
Take it as well-intentioned advice.
Yet again, this unit is sticking to embarrassing excuses.
You all are deliberately choosing to petition the rules just because you...
you can't win the exercises as is?!
No, that's not it.
True. It's not a petition.
We truly believe in requesting a change of the rules
is the only correct course of action.
And why do you think that?
It's all thanks to your training program.
Unlike the others, we can think for ourselves.
As a result,
we see that the exercise is full of flaws.
Ridiculous!
The exercise is extremely fair!
Not if it doesn't matter if you're a good student.
You can't possibly win against anyone who has been given the answer key.
All our effort has nothing to do with it.
Very well done.
My chickens have impressed me!
So, Yakitoris, hmm,
you all pass!
- Yes! - We did it!
- All right. - Hmm.
Yeah, it worked out!
They did it. Good.
Yes, well done.
Very well done.
Notification: Emergency alert to all ground squadrons.
The fleet has finished calculating the bombardment trajectory.
Notification: Emergency alert to all ground squadrons.
The fleet will commence orbital bombardment.
Starting impact countdown now.
Notification: Impact in four, three, two, one.