86 -Eighty Six- Ep. 2: Spearhead

Shin greets Lena via his Para-RAID, telling her he’s called Undertaker and the two say they look forward to working with each other. Shin heads outside as fellow squad mates Raiden, Kaie and others pass by. Raiden jokes about their new handler being dangerous. The mechanic, Aldrecht, complaints to Shin about how he keeps smashing up his unit each mission and that he doesn’t listen to his pre-mission advice. While Aldrecht claims they’ll have to wait until they are resupplied, Shin tells him to use parts recovered from Kujo’s Juggernaut. They briefly talk about the new handler, who has kept up daily communication, something rare for a republic soldier. Shin leaves a memento from Kujo’s Juggernaut in a box containing numerous others. A week passes. The drawing from Theo portraying Lena as a pig has been taped to the wall. Various Spearhead squadron members play around with a ball while Shin reads on a bench. In a nearby abandoned town, Raiden, Daiya and Kurena have loaded supplies on Fido, which Kurena claims they can use for a party later. Theo contacts them via the Para-RAID about a large swarm of Eintagsfliege Legion units which are massing in the sky. They project the Legion to be around two hours away, although there doesn’t appear to be a shepherd with them. After they return to their base Shin speaks before his fellow squadron members. There are in fact two Legion swarms approaching with one supplying the first. They will ambush the Legion via point 304 on their route, hoping to wipe out most of them on the main street of the city. The Eintagsfliege swarm in the sky is so dense that it covers up the sun and various individuals comment about their cold cockpits with paper thin armor. Lena opens up communication, recommending the squad head to point 208 to intercept the enemy. Shin tells her they’ve already deployed at another spot, causing her to be impressed. A large group of ground-based Legion approach ahead, including Ameise, and the more powerful Grauwolf and Lowes. By hiding in the nearby buildings, the Spearhead’s Juggernauts are able to get a surprise attack on the Legion as they pass by. Shin tells the third platoon to withdraw to the southeast and for the fifth platoon to maintain their position, using concentrated fire when the enemy enters the kill zone. Led by Daiya, Anju and Theo, the platoon successfully use themselves as lures to drag Legion forces into where there are more units and they are fired upon. Shin suddenly realizes something is wrong and tells the units to cease fire and split up. Blasts strike the area from above. Lena claims it’s from a long-range gunner Skorpion type and sends along its location, a nearby roof. Shin tells Lena that using laser based communication to provide this information may reveal their location and that she should limit it to verbal communication going forward. He asks her to keep him informed of the Legion’s observers. Raiden calls the battle a duck hunt, showing his level of confidence. Shin tells Raiden he’ll handle the Lowes and asks him to deal with the others and take command. Shin is able to successfully avoid the Lowe’s attacks and take out many units via direct fire, slicing through their legs or attacking from above. Later as the sun sets the remaining Legion forces retreat. The Spearhead squad members, comfortable with their victory are able to open their cockpits or step out of them.

The perspective switches to that of Lena’s as she was communicating with Shin during the battle. Later, Lena joins a military class as the teacher lectures to his students about the history of the current conflict. Nine years earlier, the neighboring Empire of Giad declared war on the Republic of San Magnolia, using autonomous weapon units, the Legion. It is believed that the Giad populace was wiped out by the Legion four years ago. Having an operating time of 50,000 hours, the Legion have a life of approximately six years and they expect them all to cease function once two more pass. As such the students will only have two years until their service ends. The teacher claims the Republic’s Juggernaut units are far superior to the Legion and claims there have been no fatalities since their introduction. Lena appears visibly upset upon hearing this and says this is not true, people have died. The teacher introduces her to the class as a handler and Lena starts speaking to them. Claiming to be telling the true history of the Republic, she says that San Magnolia was brought to near collapse a mere two weeks into the war. In reaction, San Magnolia brought all of its citizens into 85 administrative districts. At the same time it implemented the Special Wartime Peace Preservation Act. This act stripped citizenship and all rights from those who lacked silver hair and eyes, the Alba. The empty area outside of the 85 districts became known as District 86. Those whose rights were stripped became known as the Eighty Six. They were forced to build the Gran Mur, a wall isolating District 86 from the others, as well as piloting the Juggernaut units. As Lena continues the teacher looks quite nervous. Lena claims the news they hear each morning isn’t true and that many people are dying. One of the student counters that it’s not humans on the front line, but humanoid pigs that failed to evolve. Lena claims they are human and she fights with them every day. Another student counters her, asking if she’s ever fought along with them on the battlefield. Lena claims she’s been on the battlefield once but didn’t participate in fighting. The panicking teacher tells Lena that he told her to not say anything that makes it sound like she sided with them. Lena talks about the virtues that their flag stands for, freedom, equality, brotherhood, justice and nobility. The teacher claims those only apply to humans and that the Eighty Six aren’t that. He tells Lena to stop misinforming his students. Lena notices that an MP who had been listening to the lecture has gotten up and left. Before going, Lena tells the audience that the Eighty Six are teenage boys and girls just like them, but they don’t get to enjoy entertainment and luxuries like they do. She says they can’t leave them all alone. Later in the research ward, Annette ponders if Lena will get punished this time for telling the students what she did. Lena isn’t concerned, saying her uncle will tell them how firmly she believes in this. Lena claims it’s not too late to change the Republic’s foolish mistake. Lena tells Annette about how she talks with the famous Undertaker every night, even on non-battle related matters and that their hearts are connected. Annette tells her to not get too attached. Later, Lena looks rather bewildered as she reviews the after action reports Shin has submitted and compares them to other reports. She activates her Para-RAID. Spearhead squad members play a game where they shoot at cans with a pistol. Shin and Raiden sit on the steps nearby. Shin says the point that Lena mentioned would have been an ideal one if they left at that moment, but Raiden dismisses it at a teacher’s pet answer. His turn in the game coming up, Raiden gets up to participate. Anju stops by to leave some cake for Shin. Daiya asks if he can help her and she hands him the entire tray to his disappointment. She asks Shin about the book he’s reading and he claims it is able to keep him from focusing on something else. Shin’s turn in the game has arrived and he successfully shoots all the cans without leaving the stairs, disappointing the others. The Para-RAIDs activate and Lena reaches out. Haruto claims it’s a week of continuous contact, a new record. Shin tells Lena good work today and she replies with the same. The Spearhead squad members stand silently with grimaces on their face as Lena and Shin talk. Lena says she has to scold him for submitting the exact same report ever since he arrived in the squadron. He asks why she cares about them, as they are not read anyway. Lena says part of a handler’s job is analyzing Legion tactics and formation tendencies. She admits that the Alba are at fault for not reading them, but going forward she will be doing so. She asks for him to write them properly going forward and to submit replacements for the past reports. Shin pretends he isn’t good at writing or reading, getting a smirk from Anju and causing Theo to comment on how there were no schools in their camps. Shin accepts Lena’s request although initially asks about simply submitting camera footage which she says isn’t enough. Shin gets up to go and talk to Aldrecht. Upon being told she’s too young, Lena says she’s the same age as the rest of them. The Spearhead squadron members tell her they’ve all been in the military four years, outside of Shin, who has been in five. Lena says he must be almost finished with his term and asks what he’s going to do once it is up and he is admitted as a citizen of the Republic. Shin claims he never thought about it. Lena says he should start coming up with something now and he says she may be right.