VOTOMS Pailsen Files Ep. 3: The Unit

On the helicopter, Chirico notices that Zaki is still staring at him. the helicopter lands at the frontline base X-2, and the squad meets up with its fifth member, a fat man named Dare Kochak. Kochak yells at Barkoff that he’s an engineer and has already complained about being assigned to the squad. The squad is then summoned to a tactical briefing. An officer explains that they’ll have to increase their air force fivefold to regain air superiority from the Balarant. Also, to reinforce their front line troops, they’ll have to travel over land through the tight Manido Gorge. However, a Balarant base hangs over the top of the valley, and if they were to destroy it, it would bring down more than 10,000 tons of scrap and slow down progress for months. To make sure that the Balarant don’t notice, the Barkoff squad is being sent in for a pinpoint attack. Kochak complains about the mission and his lack of nighttime drop experience and is laughed at by the officers. One officer points out that Kochak is old and Zaki is a kid. Another questions entrusting the fate of 3,000 soldiers to the Barkoff squad, and the officer giving the briefing points out that they were sent by Yugunt. When the briefing ends, the officers openly tell the squad members that they don’t think they can complete the mission. A major asks them why they were sent by Yugunt, and another grabs Barkoff by the collar, but he says he doesn’t know. The major tells Barkoff not to forget the 3,000 elite soldiers who are more valuable than they are. Later, the elite force sets out for the Manido Gorge while the Barkoff squad is airlifted. Barkoff asks Kochak about his age, and Kochak complains about the mission again. The transport pilots tell the squad to get ready for the drop. The plane extends its wings and turns off its engines to run silent and glide in. Kochak asks about enemy radar, but Barkoff explains that their Scopedogs have a special coating and won’t be noticed until they land. When they reach the target area, the Scopedogs launch out of the plane and deploy their parachutes. Barkoff gives everyone else their orders and heads for the communication tower to destroy it. The major calls Barkoff for a status report, and Barkoff reports that they’re approaching the objective. Everyone else lands on either side of the base, but Kochak is stuck to his parachute and nearly falls off the canyon. He causes a rock to fall, which alerts the Balarant to their presence. Chirico wants to abort, but Barkoff says it’s too late. Several Chubbys open fire on Barkoff, but he dodges and fires missiles at the communication tower. The others then jump onto large cables and head for the base while firing on Chubbys. More Chubbys emerge from inside the base, and Barkoff opens fire on them as he lands. Kochak panics and freezes when he’s ordered to take down damaged units, so Zaki does the job. Chirico rushes inside the base and takes down three Chubbys before getting on the elevator.

The firefight continues on the base’s surface, and Godan runs out of ammo. Barkoff destroys another Chubby and orders Zaki to take care of an emergency hatch. A Chubby rams into Godan, and Barkoff is knocked down by enemy fire. He quickly gets up and spins a Chubby around before tossing it into another one. He orders Kochak to guard the main get and prevent enemies from getting inside since Chirico is down there. As Chirico rides down the elevator, he destroys the Chubbys that are riding up another elevator. Several Chubbys attack him in the lower level, but he destroys them as he heads deeper inside. Elsewhere, an officer reports to the major that there’s four hours until sunrise, and they have to start moving within 40 minutes if they want to leave the valley, but the major wants to wait for a report. Several Chubbys ride up an elevator, but Kochak tosses down a pair of grenades and destroys them. Chirico continues to speed down a spiraling pathway and destroys Chubbys as he encounters them. On the surface, Barkoff and Godan are pinned down behind fallen Chubbys. Several Chubbys speed past Kochak, and he mistakenly opens fire on Godan. The two Chubbys open fire on Chirico, but he destroys them from several levels below. Godan chases a Chubby and knocks it away, and Chirico arm punches another that had knocked him down. On the surface, Zaki is in a pinch and asks Kochak for backup, but Kochak just gets in the way. Zaki jumps off the side of the base and grapples his way back up. Several Chubbys approach him, but Kochak destroys them. The fighting ends, and everyone returns to the base’s surface. Godan grabs Kochak by the collar and asks him if he’s with the Balarant. He points out that Kochak alerted the enemy to their presence, abandoned his post and damaged Godan’s Scopedog. Kochak says it wasn’t on purpose, and Barkoff tells Godan to knock it off because the Balarant would’ve sent a better soldier. As punishment, Godan makes Kochak go around and shoot every single Chubby in the cockpit to make sure the pilots are dead. Kochak nervously goes through the entire base and shoots every Chubby. Barkoff calls the major and reports that the battle is over, although the enemy numbers were higher than they anticipated. The major orders Barkoff to guard perimeter until the convoy passes through. Chirico opens his cockpit and notices Zaki staring at him. Having come close to death, he wonders if such a reckless plan was deliberate. In the lowest part of the base, a damaged Chubby that Kochak missed reactivates.