Title card: Chose the Option You Prefer
Several hours have passed in the time it takes you to reach the military base that is floating somewhere above the Earth's surface. You have been arrested upon reaching there and interrogated by armed guards. After an interview and medical examination you go through a more gentle bit of questioning, at which point something has been made clear. Duo notes that you have amnesia and asks about your connected citizen's ID, but R-19 says no matching data has been found in the database so he suggests you may be a survivor from a destroyed colony. Bertro notes that if you are a refugee from somewhere, that would explain your lack of an ID as he asks Duo what he thinks. Duo brings up the possibility you are a spy instead who is pretending to be a refugee seeking aid like standard spies would. Bertro laughs at this and agrees this would work against humanity.
Breke speaks up arguing it would be unacceptable to make a judgement without any evidence, then brings up that your possessions have been checked over, your medical exam has been done, and that you've been tested for mental pollution. R-19 reports that the biopsy of your brain, skin structure, and genetic structure has been completed along with the inspection of mental pollution via memes. Nothing out of the ordinary has been found. Your loss of your past memories meanwhile seem similar to cases of dissociative forms of forgetfulness. R-19 suggests it's a kind of stress reaction from war trauma, but beyond that you seem like any other person. Breke also adds that he's never heard of the enemies using humanoid spies before. They don't even need that.
Duo argues back that this could simply be the first ever case of it happening and says they shouldn't make decisions based on their preconceptions. Bertro points out their own technology has deemed you safe, so they should accept those results with a smile. If you are some ticking time bomb they could just toss you out into the field. He won't be waiting for an argument about how they're short on resources for fighting this war and that they'll be going into this without any prep work. Kurogane says he would be hurt if he were talked about that way, then says their best equipment checked you over and judged you to be alright. He backs up the result as the mechanic in charge, so there's no reason to be anxious. Kurogane also says he's the senpai of this outfit, then turns to you and shows you his consideration by calling you kouhai and telling you there's nothing to be afraid of.
Once you've calmed down a little, Kurogane notices as much and welcomes you before prompting you to say what's on your mind. You ask where you guys are, ask who they are, and ask what the enemy things are. Duo notes after a moment that it would be normal for you to ask those questions. It would be fastest for them to tell you what they know for sure and agrees to inform you as much as they can. You can ask questions if you don't understand, but he mentions there isn't any FAQ to refer you to. Duo then starts off by reintroducing himself as the base commander. Bertro introduces himself next, babbling his name a few times as he is wont to do before describing himself as the vice commander supporting Duo and laughing. R-19 gives his platform ID number as his name and asks you to call him by that. Kurogane introduces himself as technician in charge and asks for your thoughts on the ship later. Breke then realizes he's never told you his name before and introduces himself as captain of the combat forces.
Duo then starts explaining the setting as he begins with humanity's development and history of defeat. It all started off when humanity discovered the new frontier that is space. The sky was once the limits of what people could reach, but then they were able to push past it to get to outer space. In the age of space exploration, mankind spread out with hope in their hearts and expanded across the land of the planet they thought there was only one of. They leapt from their mother planet and claimed new territory among the shining stars...or at least, that was how it was supposed to go.
This space development suddenly came to an end due to the arrival of the enemies you saw. They've been called the Shadow Buggers, interstellar flying beings that invade from unknown origins. Breke joins in on Duo's exposition to tell you that conventional weaponry doesn't work on the monsters, as you've already seen. They've also demonstrated a fearsome level of maneuverability on land, in the sky, and even outside the atmosphere. Bertro interjects that the Shadow Buggers are called such due to a double meaning of bug and bugger or troublemaker before commenting on the greatness of human humor. Kurogane says that up until this point, humanity has been losing the fight against the enemies. Humanity has even lost their home planet, which is a sorry sight indeed. R-19 tells you that the amount of habitable land is 1/200 of what it used to be in the golden age. Mankind now lives avoiding the Shadow Buggers' area of control by hiding along the asteroid belt in the solar system.
You ask in alarm if this means that humanity is on the brink of destruction or comment sadly on how bad the situation is. Duo notes you seem to get how things are, then says they're vastly outnumbered and on the edge of defeat. There's also one other bit of harsh reality to grapple with here, which is that everyone present on base is all that's left of the space army. They are all that's left and able to stand against the Shadow Buggers. Duo does not smile as he says this, and everyone else looks grim at the statement. You then feel the pressure of everyone focusing their attention onto you.
Duo talks about how you showed potential for accelerated thought battles when you boarded the Nightglow. He's sure the AI must have told you already, but he reminds you that by piloting the ship you are now considered a civilian employed by the army. You do not have the right to reject this, nor will you be discharged until the war is over. Bertro however interjects to point out that there's plenty of soldiers who have gotten free of the army. They may be disregarding the laws as it concerns labor standards, but they can't literally work people to death. But then he laughs and claims this is a joke and a funny wartime anecdote. Breke asks the both of them to give you leniency since you are a civilian. You must have come from some distant colony that wasn't informed of the situation only to end up on the front lines, so being told of all this in this way must be shocking to you.
Duo says that a residential colony being uninformed of the war front happened because there was no need to inform them about it. Unnecessary stress would only slow down production, so a decision was made as to not let military supply production rates fall. Duo also argues that there isn't really a concept of civilian or a home front at this point. If they need more soldiers they'll inform those capable of fighting and recruit them. You being a civilian before was because of it not being your turn to take up a gun yet. Now that you have the basic grounding for battle, you have to fight. Duo reiterates that you are now under his command, and he expects your loyalty to the army and selflessness for the good of mankind.
Bertro points out that the army is already done for. The army top brass hasn't contacted them for over a month, so there is no one to be loyal to and no one to enforce regulations. As such, Bertro suggests that there's also no need to keep up with the job anymore either. Duo says that if high command is dead, that makes him the leading commander. If Bertro is going to defy his orders, then Duo will be sure to punish him then. Bertro accepts the argument and apologizes, saying that in this impossible situation he offer his unconditional support and friendship to Duo (re: himself okay really Duo for sure). Duo thanks him for this.
Bertro asks permission to speak his mind about one more point, then suggests that they should still want their soldiers to be voluntary even if they are drafted. It would be a problem if they fielded someone who wouldn't want to fight after all, so he turns to you and offers you some choices to get your motivation going. Your first choice is to join the army and fight on with the possibility of death hanging over you. You second choice is to run and hide and wait in terror for the enemies to kill you all. You third choice is to simply kill yourself on the spot. Now pick the option you like. You either thank Bertro for giving you the best and worst options, tell him his jokes aren't funny, or suggest a fourth option of the enemies just suddenly blowing themselves up. In A, Bertro says that humor is important when it comes to helping the commander and says mankind needs to smile. In B, Bertro says that's unfortunate but adds another bit of unfortunate news for you: you still have to choose. In C, Bertro is surprised at the idea and says it would be a joke (re: miracle) if that happened. But unfortunately none of the Shadow Buggers have caught a cold since coming to Earth.
Bertro and Duo are united in what they're telling you: choose, for death awaits you no matter your course. All that differs is how quickly or slowly it comes and whether you do it to yourself or someone gives it to you. Breke however asks Bertro to stop acting worse than he is and for Duo to cut back on his harshness. Kurogane speaks up to say that he isn't one for unfounded optimism, but he argues there needs to be some hope presented to make this a fair choice. Breke concedes that humanity has been losing, but they haven't been twiddling their thumbs while that was happening. There is a way to fight back against them, which is the ship you piloted earlier. It is called the All Purpose War Ship armed with the Denial Field, code named Nightglow.
The ship's full official name is a bit much for you to remember, but you find the sound of it cool and think it sounds like a cool superweapon. Kurogane starts explaining to you that the system equipped to the Nightglow creates a special field. When deployed, all laws of physics are disregarded or rejected within the field, though Kurogane is unsure of how to word it. But anyways, the field also takes an individual's 'thought accelerated battle aptitude' and can force local space to follow laws based on their unique natures. Kurogane and the others refer to this law as a rule, power, or authority. When the field is disengaged, all events that happened within it are reverted, so damage to the ship and pilot can be reversed. All that said, Breke adds that the Nightglow can only be used by someone who can use a power. The denial field won't save you from death either even if it is active, and when it stops you'll still retain your experience and consciousness of what happened.
Kurogane says that if you get parasitized by the Shadow Buggers, your mind will be completely altered by them, so it's not much different from death either. But back to the subject of your power, Kurogane finds yours interesting. When he saw you use it on a Shadow Bugger the monster stopped being observable, meaning it disappeared. Theoretically it should have returned when your Denial Field deactivated, but the fact that it didn't could be a huge discovery. He's not sure whether that has to do with your power specifically or if it's due to some characteristic of the Shadow Buggers, but he really wants to research it even if you don't join the army. You either sigh at the thought of being treated as a test subject, ask Kurogane to look into a way to recover your memories, or flirt and say you want it to be a private exam you guys can take your time with.
In A, Kurogane apologizes for being overly excited, but he assures you the exam won't be anything inhumane. He does admit he might go too far with it, but then he quickly promises he'll control himself. In B, Kurogane says brain work and mental things are outside his specialty, but they do have a good medical staff on hand. He's sure they'll be able to do something about that for you. He floats the idea that your amnesia could have something to do with your ability, and if it does it might fix itself if you help him with his research. In C, Kurogane is surprised at the suggestion because he really does need help in conducting his research. Having someone else around means they might see something he could miss. Breke then thinks to himself that if feels like you two are talking about different things but wonders if he's imagining it.
R-19 interjects at this point and asks if he can speak as a medical officer. Duo grants him permission and asks what's on his mind, so R-19 says he sees you're moderately fatigued, which is enough to impair your judgment. He suggests letting you rest for six hours and getting something to eat before proceeding with anything else concerning you. Duo closes his eyes and sighs, then orders R-19 to take you to your room, give you treatment as needed, and observe you. R-19 assents, then asks you to come with him.
You follow R-19 out into the hallway, whereupon your fatigue starts to catch up to you as you give a big sigh. R-19 thanks you for going through all the interrogation and says he'll lead you to your room. He reminds you that you're a person of interest and with unknown status, so you'll be watched. That means you won't be allowed to move freely or leave the base. You either shrug and accept it since you think it's safer here than out there, thank him for helping you earlier, or mention that you're hungry. In A, R-19 tells you that's correct as this is an anti-Shadow Bugger base. The anti-air and invasion countermeasure defenses are perfect, and he also functions as one of the defense systems. He asks you to relax for the duration of your stay. In B, R-19 is confused as he doesn't believe 'help' is the right word to describe what he did. His job at the base is to be part of the staff and to take care and assist anyone under its protection, so you can just think of it as part of his AI programming. In C, R-19 says he's picked up as much on his sensors. He comments that a lack of nutrition can lead to impaired judgment and degraded functioning, then asks you to wait as food has been arranged for you at your room.
R-19 eventually stops in front of a room and prompts you to walk in when the door opens. Due to security reasons, it will be locked from the outside. He remains polite while informing you of this, but he also expects some level of resistance from you. You are being put into a position of being watched, controlled, and confined, and you have mixed feelings about all of this but see no other option but to go in. R-19 tells you there is a sink and shower you can use, but he asks you to conserve resources as best you can. If anything happens you can use your phone to call them as they've already added a contact number for you. He then excuses himself with all the manner of a first class hotel worker as he bows before leaving.
The room you've been taken too isn't anything fancy, but it still has the standard set of furnishings in it. There is already a water bottle and a case with some food in it placed on a desk. You then have the options to go eat, take a shower since you feel sweaty, and examine your room, and you must choose at least one of those options before you are given the option to end the day. When you go to examine the food, you find a big sandwich and a fruit compote inside the box. There's not much, but the taste is exquisite, probably to help keep morale up. Rationing may be enforced outside the base to keep the war efforts going, but given the ghastly reality of war you saw you can expect to have to fight. When you go to wash up, the bathroom is small but the hot water works. All of the dirt, sweat, and ash on you up to this point is washed off, along with the thoughts of your amnesia, war horrors, and choices that await you, just like the other soldiers here. When you check the room, the door is closed shut and does not respond to input from your end. All that's here is a simple bed, a shower booth, and a plain table and chair. There is no window, but there is a wall mounted monitor instead. Very symbolic of your military confinement. Eventually you lie on the bed that must have been used by countless others, and you soon drift to sleep. The stars above shine in the sky, and the episode half ends.
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