Recaps

The Archangel and its allies entered space while Xiao Ran secured Orb’s remaining forces at a hidden island dock and then rendezvoused with them. After returning to the fleet, he approved Athrun and Kira’s mission to PLANT and sent Graham and Zoe to escort them.

• Mu, Nicol, and Dearka watched the unmanned fighters enter space, and Zoe confirmed that Black Hawk could do so independently.
• The Archangel escaped Earth’s gravity and prepared to rendezvous with the Dawn and the Kusanagi while Mu left Dearka to service her machine.
• Xiao Ran received a Prometheus side mission to rebuild Orb and escorted two transport ships to a concealed dock near Orb.
• Xiao Ran flew Black Hawk to the fleet’s colony satellite and reunited with Kira and Athrun.
• Athrun asked to return to PLANT, and Kira volunteered to escort him in Freedom Gundam.
• Xiao Ran assigned Graham and Zoe to accompany them and asked Kira and Athrun to investigate and, if possible, rescue the little princess.

Xiao Ran organized Orb’s forces and supplies at their temporary Colony Satellite base, then met Luo Juur and received a shipment of aid. He showed Luo advanced technology data and began explaining the Solar Furnace, leaving Luo eager to study it.

• Xiao Ran directed Orb’s forces to search the Colony Satellite for supplies while coordinating civilian evacuation and protection on Earth.
• Xiao Ran boarded Luo Juur and Yamakiburi Juri’s ship, where they delivered repair equipment, provisions, ammunition, and replacement parts.
• Xiao Ran promised to repay Luo and Juri’s help and told them Orb’s withdrawal had been planned so it could later be restored.
• Xiao Ran privately gave Luo data storage devices containing advanced designs, and Luo was astonished by the VF-27 and GN-X specifications.
• Xiao Ran explained that the Solar Furnace generated light particles that could let mobile suits fly and perform unusual maneuvers.

Xiao Ran explained the Solar Furnace technology to Luo and invited him to leave Earth for a hidden place filled with advanced technology. Luo was intrigued by the prospect of exploring the universe but hesitated over leaving the Junk Guild and losing control of his own fate.

• Xiao Ran explained the differences between GN-T and GN Solar Furnaces, and Luo examined the technical documents with growing amazement.
• Xiao Ran told Luo about the advanced technology and hidden location beyond Earth, then asked him to return there after he dealt with Orb.
• Luo asked to receive the coordinates and wondered whether he could bring people from the Junk Guild, but Xiao Ran said finding the place required a guide and bringing others might be difficult.
• Xiao Ran described the destination as a mercenary guild where missions brought rewards, while warning Luo that missions could restrict his actions.
• Luo remained uncertain about joining Xiao Ran, and Xiao Ran watched him expectantly.

Xiao Ran explained to Luo the threat posed by Genesis and a possible Earth Force nuclear arsenal, then asked the Tail of the Serpent mercenaries to help Orb stop the coming battle. Murrue Ramius accepted the mission for his team and negotiated for payment, while Luo also agreed to help.

• Xiao Ran considered whom he could take from this world and urged Luo to join him as a trusted friend.
• Xiao Ran warned Luo that ZAFT’s Genesis and the Earth Force’s possible N-Jammer Canceller could devastate both sides and lead to a wider racial war.
• Luo pledged to help prevent the conflict, and Murrue Ramius entered after hearing their conversation.
• Xiao Ran asked Murrue Ramius and the Tail of the Serpent to support Orb’s operation against ZAFT and the Earth Force.
• Murrue Ramius accepted the mission and requested a commission, and Xiao Ran promised to check with Director Symonds and increase the payment.

Xiao Ran recruited Murrue Ramius to help stop the Earth Force’s nuclear attack and destroy ZAFT’s Genesis, while Luo examined new technology aboard the Archangel. After Kira returned with the Eternal and Lacus, Xiao Ran ordered a stage built so Sheryl could sing across the battlefield.

• Xiao Ran explained to Murrue Ramius that their mission required stopping the nuclear missiles and destroying Genesis, and she agreed to investigate intelligence and join the plan.
• Xiao Ran told Luo they needed a way to counter nuclear weapons, then showed him Solar Furnaces, VF Series fighters, and drones aboard the Archangel.
• Xiao Ran comforted Miriallia and Sai in the Living Zone, but an urgent call summoned him to the bridge.
• Mwu told Xiao Ran that Kira had returned with ZAFT’s pink warship, the Eternal, and Xiao Ran recognized that Lacus had likely come with it.
• Xiao Ran asked Mwu to build a stage aboard the Archangel so Sheryl could broadcast her singing, explaining that her voice could strengthen them.

Xiao Ran welcomed Lacus, Kira, Athrun, Andrew, and Aisha aboard the Archangel after the Eternal arrived, and began introducing them to the team. Their reunion was interrupted when someone announced they had found a way to intercept the Earth Force’s nuclear missiles.

• Xiao Ran asked Mwu to summon the team to welcome the Eternal’s crew, and she agreed despite doubting his claims about the power of song.
• Bargyll, Kisaka, Cagalli, Mu, Nicol, and Dearka gathered in the Archangel’s hangar as the Eternal’s passengers arrived.
• Aisha and Andrew disembarked unharmed, followed by Lacus, Kira, and an injured, melancholy Athrun.
• Xiao Ran welcomed Lacus, Andrew, and Aisha, and Andrew thanked him for saving them and helping him find his purpose.
• As Xiao Ran began introducing everyone, someone rushed in and announced they had figured out how to intercept the Earth Force’s nuclear missiles.

Xiao Ran explained that nuclear missiles and Genesis were likely to be used in the coming battle and proposed preparing to intercept the missiles while confronting ZAFT's weapon. He secretly intended to let the battle unfold as before so the war's leaders would die and peace could follow, while also claiming Genesis for himself.

• Lacus reacted with alarm when Xiao Ran said the Earth Force might have nuclear weapons, and Xiao Ran argued that both sides were likely to use their ultimate weapons.
• Kira said they had to stop the nuclear missiles and Genesis, while Luo proposed mass-producing GN-BITs to intercept missiles.
• Xiao Ran rejected GN-BITs as impractical and endorsed Luo's alternative plan to build defensive devices that could intercept missiles with dense firepower.
• Lacus confirmed that the Eternal carried the Meteor System for Freedom and Justice, and Xiao Ran said those units, with his Black Hawk, could intercept a nuclear strike.
• Xiao Ran reasoned that the battle had to proceed as it originally did so the pro-war leaders would die and peace factions could end the conflict.
• Xiao Ran privately resolved to obtain Genesis and sell it for Merit Points.

Xiao Ran planned to salvage Genesis and sell it for Merit Points, while Luo tested the Solar Furnace and deduced the possibility of a Dual Solar Furnace system. As Luo returned toward the Archangel, he spotted a familiar battleship charging its cannon at the satellite.

• Xiao Ran planned to use Scrap Dealer on Genesis, sell it, and spend the Merit Points upgrading the Second Archangel.
• Xiao Ran decided not to interfere with the war as long as Genesis disappeared, the nuclear missiles missed PLANT, and Orb was restored.
• Luo piloted the Black Astray to test the Solar Furnace and found that GN-BIT attacks charged slowly and that powerful bursts left the mobile suit vulnerable as particles replenished.
• Luo inferred that two Solar Furnaces might resonate and greatly amplify a mobile suit's output.
• Luo spotted a familiar battleship extending its cannon toward the satellite and gathering energy.

The Second Archangel attacked the satellite harbor, but Graham and Nalu used the Black Astray and MK-II Gundam to block its positron cannon long enough for the fleet to escape. As the Archangel’s crew faced the enemy sister ship, Bargyll reflected on how Xiao Ran had foreseen the danger and affirmed her loyalty to him.

• Luo spotted the Second Archangel too late to warn the satellite, and Graham and Nalu intercepted its positron cannon with their GN-BITs and shields.
• Nalu warned that enemy mobile suits and more warships were approaching, so Graham covered the retreat and told Luo to return the Lightning Aegis to Xiao Ran.
• Xiao Ran gave Bargyll command authority, ordered the idle mobile suits to sortie, and launched in the Lightning Aegis as the fleet escaped the harbor.
• The escaping crews recognized the Second Archangel as a sister ship of their own, and Mwu and Bargyll realized they had been transferred away to avoid being made to fight them.
• Bargyll told Mwu that she was no longer an Earth Force soldier but Xiao Ran’s subordinate.

Xiao Ran unleashed Lightning Aegis’s overwhelming firepower to support the battle against the Earth Force fleet, while Graham and Naluo fought to hold back enemy units. After spotting a wrecked arm identical to Blitz Gundam’s, Xiao Ran suspected that more Mirage System-equipped units were present and rushed back to Archangel to prepare for a possible hidden threat.

• Lightning Aegis transformed and unleashed a sustained beam barrage that devastated the Earth Force MS swarm, while its GN Fangs damaged Calamity Gundam and forced the other attackers to evade.
• Graham used Black Astray’s shields and weapons to counter Raider Gundam and challenged Forbidden Gundam to a one-on-one fight.
• Freedom Gundam, Justice Gundam, Blitz Gundam, Astray Red Frame, and M1 Astrays joined the attack on the Earth Force forces.
• Xiao Ran spotted a severed arm identical to Blitz Gundam’s, ordered his allies to release GN Particles and Archangel to deploy its drones and Black Hawk units, then headed back to Archangel.
• Xiao Ran concluded that the arm might belong to another Mirage System-equipped unit and considered the Earth Force or the hidden Librarian Works as its source.

Xiao Ran recognized the red enemy unit as the Librarian’s Misty Rage Gundam and suspected it used nuclear power to strengthen its PS Armor. As hidden enemies appeared around the Archangel, he used Hand Speed Burst to target them manually and unleashed a coordinated attack, leaving the battle underway.

• Xiao Ran worried that the Librarian might use Photocopy Person Technology to copy him and other pilots, then questioned whether the organization was truly working with the Earth Force.
• Xiao Ran detected an unseen threat and fired at the pursuing MK-II Gundam, while Naluo followed his warning and narrowly dodged the beam.
• Naluo and Xiao Ran attacked the newly revealed red machine, which blocked their beams and charged the MK-II Gundam.
• Xiao Ran identified the machine as the Misty Rage Gundam and suspected its heavy beam resistance came from nuclear power and enhanced PS Armor.
• Xiao Ran detected four more hidden machines, activated Hand Speed Burst, manually aimed his weapons, and launched a barrage across the battlefield.

Xiao Ran exposed and destroyed three nuclear-powered Misty Rage Gundams that had been hiding with Mirage Systems, while the revelation shocked both Orb and the Archangel’s allies. Murta Azrael then ordered another unit deployed, and Captain Bargyll warned that its attack could destroy their own forces as well.

• Xiao Ran’s attacks revealed four hidden mecha, including Blitz Gundams, and the Orb warships ordered evasive maneuvers and defensive fire.
• Xiao Ran used Quick Lock to attack the Misty Rage Gundams with the Lightning Aegis and Black Hawk, then destroyed three of them in nuclear explosions.
• Andrew and Lacus recognized that the destroyed mecha had nuclear power and suspected Xiao Ran had brought the green-particle technology to Orb.
• Murta Azrael expressed interest in Xiao Ran’s abilities and ordered a unit deployed to destroy everything except the Lightning Aegis.
• Captain Bargyll warned Azrael that the attack could engulf their own forces, and Azrael instead mocked her over the presence of another Bargyll on the opposing side.

Bargyll ordered the Second Archangel and its Earth Force fleet to retreat after their failed attack, while privately urging Xiao Ran to grow stronger and avoid the shadowy forces threatening him. Orb's fleet returned to the spaceport, and Kira and Nicol went to search for Mu and the missing ZAFT presence as the allies discussed their dwindling supplies.

• Bargyll rejected Azrael's desire to continue fighting and ordered the Earth Force fleet to withdraw, citing Orb's strength, nearby ZAFT ships, and the exposed Misty Rage Gundam.
• Bargyll watched the Lightning Aegis and Black Astray and privately reflected on Xiao Ran, hoping he would become strong while avoiding the powerful forces she feared.
• The Earth Force withdrew under cover from Calamity, Raider, Forbidden, and the surviving Misty Rage Gundam, while Orb's fleet returned to the spaceport without pursuing them.
• Kira and Nicol learned that Mu and the Buster Gundam were missing after Mu went into the satellite to investigate ZAFT, and they set out to find him.
• Lacus, Andrew, and Bargyll discussed the fleet's low ammunition, while Director Symonds announced that the Scrap Merchant Guild would send supplies and technicians.

Xiao Ran confirmed that Kira and Cagalli were twins and explained the origins of Kira’s abilities, then revealed that Athrun, Lacus, and Cagalli also possessed SEED. He demonstrated his own Innovator evolution before warning everyone that the Librarians could use Photocopy Person Technology to create copies of people.

• After Bargyll reported the search team’s discovery, Xiao Ran told the others that Kira and Cagalli were related and ordered the ships to prepare for a possible nuclear attack.
• Cagalli showed Xiao Ran a photograph, and he confirmed that she and Kira were twins whose mother had been connected to a genetic research institution.
• Xiao Ran explained that Kira was created through genetic experiments and that Representative Asaha was his and Cagalli’s father.
• Xiao Ran described SEED and identified Athrun, Lacus, and Cagalli as people who possessed it, while Athrun recalled awakening it during his battle with Kira.
• Xiao Ran explained that he was an Innovator with a different, evolved ability, then warned the group that the Librarians could use Photocopy Person Technology to reproduce people from their cells, data, or memories.

Xiao Ran warned the group that the Librarian organization was targeting them and might be interested in his machine, Kira, and their data. Lacus reasoned that the Librarian must have prepared carefully before revealing itself, prompting Xiao Ran to realize a possible explanation for its appearance.

• Andrew and Athrun imagined the danger of many copied Kiras and Athruns piloting Freedom and Justice Gundams.
• Lacus questioned how Xiao Ran knew about the Librarian and why it had appeared within the Earth Force, and Xiao Ran explained how he recognized its weather-themed units and warned that Kira was especially vulnerable.
• Mwu and Andrew suggested the Librarian might target Xiao Ran and seek his machine's data, while Xiao Ran said he was more concerned for Kira, Athrun, Lacus, and Cagalli.
• Cagalli vowed to protect Kira, but Xiao Ran criticized her leadership and promised to teach her how to govern Orb; Athrun encouraged her to learn and offered his support.
• Lacus reasoned that the Librarian's sudden emergence meant it had prepared for its goals, and Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes as a likely explanation occurred to him.

Xiao Ran speculated that the Librarians might be using participants’ cells to create Photocopy Persons and manipulate powerful figures, though he reasoned that Prometheus would likely have intervened if the danger were real. After Dearka reported the damaged Gundams and injured pilots, Xiao Ran ordered the crew to prepare for another battle and told Mwu that his earlier preparations would soon be ready.

• Xiao Ran considered how participants might have supplied the Librarians with cells and data, enabling them to create operatives or make deals with people like Azrael.
• Dearka contacted the ship and reported that Mu was injured and Kira was unresponsive, while Strike Gundam was badly damaged and Freedom Gundam was motionless.
• Xiao Ran asked Sheryl to use her power and ordered the four Gundams to return for maintenance and resupply in preparation for another fight.
• Mwu arranged emergency treatment and faster supplies as Lacus, Cagalli, and Athrun left the bridge to check on Kira.
• Xiao Ran asked Mwu about his earlier preparations, and Mwu said the Technicians from Akatsuki Works had nearly finished them.

After Kira returned to the Eternal in despair, Xiao Ran went to help him face his guilt over Flay’s capture and Mu’s injury. Xiao Ran reminded Kira of the people he had saved and the difference he could still make, leaving Kira to reconsider whether he was merely a tool.

• Kira left the Freedom Gundam in a daze, while the injured Mu was carried from his cockpit to the medical staff.
• Sheryl set up and tested the makeshift stage aboard the Archangel as Miriallia reported that Kira had shut himself in his room.
• Xiao Ran flew to the Eternal, where Athrun led him to Kira’s room; Lacus and Cagalli waited outside as Xiao Ran entered alone.
• Xiao Ran found Kira drifting in the dark and pulled him onto the bed, prompting Kira to explain that Cruze had taken Flay and that Mu had been injured protecting him.
• Kira called himself useless and a tool, blaming himself for the people who had suffered or died around him.
• Xiao Ran challenged Kira’s despair by reminding him of the people he had saved and the hope his abilities offered for Orb and an end to the war.

Xiao Ran helped Kira recover from his dazed state and left Lacus to comfort him, while Cagalli and Athrun acknowledged their feelings for each other. Hours later, the Earth Force fleet returned, and Bargyll’s ships prepared to face its forces as Xiao Ran was tasked with stopping the enemy’s special units.

• Xiao Ran promised Kira that he would rescue Flay, then asked Lacus to comfort him while Athrun kept Cagalli outside.
• Xiao Ran teased Cagalli about Athrun’s feelings, and Athrun pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
• Xiao Ran returned to the Archangel, but hours later the Earth Force fleet led by the Second Archangel appeared and the ships launched from port.
• Bargyll learned that the enemy had deployed forty-eight mobile suits, including several Gundams and unknown units, and ordered her ships to avoid engaging the special units directly.
• Bargyll ordered suppressive fire and dispersal warheads, then told her crew to ask General Xiao to stop the enemy’s special units.

The Earth Force ambushed the Dawn with stealthy scatter-warhead missiles, then pressed its damaged hull with mobile suits. As Xiao Ran’s fleet withdrew from L4 under cover, the Orb forces began retreating while he remained engaged with the Hyperion Gundam and Misty Rage.

• Bargyll detected missiles approaching the Dawn and ordered an evasive maneuver, but their scatter warheads breached the ship and damaged its starboard systems.
• A Calamity Gundam and several Daggers attacked the damaged Dawn, but the ship turned its intact underside toward them and Black Hawk’s drones destroyed the advancing mobile suits.
• Bargyll and the other commanders concluded that Earth Force had anticipated their movements, and Lacus and Kisaka urged the fleet to abandon L4 and report the trap.
• Xiao Ran appeared on the warships’ screens and ordered Black Hawk to cover the retreat while Mwu prepared Sheryl’s operation.
• Bargyll ordered the salvage crews and Tail of the Serpent to leave, assigned the Kusanagi and Archangel to cover the withdrawal, and directed the fleet to retreat behind L4 as the Eternal shielded the Dawn.

The Archangel, Dawn, and their allies retreated toward L4 while Sheryl’s song fueled a surge in their combat strength. Graham, Luo, and the other pilots overwhelmed the Earth Force units, leaving the Second Archangel’s remaining support ships destroyed and the battle still underway.

• The Dawn, Archangel, Eternal, and Kusanagi turned toward L4 as M1 Astrays and drones covered their retreat from pursuing Earth Force mobile suits.
• Sheryl began singing, and the allied pilots fought with increased power as Graham and Luo grew more coordinated in battle.
• Graham used Black Astray’s GN Shields and Destiny-00 Backpack to destroy Hyperion Gundam’s arms and backpack, while Luo cut down the dark-blue Forbidden Gundam.
• Kira and Athrun wrecked the Forbidden and Raider Gundams, while the allied mecha joined forces to attack the remaining Earth Force units.
• Lightning Aegis destroyed Misty Rage Gundam and Hyperion Gundam, while MK-II Gundam’s beam attack pierced and destroyed two warships behind Second Archangel.
• Mwu watched the allied forces dominate the battle and felt Sheryl’s song fill her with strength.

Sheryl’s singing amazed the people aboard the Archangel, and Xiao Ran discussed humanity’s evolution and the dangers of space. He then outlined the fleet’s urgent shortages as the Dawn underwent repairs.

• Mwu, Lacus, and the others discussed the power of Sheryl’s singing and the unusual abilities appearing among humanity.
• Xiao Ran argued that humanity needed peace and military strength to survive the dangers of space, while Andrew questioned how much Xiao Ran knew.
• Xiao Ran warned the group about encountering people with extraordinary abilities and recalled the powerful bald man Kira had fought at Heliopolis.
• Xiao Ran said the Dawn would need two to three days of repairs and told the group to conceal their tracks while monitoring Earth Force and ZAFT.
• Xiao Ran reported shortages of ammunition, repair materials, wiring, and medical supplies, and said the Lightning Aegis’s Gatling guns and its drones had no ammunition.

The Archangel’s crew discussed their supply shortage and the danger of delaying while the Earth Force prepared its assault. Xiao Ran gave Lacus advanced technology and urged her to build Orb’s future military strength carefully after the war.

• Athrun explained to Cagalli why the Scrap Merchant Guild’s promised supplies might arrive too late, while Xiao Ran offered to find a safe route for its ships.
• Mwu asked Andrew to prepare supply lists for the Archangel and Eternal, and Xiao Ran checked on reconnaissance arrangements.
• Xiao Ran took Lacus aside and asked her what she thought about power before giving her data on advanced mobile suits, energy systems, weapons, drones, and GN-BITs.
• Xiao Ran told Lacus to prepare Orb’s defenses and train capable pilots, but warned her not to entrust the technology to Cagalli.
• Xiao Ran explained the risks of the two Solar Furnace designs and advised Lacus to make two complete furnaces for Kira and Athrun to use under safe conditions.

Xiao Ran and his allies discovered that Earth Force was clearing debris to trap their fleet inside the Debris Belt, forcing them to consider abandoning the damaged Dawn. Lacus deduced that the enemy commander might be a copy of Bargyll, and Xiao Ran ordered the fleet to retreat immediately.

• Xiao Ran escorted Luo's salvage ship out of the Debris Belt so it could obtain supplies, agreeing to meet again in three days.
• Xiao Ran's team spotted four Daggers clearing debris along a route toward the hidden warships, and Graham warned that Earth Force might be sealing the fleet inside the Debris Belt.
• Xiao Ran returned to the Archangel and learned that Earth Force was blocking escape routes while the Dawn remained unfit for long-distance travel.
• Bargyll, Andrew, and Kisaka urged the fleet to abandon the Dawn and withdraw, while Xiao Ran questioned whether an assault on the enemy flagship could succeed.
• Lacus proposed that the enemy knew the fleet so well because it knew itself, leading Bargyll and Mwu to recall the examinations and interrogations Earth Force had conducted in Alaska.
• Bargyll judged that an attack would meet a prepared trap, so Xiao Ran ordered the fleet to abandon the Dawn and retreat immediately.

Xiao Ran stayed behind aboard the Dawn to draw the Earth Force away while the Archangel, Kusanagi, and Eternal escaped with Sheryl and the others. After launching the Black Hawk and preparing its equipment, he reached the Dawn's bridge and used Scrap Dealer as the countdown approached.

• Xiao Ran rejected Mwu's plea to leave with the others and explained that only he could pilot the Black Hawk at full speed.
• Xiao Ran told the fleet to escape without fighting the Earth Force and planned to detonate the Dawn to draw the enemy after them.
• Xiao Ran launched from the Archangel with thirteen drones, returned to the Dawn, and ordered Haro to patrol and attack hostile targets.
• Xiao Ran replaced the Black Hawk's heavy armor backpack with a new one and hurried to the Dawn's bridge as the agreed time neared.
• Xiao Ran reached the main control console and activated his Scrap Dealer skill.

Xiao Ran spent 80,000 Merit Points to recover a lightly damaged Izumo-class Warship, then escaped the Archangel before it exploded. He joined the battle in Black Hawk and began fighting the Earth Force Dagger units.

• Xiao Ran decided to recover the Archangel and tested its weapons while waiting for enemies to arrive.
• Xiao Ran used the Archangel's cannons to draw enemy units toward the battlefield, while Haro reported that over thirty Daggers were approaching.
• Xiao Ran recovered a lightly damaged Izumo-class Warship, but learned the Archangel would explode in sixty seconds.
• Xiao Ran escaped the Archangel in Black Hawk just before it exploded, then flew toward the incoming Daggers.
• Xiao Ran attacked the Daggers with Black Hawk, dodging their fire and destroying several units.