Recaps

Xiao Ran escaped the battle aboard the Gadi Ru, discovered that the Aegis Dagger had overheated under his piloting, and considered the fate of Stella, Orro, and Sting. With the Minerva pursuing, he ordered the Gadi Ru to jettison and detonate its Fuel Supply Devices, buying time to escape.

• The Gadi Ru recovered Xiao Ran and the other pilots, then fled the battlefield while ZAFT focused on rescue operations.
• Xiao Ran found the Aegis Dagger smoking from severe overheating and decided it was unsuitable for him to pilot again.
• Xiao Ran watched Stella, Orro, and Sting undergo examinations and resolved not to treat them as disposable tools.
• Durandal arranged for the four participants' Zaku Phantoms to replace damaged Minerva machines and worried about the Aegis Dagger's power.
• The Minerva pursued the Gadi Ru and began firing as it closed in.
• Xiao Ran ordered the Gadi Ru to detonate its detached Fuel Supply Devices, damaging the Minerva and allowing the Gadi Ru to escape.

After escaping Minerva, Xiao Ran watched the Three Strong Ones undergo memory adjustment and assessed the Gadi Ru’s chances of surviving another encounter. He decided to avoid disrupting the Junius 7 events for now and focus on completing Main Mission One, which remained unfinished despite the captured Gundams.

• Durandal learned that Athrun Zala, using the alias Alex, had appeared aboard the Gadi Ru alongside Xiao Ran.
• Xiao Ran watched the Living CPU Technicians use the Cradle, drugs, and hypnosis to adjust Stella, Orro, and Sting’s memories and minds.
• Ian Lee told Xiao Ran that the Aegis Dagger was badly damaged and would need one or two days of repairs.
• Xiao Ran warned that Minerva might catch up and ordered Ian Lee to speed up analysis of the three captured machines, offering to pilot the green one if needed.
• Xiao Ran considered the Debris Belt and Junius 7, then chose to avoid changing the plot and prioritize completing Main Mission One.

Xiao Ran decided to keep the Gadi Ru on its planned course rather than risk being pulled into the Junius 7 crisis before he could change factions or learn what had happened during his absence. As a pursuing ZAFT ship closed in, he prepared to sortie in the modified Chaos Gundam and draw its forces away from the Gadi Ru.

• Xiao Ran weighed returning to Orb against risking Earth Force-oriented Main Missions and chose to keep his current role while investigating the changes of the past two years.
• Xiao Ran concluded he could not stop the coming disaster at Junius 7 and ordered the Gadi Ru to follow its original plan so the Minerva could remain on course to destroy it.
• Xiao Ran and the Gadi Ru maintenance crew added four Dragon Fangs to the Chaos Gundam and connected them to its control system.
• The bridge detected a large heat source closing in behind the Gadi Ru, and Xiao Ran ordered combat stations and had the pilots prepare.
• Xiao Ran planned to sortie in the Chaos Gundam in the Meteor Belt, draw the pursuing enemy's strength onto himself, and leave Stella and Orro to defend the warship.

Xiao Ran lured the Minerva toward a decoy while the Gadi Ru concealed itself among the asteroids, setting up an ambush. As the Minerva came under attack, Durandal exposed Athrun’s identity, and Athrun recognized that the Chaos Gundam was serving as bait.

• Xiao Ran launched the Chaos Gundam as the Gadi Ru hid behind an asteroid and drew the Minerva toward a decoy missile.
• Talia Gladys sent the Impulse Gundam and five Zaku Phantoms after the decoy while keeping Lunamaria and three Gears R units near the Minerva.
• Durandal revealed that the young man traveling with Cagalli was Athrun, then discussed how Xiao Ran had helped clear Athrun and the others of their past crimes.
• Athrun stopped Cagalli from blaming herself and warned the bridge that the Gadi Ru’s apparent absence was a trap.
• The Gadi Ru and five mobile suits appeared behind the Minerva and began targeting it as its forces engaged the Chaos Gundam.
• Athrun identified the green Chaos Gundam as the unit with Dragon Fangs and warned that the earlier Aegis Gundam was not a conventional Aegis-type machine.

Xiao Ran confronted Shinn, Ray, and the four participants in the Debris Belt, using his strength and knowledge of their past to secure their cooperation. The group of four turned their weapons toward Shinn and Ray, leaving the standoff poised to become a fight.

• Durandal recognized that Bogey One’s pilot was exceptionally capable and ordered Talia to recall Shinn and the others as the warship came under missile attack.
• Xiao Ran confronted the Impulse Gundam, Ray’s White Zaku Phantom, and the four participants with the Chaos Gundam, warning that he could defeat them and asking whether they would fight or withdraw.
• Shinn demanded to know how Xiao Ran knew his name, while Ray accused him of trying to disrupt them and Xiao Ran acknowledged Ray’s ability to read people.
• Xiao Ran recognized the four participants as Eshe, Sman, Barnes, and Harvey, and reminded them of their previous defeat at his hands.
• Eshe accepted Xiao Ran’s offer to use their opportunity and follow his orders, and the four Zaku Phantoms turned their guns toward Shinn and Ray.

Xiao Ran persuaded Eshe and the other participants to join his side, then revealed to Shinn and Ray his past ties to them and that Cruze was alive. The confrontation ended with Ray agreeing to help Shinn and wait one month for Cruze to contact him before telling Durandal everything.

• Xiao Ran warned Eshe and the other participants that he had planned to kill them if they had remained his enemies, then welcomed them as allies.
• Xiao Ran told Shinn and Ray that Cruze was alive, had recovered from his illness, and had been unable to contact Ray until now.
• Xiao Ran revealed private details about Ray and Cruze, convincing Ray that Cruze was likely alive.
• Shinn accused Xiao Ran of arranging the helicopter crash that separated him from his family, then disclosed that Xiao Ran had ordered him to infiltrate ZAFT.
• Xiao Ran explained that his memories had been altered and said Shinn had to remain in ZAFT while he dealt with conspiracies connected to a hidden force within PLANT.
• Ray agreed to help Shinn and give Cruze one month to meet him, threatening to tell Durandal everything if Cruze failed to appear.

After Shinn Asuka and Ray returned toward the Minerva, Xiao Ran offered Eshe’s four-person squad a place in the Burning Legion under a permanent-membership clause. Eshe asked what guarantees they would receive, and Xiao Ran promised substantial mission and legion benefits as they began negotiating terms.

• Xiao Ran sent Shinn Asuka and Ray back toward the Minerva, while Ray told Shinn to conceal his identity and report that he had been trapped from the start.
• Ray told Shinn he would join whichever side let him live, and Shinn thanked him before they continued on.
• Xiao Ran requested the four participants’ numbers and sent Eshe’s group invitations to join the Burning Legion, with a clause preventing them from leaving.
• Xiao Ran explained that joining would earn his trust and offered compensation even if they refused the invitations.
• Eshe asked what Xiao Ran could guarantee, and he promised major gains, inexpensive machines, a squad warship, and other legion supplies.
• Eshe demanded that the group never be used as cannon fodder and be removed if the legion faced a massive crisis, offering an agreement against betraying or harming the legion in return.

Xiao Ran accepted Eshe’s conditions and brought her team into the Burning Legion. After discovering the Legion’s four B-class Pilots and two Faction Territories, Eshe and the others recognized the opportunity they had gained and prepared to follow Xiao Ran.

• Eshe demanded safeguards before joining the Burning Legion, and Xiao Ran agreed to her terms.
• Harvey, Sman, Eshe, and Barnes accepted Xiao Ran’s revised invitation and joined the Legion.
• Eshe and her team examined the Legion’s information and were astonished by its four B-class Pilots and two Faction Territories.
• Xiao Ran signaled the Gadi Ru to retreat and told the group to leave.
• Barnes respectfully addressed Xiao Ran as “my lord,” while Harvey enthusiastically pledged to work for the Legion.

Xiao Ran explained the Legion’s rules and benefits to Eshe’s group, then brought them aboard the Gadi Ru after the battle. The group recognized him as the general from a past mission and began discussing how Prometheus had obscured their memories of his identity.

• Xiao Ran told Eshe’s group that Legion support depended on following its rules, earning Contribution Points, and contributing to the Legion.
• The Gadi Ru retreated after Shinn and Ray returned to the damaged Minerva, and Ray claimed that two of the four ZAFT pilots had betrayed them.
• Durandal and Talia accepted Ray’s account, ended the pursuit, and discussed Shinn’s distress after he and Ray left the Captain’s Room.
• Xiao Ran brought Eshe’s group and their four Zaku Phantoms aboard the Gadi Ru, where Ian Lee kept them under guard until Xiao Ran ordered the soldiers to lower their weapons.
• Xiao Ran met with the four pilots, who recognized him as the general from their previous mission and realized Prometheus had made his identity seem like a natural part of their memories.

Xiao Ran assessed Eshe’s team and asked why none of them had reached B-class Pilot despite their strong coordination. Eshe explained that failures and poor evaluations in earlier missions had held them back, leaving Xiao Ran embarrassed because his past conflicts with them had caused those setbacks.

• Xiao Ran judged Eshe, Harvey, Barnes, and Sman to be a capable, well-coordinated C-class team and compared them with the stronger C-class Pilots in his own team.
• Xiao Ran asked why Eshe’s team had not produced a B-class Pilot despite their advantages and teamwork.
• Eshe and the others reacted awkwardly, and Eshe explained that mission failures and low evaluations had reduced their rewards and stalled their progress.
• Xiao Ran realized that his encounters with Eshe’s team had contributed to their earlier failures and felt embarrassed.
• Xiao Ran and Eshe’s team sat in awkward silence as he considered how their misfortune had begun with opposing him in past missions.

Xiao Ran arranged for Eshe and the other three to leave ZAFT and join Orb or D.S.S.D, promising compensation for the trouble he had caused them. He kept them aboard for now because he expected Durandal to make another move, then told Ian Lee to delay reporting their intelligence until the mission was complete.

• Xiao Ran apologized to Eshe's group and promised to arrange their mission assignments and modify their four units after the mission.
• Eshe explained that changing factions would not harm their Main Mission, and Xiao Ran arranged for them to seek out Nataru Bargyll in Orb or join D.S.S.D if that plan failed.
• Xiao Ran told the group that Durandal had orchestrated the stolen-unit incident and asked them to remain aboard because he might need their strength.
• Xiao Ran allowed Eshe and the others to move freely around the warship, except on the bridge and in the hangar.
• Ian Lee questioned Xiao Ran about granting the four freedom aboard the ship, and Xiao Ran said he would report their intelligence after the mission.

Xiao Ran learned that Junius 7 was heading toward Earth and brought his unit to investigate, while recognizing that LOGOS and Durandal each had reasons to let the crisis unfold. He sent Eshe and the others to act under the cover of ZAFT forces, hoping to limit the damage without implicating Earth Force.

• Ian Lee told Xiao Ran that Junius 7 had begun moving toward Earth, and Earth Force ordered the Gadi Ru to investigate.
• Xiao Ran suspected LOGOS wanted Junius 7 to strike Earth and Durandal wanted Earth to descend into chaos, giving Xiao Ran an opportunity to expose their plans.
• The Gadi Ru reached Junius 7 and found ZAFT vessels nearby, with ZAFT units fighting among themselves.
• Xiao Ran told Ian Lee to send Eshe and the other three out under ZAFT markings while preparing Earth Force units as backup.
• Xiao Ran told Eshe and the others that their first mission was to prevent Junius 7 from falling to Earth, and warned that reducing the resulting damage might be the best they could accomplish.

Xiao Ran watched the battle over Junius 7 and waited for a safe reason to intervene as the destruction effort fell behind. The Librarian’s forces appeared, prompting the Minerva to request help, and the Second Archangel suddenly returned from Earth.

• Xiao Ran briefed Eshe and the other three on their mission to break Junius 7 into fragments, gave Eshe letters for Bargyll and D.S.S.D., and sent them to prepare to leave the Gadi Ru.
• Xiao Ran watched ZAFT and unidentified forces fight over Junius 7, while the Gadi Ru calculated that the destruction effort was only thirty percent complete with seventy minutes remaining.
• Ian Lee offered the Gadi Ru’s support, but Xiao Ran initially refused to sortie without orders or a reason.
• Eighteen Librarian G Series mecha arrived and attacked ZAFT, and Xiao Ran suspected their pilots were cloned copies of participants.
• After the Minerva requested help destroying Junius 7’s fragments, Xiao Ran ordered a sortie in the Chaos Gundam and sent Stella and Orro to assist ZAFT without approaching the new enemies.
• Radar Control detected the Second Archangel entering space from Earth, and Prometheus sent Xiao Ran a notification.

After completing his mission to seize ZAFT’s latest unit, Xiao Ran joined the fight to stop Junius 7’s fragments from falling to Earth. He sent the Chaos, Gaea, and Abyss Gundams into battle while preserving his cover, then opened a private channel to contact Mwu.

• Xiao Ran completed Main Mission One, received its rewards, and accepted the Side Mission to prevent Junius 7’s fragments from reaching Earth.
• After learning that the Second Archangel was approaching, Xiao Ran decided not to leave the Earth Force openly and prepared to assist ZAFT while keeping his plans concealed.
• Xiao Ran ordered Stella and Orro not to attack ZAFT forces or the demolition devices, then launched the Chaos, Gaea, and Abyss Gundams from the Gadi Ru.
• ZAFT provided temporary friend-or-foe codes, and Xiao Ran told Stella and Orro to activate IFF before he accelerated toward Junius 7.
• Xiao Ran entered the battle, destroyed several Library members’ units with the Chaos Gundam’s Dragon Fangs, and used his Team Communicator to contact Mwu.

Xiao Ran fought to clear ZAFT’s demolition teams a path through the Librarians while coordinating with Mwu and arranging for the Second Archangel’s crew to join the battle. The demolition effort remained stalled against the Librarians’ ace pilots until Cruze, Luo, and Andrew entered the fight.

• Xiao Ran’s Chaos Gundam destroyed enemy MS and protected ZAFT’s demolition squads, raising the Side Mission completion rate.
• Mwu contacted Xiao Ran from the Second Archangel and explained that she, Luo, Cruze, and the old Archangel crew had come to space to help stop Junius 7.
• Xiao Ran told Mwu not to use the Second Archangel’s two weapons, to leave fragment demolition to ZAFT, and to have Cruze and Luo focus on the Librarians.
• Xiao Ran asked Mwu to bring four people to Orb later and told Cruze that Ray was piloting the white Zaku so they could make contact.
• The Librarians regrouped around the remaining fragment, and their eighteen ace-level pilots kept ZAFT’s demolition operation deadlocked despite Xiao Ran’s attacks.
• Cruze’s Destiny Gundam, Luo’s Red Dragon, and Andrew’s Murasame joined the battle, beginning to shift the balance.

Cruze arrived in the Destiny Gundam and helped ZAFT break the battlefield stalemate, then reunited with Ray during combat. After Cruze departed, his Dragoons destroyed the Library Librarians' attackers and struck nearby enemies, while Xiao Ran watched the battle.

• Cruze, Luo, and Andrew joined the fight, and Cruze's Destiny Gundam destroyed a Strike-derived Gundam that had been battling Ray.
• Ray recognized the Destiny Gundam and confirmed that Cruze was its pilot, and Cruze told him he had survived and found a treatment for his disease.
• The Minerva crew identified the machine as a Destiny Gundam, but Lunamaria could not contact Ray, while Talia ordered the crew to ask him what was happening.
• Two Library Librarians' MS attacked Cruze and Ray, and Cruze shielded the Destiny Gundam with its Dragoons before saying goodbye to Ray.
• Cruze's Dragoons destroyed the two attackers and an artillery-type unit, as well as several Unknown Faction MS, and Xiao Ran checked the battle's progress.

Xiao Ran analyzed why the Librarian's pilots had overwhelmed the others and concluded that their physical abilities and teamwork made them formidable. With the Junius 7 mission running short on time, he unleashed his mental power and joined the battle to destroy the Librarian's forces.

• Xiao Ran reasoned that the Librarian's pilots were exceptionally strong because the Photocopy People had extraordinary physical abilities, not merely because the others were piloting Zakus.
• Xiao Ran noted that only thirty minutes remained and the mission's completion was still far below eighty percent, so he decided to get serious.
• Xiao Ran activated his mental power and transformed the Chaos Gundam into MA Form as its six Dragon Fangs surged toward the battle.
• Xiao Ran targeted a Duel Custom fighting Athrun's Zaku, forcing it to evade while nearby Librarian machines rushed in to protect it.
• Xiao Ran dodged the incoming attacks and redirected his Dragon Fangs toward the machines attacking him from behind.

Xiao Ran and the allied pilots rapidly destroyed the Librarian MS attacking the Junius 7 fragments, while ZAFT’s demolition operation broke the massive debris into three pieces. As the fragments continued toward Earth and the pilots withdrew, Xiao Ran stayed behind to watch the final demolition.

• Xiao Ran used Chaos Gundam and its Dragon Fangs to destroy three Librarian MS in quick succession.
• Luo and Cruze each destroyed an enemy machine, and the remaining pilots sealed off the Librarians’ retreat and attacked.
• Athrun and Shin destroyed enemies at close range as Xiao Ran swept across a Junius 7 fragment and eliminated more targets.
• Ian Lee told Xiao Ran to withdraw, and Xiao Ran ordered Stella and Orro to retreat while he remained behind.
• ZAFT split the fragment into three pieces, but two continued toward Earth as its MS evacuated; a green Zaku kept supporting the final demolition device.

Xiao Ran completed the Junius 7 side mission at 80 percent and received a Librarian-series mecha development blueprint. After returning to Gadi Ru, he prepared to deliver the three mecha to the Moon and investigate changing factions.

• Eshe's group, Second Archangel, Cruze, Luo, and Andrew escaped after the mission completion rate reached 80 percent, and Second Archangel destroyed another fragment with its positron cannons.
• Xiao Ran completed the side mission and received 50,000 Merit Points, increased favorability with all factions, and an upgraded Librarian-series mecha development blueprint.
• Xiao Ran watched Junius 7's remaining fragments strike Earth and decided not to risk increasing the completion rate further.
• Xiao Ran returned to Gadi Ru, had the Dragon Fangs removed from the Chaos Gundam, and returned the machine to Sting.
• Ian Lee told Xiao Ran that the Moon had ordered Gadi Ru to report there, while Xiao Ran suspected the Librarian's role in the battle would be concealed.

Xiao Ran arrived at the Earth Force Moon Base, where the seized Gundams were examined and he met with a brigadier general. He received the prototype Savior Gundam RGX-04 for modifications, while suspecting the Earth Force planned to use his strength in its coming attack on PLANT.

• Xiao Ran and Ian Lee met a bald brigadier general after Technicians began analyzing the Chaos Gundam, Gaea Gundam, and Abyss Gundam.
• The brigadier general praised Xiao Ran’s role in stopping Junius 7 and offered him a reward, so Xiao Ran requested a suitable mobile suit.
• The brigadier general assigned Xiao Ran the captured Savior Gundam prototype, designated RGX-04, and said Technicians were modifying it for him.
• Xiao Ran reviewed the Savior Gundam’s specifications and considered how the Earth Force might use him in its anticipated war against PLANT.

Xiao Ran spent nearly twenty days at the Moon Base training Stella, Sting, and Orro while the Earth Force prepared for war against PLANT. A modified Savior Gundam arrived for him, equipped with a nuclear-powered backpack derived from the Rebirth Gundam, and he learned about its capabilities.

• Xiao Ran assessed the Earth Force’s Windams and the Chaos, Abyss, and Gaia units, judging their pilots too weak to use their machines effectively.
• Xiao Ran trained Stella, Sting, and Orro while following reports of disaster relief, Coordinator attacks, and Earth Force actions on Earth.
• The Atlantic Federation and Eurasia declared that they would use military force against PLANT, and a gray Savior Gundam arrived at the Gadi Ru.
• Xiao Ran asked the accompanying Technician about the Savior’s backpack and learned that it had been modified from the nuclear-powered Rebirth Gundam.
• The Technician explained that the backpack provided the Savior with greater flight mobility and energy, along with Dragon Fangs, missile launchers, and large Beam Sabers.

Xiao Ran inspected the Savior Gundam, discovered a hidden self-destruct backdoor in its nuclear-powered backpack, and took the machine out for testing. Stella, Orro, and Sting followed him in their Gundams, while Stella asked whether their transfer meant they would have to fight again.

• Xiao Ran learned the Savior Gundam’s high-output reactor could be strained by its weapons and was told to conduct the practical tests himself.
• Moon Base rejected Xiao Ran’s request for live combat training with Stella, Orro, and Sting, but approved his test and issued transfer orders for them and Xiao Ran to board another warship.
• Xiao Ran used his Scout Skill to identify the Savior Gundam and its X11 Nuclear Composite Combat Backpack as a B-class unit, then found its messy OS and a backdoor that could trigger the reactor’s self-destruction.
• Xiao Ran activated the Savior Gundam and headed for the launch catapult, while Stella, Orro, and Sting climbed into Gaia, Abyss, and Chaos and followed him.
• Xiao Ran led the four Gundams out into space, and Stella asked whether they were transferring to another warship and would have to fight again.

Xiao Ran inferred that the Three strong ones might be the key to changing factions, and he decided to persuade them to leave the Earth Force with him. After modifying his mobile suit and its OS, he set out with Stella, Orro, and Sting for live combat testing.

• Xiao Ran told Stella, Orro, and Sting that he would test and adjust his mobile suit while they transferred to a warship.
• When the three insisted on joining him, Xiao Ran warned them they might face punishment, but they agreed to go with him.
• Xiao Ran reasoned that changing factions might require the Three strong ones to leave the Earth Force after delivering the stolen Gundams and their data.
• Xiao Ran upgraded the mobile suit and X11's backpack OS, then redirected the Earth Force's hidden backdoor to make the PS Armor overload if activated.
• Xiao Ran reconnected communications, launched the mobile suit, and ordered Stella, Orro, and Sting to follow while cutting off Earth Force communications.

Xiao Ran forced a breakout from Moon Base after convincing Stella, Sting, and Orro to leave the Earth Force, then led them toward Earth. He explained that he had taken them with him to save them from the Earth Force’s use of them as Living CPUs, while the chapter ended with their escape underway.

• Xiao Ran learned the other three Gundams lacked sortie authorization and decided to break out of the spaceport by force.
• Xiao Ran told Stella, Sting, and Orro that Stella could be cured and urged them to leave the Earth Force; Stella attacked and destroyed the control room.
• Stella and Sting fled the spaceport as Xiao Ran covered them, and Xiao Ran received confirmation that Stella, Sting, and Orro had met the conditions for his faction change.
• Xiao Ran used the Savior Gundam and its Dragon Fangs to disable the Earth Force MS surrounding the three Gundams, then grabbed the Gaea Gundam and led the group toward Earth.
• Xiao Ran told Sting and Orro that the Earth Force treated them as Living CPUs and that their medication might have left them with little time to live.

Xiao Ran led Stella, Sting, and Orro away from the Moon Base and toward Orb, fighting off the Earth Force pursuers before guiding the four Gundams through atmospheric entry. The units safely descended toward the sea near Orb.

• Xiao Ran turned the Savior Gundam back to attack the pursuing Earth Force units, then ordered Stella, Sting, and Orro to keep moving while he covered their escape.
• Xiao Ran told Sting and Orro they were heading to Orb, and the four Gundams escaped before the Earth Force could organize a larger pursuit.
• As the group reached Earth's boundary, Xiao Ran had Stella calculate an entry route into Orb's territory and instructed Sting to assist Orro with the Abyss Gundam's descent.
• Stella supplied the trajectory, and the four pilots transformed their Gundams and began descending through the atmosphere.
• Xiao Ran guided the others through a smooth atmospheric entry, and the four Gundams slowed their descent toward the sea.