Chapter Summaries

Lacus left Xiao Ran’s office after discussing PLANT’s security, then encountered Athrun and his friends waiting outside. She told Athrun that Xiao Ran would become their captain and that their class would operate independently under his direction.

• Lacus’s guard alerted her to Athrun, Nicol, Yzak, Dearka, and Rusty waiting nearby, and she went to greet them.
• Yzak, Dearka, Nicol, and Rusty left Athrun alone to speak with Lacus after she asked why they were there.
• Lacus and Athrun agreed they could remain friends despite their broken engagement.
• Lacus explained that Xiao Ran had been invited to teach their class and would command their unit, which might operate independently of ZAFT’s official ranks.
• Lacus told Athrun that Xiao Ran had selected many classmates, including several people from Orb, and asked him to keep that information secret.

Athrun learned that Xiao Ran had personally selected the preparatory class and suspected some classmates came from Orb. Xiao Ran announced that introductory training had ended and that the class would begin at least six months of intensive study under his unit.

• After Lacus left, Athrun wondered why Xiao Ran had been invited to teach the class and deduced that Asachi, Julie, and Mayura might be Naturals from Orb.
• Athrun speculated that the three Katia sisters and other classmates might also have ties to Orb, though he did not know their actual backgrounds.
• Nicol called Athrun back to the classroom, where Xiao Ran announced that the students had qualified to operate mobile suits and that his training unit would oversee their future studies and assignments.
• Xiao Ran told the class they would have only one rest day each week and that he would create specialized study plans for the Natural students.
• Dearka, Yzak, and other classmates reacted with surprise and tried to figure out who among them was a Natural.

Xiao Ran revealed the recruits’ hidden origins and the classified purpose of their training: to defend Earth from extraterrestrial threats. He left the class with orders to help PLANT dismantle the Alliance after completing a year of study.

• Xiao Ran warned the class that leaking the information he was about to disclose could result in execution, and Heine explained the military penalties for exposing classified secrets.
• Xiao Ran revealed that ten recruits were from Orb, and the five boys and five girls stood before their stunned classmates.
• Xiao Ran told the class that Tinia, Katia, and Melua carried half Frie blood, though they were neither Coordinators nor aware of their ancestry.
• Xiao Ran announced that the class would become an independent unit tasked with fighting aliens and protecting Earth.
• Xiao Ran ordered the recruits to cooperate with PLANT to dismantle the Alliance after completing a year of study.

Xiao Ran told the trainees that they would become the main force in dismantling the Alliance, then introduced Orb and PLANT’s mobile suit projects and organized them into squads. The trainees were assigned future machines based on their training and combat styles, while Meyrin Hawke was appointed Squad Four’s CIC and intelligence commander.

• Xiao Ran said the Alliance could be dismantled within a year and told the trainees they would lead the effort alongside him.
• Xiao Ran explained that ZAFT would gain an advantage over the Alliance before the war reached a stalemate, and urged the trainees to protect Earth and prepare for their future role.
• Heine distributed documents describing Orb’s GAT-X Project and PLANT’s Next Generation Project, and Xiao Ran said the trainees could receive the developing mobile suits if they met his training requirements.
• Xiao Ran formed four squads, assigning Athrun, Nicol, Yzak, Dearka, and Rusty to the first squad and Katia, Tinia, Melua, Asagi, Julie, and Mayura to the second.
• Xiao Ran assigned Heine, Ray, Lunamaria, and Shiho to the third squad, put the remaining trainees in the fourth, and appointed Meyrin Hawke as Squad Four’s CIC and intelligence commander.

Xiao Ran arranged Meyrin’s assignment to intelligence support and prepared a simulated battle to demonstrate his piloting skill. The trainees watched Darkness Sky charge alone at the Combined Fleet as missiles and MAs closed in.

• Xiao Ran assigned Meyrin to intelligence support, then told the trainees to keep the day’s information confidential.
• Xiao Ran’s instructors gathered the trainees in the virtual training room and presented a simulation of the Earth Force assault on PLANT.
• Patrick, Siegel, Lacus, Cruze, and other observers watched the exercise from a separate room.
• Darkness Sky appeared alone before the Combined Fleet and charged toward it at high speed.
• Darkness Sky released fifty Dragon Fangs as the fleet launched missiles and deployed MAs.
• Tinia, Melua, and Katia predicted how quickly the lone machine would defeat the fleet, drawing skeptical reactions from the other trainees, especially Yzak.

Xiao Ran demonstrated the Virtual Machine’s combat power in a virtual battle before PLANT and Orb’s observers. After his Dragon Fangs destroyed the incoming missile barrage, he used twin positron cannons to cut through the Combined Fleet’s MAs.

• Yzak doubted that one person could defeat a fleet, while Dearka and Athrun urged him to watch Xiao Ran’s performance carefully.
• Xiao Ran entered the modified training cockpit, knowing the demonstration could shape PLANT and Orb’s attitudes toward him.
• Xiao Ran sent fifty Dragon Fangs into coordinated formations that wove a beam net and destroyed the fleet’s missile barrage.
• After the Dragon Fangs ran out of energy and returned to their docking slots, Xiao Ran redirected power to his weapons and dodged the MAs’ attacks.
• Xiao Ran fired twin positron cannons continuously for more than ten seconds, wiping out countless Combined Fleet-style MAs.

Xiao Ran’s overwhelming virtual battle demonstration convinced PLANT’s leaders and cadets of his abilities, prompting new military projects and a stronger focus on training. The cadets prepared for battlefield training within six months, while Orb also expanded its forces to protect itself and help maintain world peace.

• Siegel, Patrick, Orb’s representatives, and the cadets left Xiao Ran’s demonstration stunned after he defeated the Combined Fleet alone in barely over twenty minutes.
• Xiao Ran explained the lesson’s purpose, urged the cadets to work toward becoming stronger pilots, and told them they would begin real combat training within six months.
• The cadets responded enthusiastically, and even Yzak was won over by Xiao Ran’s demonstration.
• Siegel and Patrick launched construction of Xiao Ran’s requested defensive, fast transport warship and increased resources for his MS designs, including an improved Savior +11 Gundam.
• Asaha invested heavily in Orb’s pilot training and machine development so Orb could protect itself and prepare to uphold world order.

Xiao Ran trained the trainees for half a year, turning the rookies into C-class pilots and seeing Athrun, Tinia, and Yzak emerge as the strongest. After giving the class a week off, he and Lacus visited PLANT’s industrial satellite cluster, where Siegel and Patrick approached him cautiously, aware of his power.

• Xiao Ran led the trainees through demanding daily academic and MS piloting instruction, while Meyrin Hawke studied intelligence support and technical duties.
• After six months, Athrun reached C+-class proficiency, while Tinia and Yzak became standard C-class pilots; the rest of the class also made substantial progress.
• Xiao Ran gave the trainees a week off and then departed with Lacus for PLANT’s industrial satellite cluster.
• Xiao Ran and Lacus arrived at the military supply harbor under the protection of the Flying Eagle and Giant Whale, where Siegel and Patrick met them.
• Siegel and Patrick suppressed proposals to control or eliminate Xiao Ran and chose to preserve their relationship with him as collaborators.

Xiao Ran inspected the new battleship and discussed ZAFT’s customized mecha, pilot training, and reports of strange machines appearing in space and on Earth. He left Flying Eagle and Giant Whale to help defend PLANT and saw that the new vessel resembled the Ptolemaios from Gundam 00.

• Siegel and Patrick told Xiao Ran that the new battleship was ready and that Orb’s mecha and personnel had been transferred aboard.
• Patrick asked whether ordinary pilots could handle the customized mecha, and Xiao Ran said elites would need specialized training to use them effectively.
• Patrick reported sightings of inexplicable mecha in space and on Earth, and Xiao Ran promised to respond if a threat emerged.
• Xiao Ran left Flying Eagle and Giant Whale in PLANT and advised ZAFT to build a broad analysis and coaching team for its pilots.
• Xiao Ran entered the port and saw a gray, red, and black vessel whose structure reminded him of the Ptolemaios.

Xiao Ran inspected a massive new ZAFT warship built from a main vessel and four detachable subsidiary warships, and approved its design. He let the project leader name it Apocalypse, leaving the ship’s name and purpose tied to a warning aimed at aliens and the Alliance.

• A middle-aged project leader explained that the 753-meter warship combined a main vessel with four independently operating subsidiary warships and carried eight Meteor Units.
• The project leader described the ship’s large hangars, stealth Mirage System, Radiant Transmitter System, weapons, and enormous construction demands.
• Xiao Ran praised the design and asked what the warship was called.
• The project leader named the warship Apocalypse, calling its subsidiary ships the Four Horsemen, and Xiao Ran approved the name while mentioning aliens and the Alliance.

Xiao Ran arranged the staffing, command structure, and uniforms for the battleship Apocalypse, with PLANT and Orb supplying its personnel. After a week of rest, Athrun and the other reserve students arrived aboard and saw the ship’s assembled crew in Unity Army uniforms.

• Xiao Ran agreed with Patrick to fill Apocalypse’s crew using PLANT and Orb personnel, and told them to prepare new uniforms before departure.
• Xiao Ran planned a live-combat training exercise for the reserve students and allowed Lacus to join.
• Orb secretly sent four hundred people to PLANT, helping bring Apocalypse up to its standard complement.
• Xiao Ran appointed Colonel Togodaka as first officer and Li Yougui as second officer aboard Apocalypse.
• Athrun and the other reserve students arrived at Apocalypse, changed into black Unity Army uniforms, and entered its central hangar.

The trainees and instructors formally joined the Apocalypse as soldiers whose existence would not be acknowledged by ZAFT or Orb. Xiao Ran welcomed the crew and explained that their mission would serve a special purpose while protecting Earth.

• Todaka welcomed Mobius and the instructors, assigned them to train the new trainees, and promoted Mobius to white rank.
• Todaka organized the remaining trainees into the combat group, appointed Athrun, Katia, Heine, and Ed as squad leaders, and assigned Meyrin Hawke to CIC control.
• The Apocalypse crew assembled in the hangar as projected screens displayed Xiao Ran, who declared that they had left their PLANT and Orb identities behind.
• Xiao Ran said the Apocalypse would pursue a special mission and protect Earth from the disaster threatening the planet.

Xiao Ran outlined the Apocalypse unit’s goals and assigned its ships, crews, and mobile suits as it prepared to depart in a week. The crew began organizing into teams, with the Alliance operation planned for six months later.

• Xiao Ran told the crew they would oppose alien threats, protect those caught in the war, and remain without official identities for six months before acting against the Alliance.
• Togou explained that the combat group would be divided among five teams, and Xiao Ran described plans for a new world government and a united military after the Alliance’s defeat.
• Xiao Ran appointed Hu Luo, Ashley, David, and Miki as captains of four ships, and named Athrun, Katia, Heine, and Ed as their mobile suit squad captains.
• Xiao Ran assigned mobile suits to Athrun, Nicol, Yzak, Dearka, Rusty, Katia, Tinia, Melua, Asagi, Julie, Mayura, Heine, Thunder God Intent, Lunamaria, Shiho, and Ed.
• Xiao Ran explained that the assigned machines had been upgraded and fitted with system locks to match their pilots’ current abilities.

After months of preparation, Xiao Ran led the Apocalypse and its four escort ships out of PLANT, with Lacus aboard. The fleet activated the Mirage System and continued toward its destination as Xiao Ran called the MS squad captains to a meeting and urged everyone to work together over the coming half year.

• Xiao Ran assigned PLANT and Orb personnel to mixed crews, and the squad and escort captains grew familiar with one another and their machines.
• Siegel, Patrick, and guests from Orb boarded the Apocalypse to inspect it and see it off, while Lacus stayed aboard.
• Xiao Ran ordered the Apocalypse to depart, confirmed that every crew member had received a special communicator, and began the final launch checks.
• The Apocalypse and its four escort ships launched from PLANT, activated their engines, and accelerated away from the satellite clusters.
• The Apocalypse activated its Mirage System, and Xiao Ran ordered the ship to remain alert, summoned the MS squad captains, and encouraged the crew to unite during the voyage.

Xiao Ran chose the Rodnia Research Institute as the Apocalypse’s first target so he could rescue Stella, Sting, and Auel, who might be held there. After learning that the Earth Force used children in brutal experiments, Athrun, Heine, Ed, and Tinia volunteered for the operation, which Xiao Ran began briefing before their arrival at Earth.

• Xiao Ran brought Lacus and Meyrin Hawke to the conference room to brief Athrun, Heine, Katia, and Ed on the Apocalypse’s target.
• Meyrin Hawke displayed a photograph of the heavily guarded Rodnia Research Institute on Earth.
• Xiao Ran explained that the Earth Force experimented on children to create Living CPUs and discarded those who failed.
• Tinia and Heine volunteered to join the mission, followed by Ed and Athrun.
• Xiao Ran said the Apocalypse would reach Earth’s vicinity in about twenty-four hours and that the operation would begin in thirty-six hours, then started explaining the battle plan.

Xiao Ran planned the Apocalypse’s assault on the Rhodea Research Institute and descended to Earth ahead of the main force to prepare. He reached the heavily guarded institute and assessed its defenses, leaving the rescue operation poised to begin.

• Xiao Ran planned a surprise attack using Mirage System units, followed by a Landing Force assault to rescue the children inside the institute.
• Xiao Ran decided to join the mission personally to protect the Landing Force, while Athrun’s and Ed’s squads were selected for the deployment.
• Xiao Ran rode Feiying down to Earth ahead of the Apocalypse, then sent Feiying to assist the descending warships while he continued toward the institute.
• Xiao Ran reached the Rhodea Research Institute and sensed intense resentment and hatred within it.
• Xiao Ran surveyed the institute and found a heavily fortified perimeter guarded by Earth Force troops, weapons, tanks, and armored vehicles.

Xiao Ran infiltrated the Rhodea Research Institute and found abused, discarded children being taken away for disposal. After rescuing them and learning where more children were held, he ordered Flying Eagle, Misty Rage, and Purple Astray to attack while he charged deeper into the institute.

• Xiao Ran entered the research institute by sneaking aboard a United transport truck and using hypnosis to pass inspections.
• He followed soldiers escorting injured children and killed the soldiers when they prepared to dispose of them.
• Xiao Ran comforted the children, hid them in the truck, and promised the little girl he would save the others.
• The little girl pointed Xiao Ran toward the other children, and he contacted Flying Eagle to launch the attack immediately.
• Flying Eagle, Misty Rage, and Purple Astray assaulted the institute as Xiao Ran rushed toward the location the girl had indicated.

Xiao Ran attacked the Earth Force soldiers inside the Rodnia Research Institute and stopped them from storming the buildings where the children were held. He reached the underground cells and found the children alive but badly abused, leaving the bespectacled researcher in terror as he ordered him outside.

• Xiao Ran saw Earth Force soldiers rushing into a building and guessed they planned to kill the children and destroy evidence of the institute’s crimes.
• Xiao Ran shot down the soldiers and captured the white-coated researchers, ordering them to stand against a wall.
• Purple Astray broke through the institute’s outer wall, and its pilot guarded the courtyard while Xiao Ran entered the building with a bespectacled researcher.
• Xiao Ran fought his way through the institute’s defenders and found children crowded into underground cells, injured and filled with hatred.
• The bespectacled researcher begged for his life, and Xiao Ran ordered him outside and threatened to kill him if he tried to escape.

Xiao Ran rescued the children from an Earth Force research institute and comforted Stella, whom he recognized. With the warships unable to care for all the children and a ZAFT base deemed unsuitable, he decided to take them to Orb.

• Xiao Ran calmed the imprisoned children while the Landing Force attacked the institute and killed or captured the Earth Force personnel and researchers.
• The Landing Force escorted the children from their cells, and Xiao Ran kept their restraints on until they could be assessed.
• Xiao Ran recognized Stella among the rescued children, embraced her, and carried her back to the ship after the evacuation.
• The crews treated the injured children in the hangar while Lacus sang to comfort them, and the captured prisoners were taken to the other ship for interrogation.
• Hu Luo told Xiao Ran that the warships lacked the supplies and facilities to care for all the children, so Xiao Ran rejected a ZAFT base and ordered the group to travel beneath the sea to Orb.

Xiao Ran took the rescued children to Orb rather than risk exposing their connection to ZAFT at a nearby frontline base. After the Warship and the Death reached a secret port, he used the Falcon’s Solar Furnace and his Innovator power to envelop the port in green particles and soothe the children’s wounded hearts.

• Xiao Ran chose to take the children to Orb, and Athrun and Ed arranged space for their units in the Death’s hangar.
• The Warship and the Death left the destroyed Rodnia Research Institute under the Falcon’s protection, then traveled toward Orb beneath the sea.
• The children’s registration records revealed that more than fifty had mental disorders, many had undergone severe hypnosis, and all needed long-term psychological care.
• Xiao Ran visited Orro and Sting in the hangar but left them there to avoid agitating the other children.
• The Warship and the Death reached Orb’s secret port, where the Falcon joined them after passing through the steel gates.
• Xiao Ran entered the Falcon and used its Solar Furnace and his Innovator power to bathe the port in green particles and comfort the children.