Chapter Summaries

Mu questioned whether Athrun, Dearka, and Nicol could truly fight alongside Orb, and they each affirmed their commitment to protecting peace and destroying Genesis. Xiao Ran explained that Orb would evacuate because the Earth Force had overwhelming Gundam forces, and he prepared Kira and Athrun to protect the departing battleships.

• Mu asked Athrun whether he could fight against ZAFT, and Dearka and Nicol explained why they had chosen to protect Orb and oppose Genesis.
• Athrun admitted he was still unsure what was right but said he wanted to fight for peace and protection, like Dearka and Nicol.
• Cagalli demanded to know why Orb was evacuating, and Xiao Ran explained the Earth Force had produced at least fifty Gundams and Orb could not withstand their forces.
• Cagalli ran to seek an explanation from Representative Asaha, while Xiao Ran told Graham to prepare and said the evacuation would begin if no battle started.
• Athrun volunteered to protect the departing battleships with Kira, and Xiao Ran explained that Black Astray's Destiny-00 backpack resembled Justice Gundam's but had a different internal structure.

As Orb prepared to evacuate while Earth Force attacked again, Xiao Ran brought the Asuka family into a factory and explained Orb’s plans and Shinn’s potential. He asked Shinn to join ZAFT and become a pilot so he could someday protect Orb, but Shinn had not yet answered.

• Graham reported that Black Hawk detected Earth Force deploying mobile suits, and Xiao Ran ordered the remaining personnel evacuated and the pilots to sortie to keep the battle away from the main island.
• Xiao Ran met the Asuka family and led them into the factory, where Shinn and Mayu saw the mobile suits preparing to launch.
• Xiao Ran explained that Orb was drawing the attack toward the island while its forces prepared to leave for space, and said Representative Asaha would remain to defend Orb’s ideals and vital facilities.
• Xiao Ran told the Asuka family that Shinn and Mayu had a rare power that could shape the world’s future, and identified Kira, Athrun, Lacus, and Cagalli as others who possessed it.
• Xiao Ran asked Shinn to go to PLANT, join ZAFT, and become a pilot who could protect Orb in the future, but Mrs. Asuka objected and Xiao Ran asked Shinn whether he was willing.

Xiao Ran persuaded Shinn to join ZAFT for two years in exchange for protecting and supporting his family, then arranged for Shinn to leave Orb under a false identity. He also planned to entrust advanced technology to Lacus, preparing for a possible return to this world.

• Shinn agreed to join ZAFT after Xiao Ran promised his family support and allowed him to choose his path after two years.
• Shinn told his mother he wanted to help Orb, and Xiao Ran arranged for the family to go to the Archangel.
• Xiao Ran showed Shinn the battle and explained the sacrifices Orb's forces made to protect civilians and the country's ideals.
• Xiao Ran told Shinn he would be declared a war orphan, cut off from his family, and sent to ZAFT through refugee channels.
• Shinn returned to say goodbye to his family, while Xiao Ran planned to leave Solar Furnace data and other technology with Lacus.

Xiao Ran returned from space with Black Hawk’s new missile backpack and unleashed its thirteen GHOST Drones against Earth Force’s attack formation, helping Orb hold the line. As Earth Force began withdrawing and Orb prepared to evacuate, Xiao Ran targeted the three enemy Gundams for one last attack.

• Xiao Ran flew Black Hawk into space, replaced its heavy armor backpack with a missile-loaded one, released the thirteen GHOST Drones, and returned to the battlefield.
• Xiao Ran ordered Haro to remove the drones’ attack restrictions and target Earth Force’s mobile suits, and their strafing runs tore through the enemy formation.
• Mu, Kira, Athrun, Dearka, and Nicol watched in shock as Black Hawk transformed and Naluo’s MK-II Gundam used its GN-BITs and GN Rocket Cannon to destroy and suppress enemy units.
• Earth Force began withdrawing, and Archangel ordered several units to return for evacuation while Freedom Gundam, Justice Gundam, and Black Astray covered them.
• Xiao Ran fought Forbidden Gundam and, as Kusanagi prepared to depart, ordered the drones to target Calamity Gundam, Raider Gundam, and Forbidden Gundam.

Xiao Ran and the allied mobile suits drove back the Earth Force attack, allowing the Orb warships to escape into space before Orb’s main island self-destructed. The survivors mourned the island’s destruction, while Shinn Asuka’s helicopter was caught in the resulting shockwave.

• Xiao Ran used Black Hawk and the thirteen drones to defeat the three enemy Gundams, cutting away Forbidden Gundam’s Beam Energy-diverting Armor and crippling the enemy force.
• Xiao Ran ordered the drones to escort the departing ships, then concealed two freighters with GN Particles as Kusanagi, another warship, and Archangel launched into space.
• The Earth Force fleet headed for Orb’s main island, where a massive explosion destroyed the island and devastated the approaching flank fleet.
• Athrun, Graham, Mwu, Cagalli, and others mourned Orb’s destruction, while Shinn Asuka questioned the sacrifice and then struggled as the shockwave threw his helicopter out of control.
• Xiao Ran watched the island’s light fade and promised Representative Asaha that he would fulfill his promise.

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.