Chapter Summaries

After the Odyssey Operation, Xiao Ran was promoted and given command of an expanded fleet as the Federation built up his Astray unit for the coming decisive battle. The chapter ends with Casval Rem Deikun publicly denouncing the Zabi family and warning that Zeon’s war effort is doomed.

• Xiao Ran’s achievements and political backing secured him command of a standard fleet, while the Federation redirected resources from GM development to Anaheim and mass-produced M1 Astrays.
• Xiao Ran returned to the Moon and sent his machines for maintenance as El-Elf and Zechs managed the expanded fleet and its flood of applications.
• Xiao Ran, Cardias, El-Elf, Zechs, and Ozma watched a worldwide broadcast from Cardias’s mansion.
• Casval Rem Deikun introduced himself as Zeon Zum Deikun’s son and explained that he had lived under the name Char Aznable to investigate his father’s death and the attempts on his life.
• Casval condemned the Zabi family for deceiving and impoverishing Zeon’s people, draining the nation’s resources, and leading it toward defeat and surrender.

Char used a broadcast to blame the Zabi family for Zeon’s war crimes and the disastrous Odyssey Operation, then declared the founding of New Zeon and war against the Zabi family. Xiao Ran and Cardias discussed how to exploit the split in Zeon and secure Federation cooperation while covertly supporting Char.

• Char condemned the Zabi family for concealing crimes, sacrificing soldiers, and risking another war, while Xiao Ran’s companions recognized the influence of Xiao Ran’s advice in the speech.
• Char showed footage of Zeon forces abandoned during the Odyssey Operation and accused Karmar Zabi of starting a doomed battle for personal glory.
• Char invoked Zeon Zum Deikun’s legacy, declared New Zeon’s establishment and war against the Zabi family, and called on the oppressed to join him.
• Cardias praised Char’s timing and predicted the announcement would damage the Zabi family’s standing and draw abandoned Zeon forces to New Zeon.
• Xiao Ran and Cardias agreed to preserve the division between Zeon and New Zeon, pursue Federation cooperation, and provide Char covert support through Anaheim Company.

Xiao Ran decided to help Char establish New Zeon by seizing Zeon’s Granada base and Solomon Fortress, giving the movement a stronghold and raising the mission completion rate. After Xiao Ran began gathering intelligence, Char arrived with a battle plan targeting Granada.

• Char’s public announcements of defections and New Zeon’s growing strength increased unrest among Zeon’s oppressed nationals, while the Federation considered supporting New Zeon.
• Xiao Ran noted that Main Mission Three’s completion rate had reached seventy-six percent, including a sharp increase after Karma was handed over to the Earth Federation.
• Xiao Ran concluded that New Zeon needed an independent headquarters and chose Zeon’s Granada base and Solomon Fortress as potential targets.
• Xiao Ran contacted Cardias, El-Elf, Zechs, Ozma, and others to gather intelligence on the two strongholds.
• Char brought Xiao Ran an existing battle plan for the Granada base, and Xiao Ran began reviewing it.

Xiao Ran and Char planned to seize Granada Base and capture the Flanagan Institute, whose Newtype and Enhanced Human research threatened New Zeon. Xiao Ran accepted the resulting A-Class Legion Mission, and the participants began preparing their machines for the dangerous operation.

• Xiao Ran reviewed Char’s plan to infiltrate Granada Base and learned that the Zabi family’s Flanagan Institute was developing a Psycho-frame System and experimenting on Newtypes and Enhanced Humans.
• Char explained that he wanted to capture the institute and bring its test subjects and assets back to New Zeon, and Xiao Ran agreed to help.
• Char proposed taking a nearby military base first, triggering an A-Class Legion Mission to occupy Granada Base, capture the Flanagan Institute, and kill at least two direct descendants of the Zabi family.
• Xiao Ran accepted the mission, and the participants headed to the Anaheim Company’s underground factory to prepare their machines.

Xiao Ran and Char planned an assault on Granada and the Flanagan Institute, prompting Xiao Ran to arrange extensive preparations with Cardias. The chapter ended with Cardias revealing that Anaheim had secretly manufactured several Solar Furnaces, and Xiao Ran approving of his initiative.

• Xiao Ran explained to Cardias that the mission to seize Granada and destroy the Flanagan Institute would be a dangerous operation requiring extensive preparations.
• Xiao Ran warned Cardias that the Flanagan Institute's research into Newtypes and Enhanced Humans could threaten the Federation, New Zeon, and Anaheim if left unchecked.
• Xiao Ran ordered Cardias to keep the Federation unaware of the institute, shift Anaheim's resources toward the operation, and prepare Dragonfly equipment, spare machines, supplies, and AI Chips.
• Cardias agreed to arrange M Particle communication receivers and equipment, noting that the AI Chips would take about ten days to integrate.
• Cardias admitted that he had secretly arranged for Anaheim to manufacture several Solar Furnaces capable of emitting red particles, and Xiao Ran praised him.

Xiao Ran prepared the newly built GN-Xs and modified equipment for the assault on Granada, then launched ahead of Char’s fleet to test them in battle. The chapter ended as Xiao Ran and the AI-controlled Black Astray rushed out of the flagship hangar toward the approaching fight.

• Cardias revealed three completed Solar Furnaces and matching GN-X units, and Xiao Ran assigned them to himself, Naluo, and Saki Maski.
• Xiao Ran explained his modification plans to the Technicians, who began fitting his Black Astray with a Solar Furnace and producing GN-BITs for the units.
• Xiao Ran arranged to test the GN-X and Dragonfly equipment during Char’s attack on Granada, while Anaheim’s factories worked around the clock on the modifications.
• Char’s New Zeon fleet approached the Moon with Anaheim-built Astrays among its forces, and Amuro prepared for his first battle in an Astray.
• Tim Ray confirmed that the Black Astray’s AI Chip and Dragon Fangs were ready, and Xiao Ran launched in Saki Maski’s GN-X as the Black Astray activated beside him.

Xiao Ran and Char led an assault on Zeon's Granada base, where Xiao Ran used GN Particles and Black Astray's weapons to devastate the defenses. Anaheim Company technicians recorded the machines' combat data and concluded that GN Dragoon technology could make mass-produced Solar Furnaces overwhelmingly powerful.

• Xiao Ran and Char charged toward Granada base through its defenses, evading the barrage without firing.
• Xiao Ran ordered Black Astray's weapon control system to take over and use Quick Lock as GN Particles revealed the battlefield to him.
• Anaheim Company technicians began recording real-time GN-X and Black Astray feedback from a spacecraft on the Moon.
• GN-BITs and Dragon Fangs unleashed dense beam nets that destroyed Zeon defenses, silencing fifteen warships and disabling more than thirty MSs in three minutes.
• Anaheim Company staff compared the weapons' performance and discussed combining their capabilities into a GN Dragoon.
• Cardias declared that Anaheim Company should begin mass-producing Solar Furnaces after witnessing the machines' power.

Xiao Ran led New Zeon to capture Granada Base with minimal casualties, then recovered from the battle and learned Anaheim’s Technicians were already developing GN Dragoons. The chapter ended with him inspecting their ambitious designs as he and Saki Maski prepared for the next mission into Zeon territory.

• Xiao Ran overwhelmed Granada’s defenders with his two machines, and the base surrendered to New Zeon after an hour of fighting.
• Amuro impressed himself with his first battle by destroying five Zeon MS units and a warship, while Char recognized Xiao Ran’s extraordinary strength.
• Xiao Ran returned to Brown City exhausted, slept through the night, and recovered most of his Mental Power.
• Saki Maski told Xiao Ran that Anaheim’s Technicians were developing GN Dragoons and that Zeon might try to retake Granada.
• Xiao Ran and Saki Maski visited Anaheim’s underground factory, where he found three GN Dragoon proposals, including one using AI-equipped MS units as drones.

Xiao Ran’s fleet continued preparing for the Flanagan Institute operation while Char handled New Zeon’s negotiations and learned that Zeon had begun producing Psycho-frame machines. After General Revil sent Xiao Ran to a Southeast Asian battlefield, Xiao Ran recognized the 08th MS Team storyline and prepared to take command of the coming operation.

• The Technicians continued developing GN Dragoons and modifying Xiao Ran’s GN-X while setting aside the impractical idea of controlling MS units as Floating Weapons.
• Char learned that Zeon had produced around twenty or thirty Newtype Custom Mecha, then went to Brown City and gave Xiao Ran three days to return before he began the operation himself.
• Xiao Ran arrived in Southeast Asia with his fleet under General Revil’s orders to destroy an important Zeon base and a newly appeared machine.
• Xiao Ran recognized the Ground Combat Gundams and identified the battlefield as the 08th MS Team storyline, likely leading to its final battle.
• Xiao Ran told the brigade colonel that he would assume frontline command during the operation and asked to meet the MS pilots; the elderly adjutant arranged it.
• Xiao Ran told El-Elf to prepare the fleet for the evening gathering and operation, then dismissed the colonel’s hostility as resentment over sharing credit.

Xiao Ran gathered the MS squad pilots and told them that their first battle under his command would be an assessment for the Astray MS Battalion. Shiro Amada decided he had to earn a place in the battalion so he could reunite with Aina, who remained with the Zeon Army.

• Shima sent Xiao Ran the pilots’ files and reported that they had gathered at the base warehouse.
• Xiao Ran recognized Shiro Amada’s file, which described his past talks with Zeon and military trial.
• Xiao Ran addressed the pilots, announcing a planned operation against a Zeon base and new Zeon units that night.
• Xiao Ran said he would assess the pilots and recommend those who proved themselves for the Astray MS Battalion, while stressing that they must obey his orders.
• Shiro Amada resolved to join the Astray MS Battalion because he hoped its humane treatment of Zeon prisoners would help him reunite with Aina.

Xiao Ran questioned Shiro Amada about his ties to Zeon and persuaded him to join the Astray MS Battalion in pursuit of peace. Shiro accepted, and Xiao Ran warned him that the unit would eventually fight the forces leading the world astray.

• Xiao Ran questioned Shiro Amada about the military trial that had accused him of communicating with Zeon, then barred him from the mission until he proved his trustworthiness.
• Shiro admitted that he had befriended a Zeon woman he loved, and Xiao Ran assured him he would not punish their relationship.
• Xiao Ran argued that powerful interests in the Federation and Zeon prolonged the war and urged Shiro to choose a path toward lasting peace.
• Shiro declared that he wanted a peaceful world, so Xiao Ran welcomed him into the Astray MS Battalion and invited him to bring the Zeon woman and his squadmates.
• Xiao Ran warned Shiro that the Astray MS Battalion would one day declare war on the people who had led the world astray.

Xiao Ran revealed to Shiro Amada that he intended to rebel against the ruling powers within the Earth Federation and invited him to join, and Shiro accepted. Xiao Ran then took command of the upcoming operation, and his team began planning their assault during the flight to the war zone.

• Xiao Ran explained to Shiro Amada that his rebellion targeted the families ruling the Earth Federation, not its people, and described the Federation he believed had been usurped by profiteers.
• Xiao Ran invited Shiro Amada to join his cause, and Shiro accepted after considering the chance to build a peaceful future with Aina Sahalin.
• Xiao Ran sent El-Elf to help Shiro choose a reserve machine and promised to bring Aina to him openly, then went to collect the operation plan from Colonel Ethan Raya.
• Xiao Ran told Ethan Raya that Shiro had joined the Astray MS Battalion and took command of the operation’s frontline forces.
• Xiao Ran and his battalion boarded their transport aircraft and flew toward the war zone, where El-Elf began outlining Zeon’s territory and the operation plan.

Xiao Ran led the assault on an unknown Zeon base while Ozma, Naluo, and Zechs took teams to retake nearby towns. When Zeon ambushed the Federal transports with anti-aircraft fire and flying MS, Xiao Ran assumed battlefield command and began clearing the enemy aerial forces.

• El-Elf briefed the team on the operation, and Xiao Ran assigned Ozma, Naluo, and Zechs to lead town-recapture teams while he headed for the Zeon base.
• The three teams departed, leaving Xiao Ran and two transport aircraft to continue toward the base.
• Zeon attacked the transports with anti-aircraft fire and Tigers and Zakus equipped with Flight Packs, so Xiao Ran launched in the Black Astray to intercept them.
• Xiao Ran ordered Saki and El-Elf to destroy the anti-aircraft positions and formally assumed combat command, directing the transports to withdraw after deployment and the landed MS to regroup.
• Xiao Ran evaded the incoming fire, shot down two Zeon MS, and destroyed a charging Tiger by piercing its head with the Black Astray's Beam Saber.

Xiao Ran’s Black Astray destroyed Zeon aircraft and ground anti-air positions, helping the Federal Army survive the ambush. After Zeon began withdrawing, Xiao Ran ordered the troops to rescue the wounded, put out the fires, and secure the area.

• Xiao Ran shot down two Tiger units and used Quick Lock to attack the remaining Zeon aerial MS, reducing the threat to the Federal Army’s Transport Aircraft.
• Xiao Ran dived toward the Zeon anti-air positions and evaded their fire as he approached.
• Xiao Ran used Quick Lock and the Black Astray’s weapons to destroy the gun emplacements and set the surrounding forest ablaze.
• Xiao Ran reported that the Zeon Army was withdrawing, forbade pursuit, and assigned the squadrons to rescue personnel, extinguish the fire, and establish defenses.
• The Astray MS Battalion cleared a landing area for helicopters, which delivered supplies and evacuated wounded Federal and Zeon soldiers.

Xiao Ran halted the advance on the Zeon Army base to rescue the wounded, contain fires, and give his exhausted troops time to rest, despite Colonel Rhea’s demands. After recalling the base’s powerful atmospheric MA and its developer, he arranged for El-Elf to infiltrate the base and kidnap the developer while the Astray MS Battalion attacked the MA.

• Xiao Ran stopped the pursuit, ordered battlefield rescue and fire containment, and rejected Colonel Rhea’s demand to resume the advance immediately.
• Xiao Ran told Colonel Rhea that his forces needed repairs, intelligence, and rest, then let the soldiers recover while dispatched units completed their assignments.
• Xiao Ran recalled that the Zeon base’s atmospheric MA could destroy a mountain peak and decided he would not let the Federal Army acquire it or its developer.
• El-Elf proposed infiltrating the base to extract the developer and having the Astray MS Battalion destroy the MA before the main Federal force arrived.
• Xiao Ran assigned El-Elf to take Basak’s clansmen and Saki on the infiltration, while he would handle the Zeon Army’s MS.

Xiao Ran led an assault on a neglected Zeon base, where El-Elf and his group quickly took control. They discovered that Gihlias Sahalin had poisoned the base’s Technicians and others, and Xiao Ran considered how to control the captured commander and developer of the Apsalus III.

• Xiao Ran ordered El-Elf to infiltrate the Zeon base, assess its forces, and prepare for the others’ attack an hour later.
• Xiao Ran and the remaining MS attacked the base, meeting almost no resistance while El-Elf signaled that the area was secure.
• Saki Maski told Xiao Ran that the base’s wounded and logistics personnel had been preparing to retreat, and that the Technicians had been poisoned.
• Saki Maski identified Gihlias Sahalin as the captured base commander and chief developer, while El-Elf explained that Gihlias had poisoned his colleagues to monopolize credit for the Apsalus III.
• Xiao Ran recalled Gihlias’s obsession with restoring his family’s fortunes and decided his clear weaknesses might make him controllable.

Xiao Ran released most of the captured Zeon soldiers and persuaded Aina Sahalin and Gihren to remain while the others left for New Zeon. He offered Gihren help rebuilding the Sahalin family in exchange for his work, and Gihren accepted just as an MS descended overhead.

• Xiao Ran ordered the captured Zeon soldiers released, keeping Aina Sahalin and Gihren behind for questioning.
• Aina ordered the wounded soldiers and staff to withdraw to New Zeon's Granada base, while Saki Maski clarified that the Sahalins would be sent to the moon afterward.
• Xiao Ran told the departing soldiers that they could join New Zeon or leave, but warned that those who continued fighting for the Zabi family would face him again.
• Xiao Ran questioned Aina about the Sahalin family's decline and urged Gihren to pursue technical work rather than military service.
• Xiao Ran promised to help Gihren rebuild the Sahalin family if he worked for him, and Gihren eagerly agreed.
• An MS appeared overhead and began descending as Gihren accepted Xiao Ran's offer.

Xiao Ran’s forces destroyed the Zeon base in a nuclear blast after evacuating its personnel and secretly bringing Aina and Gihren into the Astray MS Battalion. The unit regrouped with Lieutenant Colonel Kojima’s troops, and Xiao Ran prepared to return to his fleet while inviting Kojima and his pilots to join him.

• Gihren studied the Black Astray and the arriving enhanced M1 Astray, while Aina recognized Shiro Amada and reunited with him.
• Xiao Ran ordered the base destroyed and told Shiro to bring Aina and Gihren to join the Astray MS Battalion.
• El-Elf warned the unit that a nuclear bomb was about to detonate, and Xiao Ran led nearly twenty machines away from the base.
• The nuclear explosion obliterated the Zeon base, and the Astray MS Battalion regrouped with the approaching Federal Army forces.
• Xiao Ran told Lieutenant Colonel Kojima that the Zeon personnel had triggered the base’s self-destruct, then declined his invitation to celebrate and offered Kojima’s pilots a place in his unit.

Xiao Ran returned to the moon and met with Char to discuss seizing the Flanagan Institute, whose Newtype mobile suits had entered mass production. Char proposed using his hidden Zeon operatives to extract the Institute’s research and test subjects while a second team drew Zeon forces away by attacking a new mobile-suit factory, leaving Xiao Ran to consider the dangerous plan.

• Xiao Ran returned to the moon, arranged for Shiro Amada’s team to join the Astray Fleet, and sent Gihren to work with Cardias while Aina became an Anaheim test pilot.
• Char dealt with a Zeon vessel seeking to dock at Granada Base, then visited Xiao Ran after settling its arrival and the uncertain status of its pilots.
• Char told Xiao Ran that the Flanagan Institute had made breakthroughs in Psycho-frame research and was mass-producing mobile suits for Newtypes.
• Xiao Ran warned Char that capturing the Institute’s research and people would require time, manpower, and a safe way to escape Zeon defenses.
• Char proposed using his hidden operatives to seize the Institute while another team created a diversion by destroying a factory producing Zeon’s new mobile suits.
• Xiao Ran agreed that the new machines had to be destroyed, though the diversion team would face a near-suicidal mission in enemy territory.

Xiao Ran rejected Char’s plan to sacrifice people to destroy Zeon’s Newtype mecha factory and proposed capturing the Zabi family instead. Char warned that the plan was too dangerous and refused to let Xiao Ran risk himself, leaving their disagreement unresolved.

• Xiao Ran and Char discussed the threat posed by Zeon’s Newtype Custom Mecha and the value of destroying the Flanagan Institute and its factory.
• Xiao Ran explained that Minovsky reactors and computer-controlled Dragon Fang weapons were more practical for their forces than relying on Solar Furnaces and Newtype pilots.
• Char’s plan to sacrifice people to create chaos troubled Xiao Ran, who said his team would handle the factory while he pursued a more direct operation.
• Xiao Ran proposed capturing every member of the Zabi family to throw Zeon into disorder, but Char objected that the attempt was too dangerous and could not succeed.
• Saki Maski entered the room carrying a bag just as Xiao Ran was about to respond.