Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ran’s Justice Gundam overwhelmed the Combined Fleet, destroying several elite machines and forcing the remaining MS to surrender. After the battle, he sent most of Orb’s fleet toward the Combined Fleet and sensed Cruze and Luo arriving from above.

• Justice Gundam destroyed Golden Scavenger and Azure Calamity, using Scrap Dealer’s skill to salvage both machines before they exploded.
• Justice Gundam crippled Crimson Aegis and ordered the remaining Combined Fleet MS to surrender or die, prompting them to throw down their weapons.
• Kira, Cagalli, Athrun, Mu, and the others watched Justice Gundam’s overwhelming performance, while Xiao Ran collapsed from the strain of pushing it beyond its limits.
• Xiao Ran handed control of Justice Gundam to Haro and ordered the forces to search for Black Strike and the red machine.
• Xiao Ran sensed Cruze and Luo approaching, left ships behind to handle prisoners and the battlefield, and ordered the rest of Orb’s fleet to advance on the Combined Fleet.

Athrun intercepted Cagalli and Kira as the Orb Fleet advanced toward the Combined Fleet, then defended the soldiers’ choice to fight and condemned Cagalli for trying to stop them. He urged Kira to take Cagalli away from the battlefield, leaving the Orb Fleet’s advance underway.

• Cagalli pursued the advancing Orb Fleet in her Crimson Strike and ordered it to stop, but the fleet ignored her.
• Athrun piloted the Savior Gundam X11 toward Cagalli, and Kira moved the Freedom Gundam in front of her before Athrun identified himself.
• Athrun told Kira and Cagalli that he had joined ZAFT as a FAITH and accepted Lord Asaha’s invitation to help protect Orb.
• Cagalli asked Athrun to help stop Xiao Ran and prevent Orb from facing the Combined Fleet, but Athrun accused her of undermining the soldiers’ resolve.
• Athrun told Cagalli she was no longer Orb’s Prime Minister and urged Kira to take her away from the battlefield.

Athrun persuaded Cagalli and Kira to stay away from the battlefield, while Cagalli apologized to him before he departed. As the Orb Fleet engaged the Combined Fleet, Xiao Ran led the assault in Justice Gundam and GN Dragoons, leaving the battle underway with Orb pressing its advantage.

• Athrun warned Kira and Cagalli that interfering could endanger them and Orb, and Kira agreed to support Cagalli’s choice to leave the battlefield.
• Cagalli accepted that she had no right to influence Orb’s military, then asked to watch the battle from a safe distance.
• Cagalli apologized tearfully to Athrun, who said she still owed him an answer and explanation before flying away in Savior Gundam X11.
• The Combined Fleet learned its harassment force had suffered heavy losses as Orb’s fleet arrived in an aggressive formation and detected reinforcements descending from space.
• Xiao Ran took control of Justice Gundam and ordered all forces to attack, charging into the Combined Fleet as his GN Dragoons struck its Windams.
• Orb’s Murasame units and other forces joined the assault, while Abyss Gundam destroyed an Earth Force warship beneath the sea.

Xiao Ran’s Justice Gundam and Savior Gundam X11 devastated the Combined Fleet, easing the pressure on Orb’s forces, but Xiao Ran learned that the Earth Force had launched an attack directly on Orb. He suspected Cruze and Luo had changed their landing route to Orb, while the fate of the homeland remained unclear.

• Xiao Ran used Justice Gundam’s GN Dragoons and greatsword to break through the Combined Fleet’s lines, then Savior Gundam X11 unleashed a full barrage that destroyed or crippled many Windams.
• Xiao Ran followed with a rain of beams and swept Justice Gundam’s sword across the Combined Fleet, damaging roughly a dozen warships and inflicting heavy losses.
• Xiao Ran searched for Cruze’s Destiny Gundam, but Haro shielded Justice Gundam from a coordinated attack and Xiao Ran destroyed the attacking Windams.
• Bargyll told Xiao Ran that enemies had descended from space and Orb was under attack.
• Xiao Ran suspected Cruze and Luo had redirected their descent to Orb and realized the Earth Force was using the Combined Fleet as bait.

Xiao Ran’s forces routed the Combined Fleet while Orb’s homeland came under attack from three Destroy Gundams. The fleet battle ended with surrendering ships captured and holdouts destroyed, while Orb’s defenses remained engaged with the enemy machines.

• Bargyll reported that three Destroy Gundams had breached Orb’s defenses, damaged the military port, and destroyed a base, but Cruze, Luo, and Orb’s forces had stabilized the line.
• Xiao Ran ordered the Combined Fleet to surrender or face annihilation without prisoners, and Bargyll broadcast his ultimatum across the fleet.
• Some Combined Fleet ships surrendered, while Blue Cosmos and LOGOS forces largely continued fighting.
• Xiao Ran piloted Justice Gundam into the fleet and destroyed the ships that refused to surrender, ending the battle in just over an hour.
• After returning to Second Archangel, Xiao Ran changed clothes and went to the combat conference room to review the battle’s losses and Orb’s situation.

After Xiao Ran’s fleet defeated the Earth Force, he coordinated prisoner recovery and the defense of Orb’s homeland, where the fighting soon ended with all three Destroy Gundams destroyed. PLANT recognized Orb as a neutral country, and other small nations and factions declared support for Orb’s neutrality while the defeated Earth Force remained silent.

• Orb’s young officers praised Xiao Ran’s victory and blamed Cagalli’s leadership for Orb’s recent troubles, while Xiao Ran overheard them before entering the combat conference room.
• Xiao Ran ordered his officers to take custody of surrendered Earth Force personnel, send some warships back to Orb, maintain the homeland’s defenses, and address civilian casualties.
• An officer reported that Orb’s defenses had stabilized and that the Earth Force mobile suits invading the homeland were being eliminated with help from Heaven’s Pillar’s MS Unit.
• Xiao Ran directed the recovery team to secure prisoners and salvage the Black Strike and Crimson Aegis, then reviewed losses and arranged further operations before resting.
• After Xiao Ran woke, he learned that Orb’s battle had ended with all three Destroy Gundams and their accompanying elite mobile suits destroyed.
• PLANT formally recognized Orb as a neutral country, and several other small nations and factions declared support for Orb’s neutrality while the Earth Force stayed silent.

After Orb repelled the Earth Force attack, Xiao Ran returned to a devastated harbor and resumed command while Mina Lund explained how she had helped defend the city. He reviewed the battle’s losses and captured equipment as Cruze arrived to see him.

• Xiao Ran returned to Orb and saw the ruined military harbor, where troops and Akatsuki Works personnel guarded the captured Destroy Gundams and transported wounded soldiers ashore.
• Mina Lund told Xiao Ran she had taken charge of the Defense Building during the attack, and he thanked her for helping save Orb.
• Xiao Ran reviewed Mina’s defensive arrangements, made minor adjustments, and spent the night handling calls and requests from other countries.
• Xiao Ran ordered Bargyll to rest after she delivered the battle report, then agreed to meet Cruze.
• Xiao Ran read that Orb had suffered heavy military losses and civilian casualties, while capturing numerous Windams and several Gundams, including two Destroy Gundams.

Xiao Ran heard Cruze’s report on the many crises tied to Luo and considered how Orb could help resolve them. The report ended with the discovery that the Librarian had created two Photocopy Persons resembling Xiao Ran, prompting him to vow to investigate and destroy the organization.

• Xiao Ran complained to Cruze about the backlog of concealed government matters and the Ceran Family’s rule, then asked about Luo’s recent troubles.
• Cruze described threats facing Heaven’s Pillar, the Scrap Merchant Guild, and the Mars Princess, as well as the Alliance’s East Asia MS development project tied to Luo and mercenaries.
• Xiao Ran considered using Orb’s resources to help address the problems and recognized the potential threat and opportunity posed by Actaeon’s follow-up project.
• Cruze revealed that the Librarian had captured two Photocopy Persons resembling Xiao Ran, each with unusual mental perception and spatial abilities.
• Xiao Ran reacted in disbelief, and Cruze promised to investigate while warning him to protect Orb’s genetic samples.
• Xiao Ran decided Orb would gather information on the Librarian and destroy it as soon as possible.

Orb’s overwhelming victory over the Combined Fleet revealed Xiao Ran’s growing military strength and influence, alarming the Earth Force, LOGOS, and Durandal. The Earth Force fell silent rather than risk another attack, while Durandal sought to learn Xiao Ran’s intentions and secure Orb’s support.

• Orb defeated the Combined Fleet despite having fewer than a third of its forces, with the Midnight Gundam and the black Justice Gundam leading key attacks.
• Reports linked Xiao Ran to both the Midnight Gundam and the Justice Gundam, while Orb’s other unfamiliar machines and reinforcements further underscored its resurgence.
• The Earth Force recognized that another assault on Orb would require a much larger force and risk leaving it vulnerable to ZAFT, so it held back.
• LOGOS pushed for greater arms spending and considered using nuclear weapons against Orb, but its members feared Xiao Ran’s retaliation and the consequences of starting a nuclear war on Earth.
• Durandal worried that Orb’s growing strength threatened his plans and decided he needed to understand Xiao Ran’s intentions and seek enough support from Orb to buy time.

Xiao Ran and Cruze coordinated Orb’s response to the Librarians, the danger at Heaven’s Pillar, and the Mars delegation. After Cruze left to return to space, Xiao Ran realized the Librarians’ Photocopy People might inherit his Spirit Burst ability and resolved to treat the organization as a major threat.

• Xiao Ran and Cruze suspected Lund Ginaha Sahaq’s hatred of Mina, Luo, Murrue Ramius, and Xiao Ran might explain the Librarians’ attacks on Heaven’s Pillar.
• Xiao Ran promised supplies and support for Heaven’s Pillar, offered to investigate the Librarians, and told Cruze to let Luo decide how to use the Mechanist Equipment.
• Xiao Ran proposed settling the Scrap Merchant Guild on an uninhabited Orb island and asked Cruze to tell Mina he would keep the Prime Minister’s position open for her.
• Xiao Ran arranged for the Mars delegation to travel with Mina and Cruze to Heaven’s Pillar and ordered a powerful new model for the Mars delegation, along with weapons aboard the Second Archangel.
• After Cruze departed, Xiao Ran considered how the Librarians might have obtained his genes and concluded their Photocopy People could inherit his Spirit Burst ability.
• Xiao Ran decided the Librarians were an urgent threat and resolved to be more cautious in his actions.

Athrun joined the Minerva and discovered that Shinn Asuka was secretly in ZAFT on Xiao Ran’s orders. After Athrun and Shinn sent an urgent coded message to Orb to confirm their situation, Athrun noticed someone else closely watching him.

• After leaving Orb, Athrun arrived at Gibraltar and joined the Minerva as a FAITH pilot, surprising its crew and Shinn Asuka.
• Shinn recognized Athrun as someone from Orb, but Lunamaria pointed out Athrun’s FAITH badge and took him to report to Captain Talia.
• On the observation deck, Athrun recognized Shinn and asked why his family had left Orb, prompting Shinn to reveal his secret assignment and fear that Athrun might expose him.
• Athrun assured Shinn that he would keep the secret and offered to confirm their situation with Xiao Ran, but Shinn remained wary.
• Shinn and Athrun used a special code to send an urgent message to Orb, then returned to the Minerva to await a reply.
• As Athrun tried to grow closer to Shinn, he noticed that someone else who was close to Shinn watched him whenever Shinn was absent.

Athrun learned that Shinn had asked Ray to watch him because Ray was also allied with Orb, while Xiao Ran prepared for PLANT Chairman Durandal’s visit. During their meeting in Orb, Durandal praised Xiao Ran and then claimed that a hidden force had manipulated events surrounding the Junius 7 disaster.

• Athrun warned Shinn that Ray had been watching him, and Shinn revealed that he had asked Ray to keep an eye on Athrun.
• Xiao Ran confirmed Ray’s allegiance to Orb, easing Athrun and Shinn’s suspicions of each other.
• The Minerva departed Gibraltar to investigate an Earth Force base, while Orb’s intelligence monitored both sides’ mobile suit research and Xiao Ran prepared for Durandal’s visit.
• Durandal arrived in Orb, and Xiao Ran welcomed him before the two sides met at Xiao Ran’s estate.
• Durandal praised Xiao Ran’s leadership and said a hidden force had controlled events since the Junius 7 disaster.

Durandal tried to draw Orb into opposing LOGOS and bind it to ZAFT, but Xiao Ran recognized his maneuver and agreed only to limited cooperation. Orb would help eliminate LOGOS while avoiding an alliance against the Earth Force or being dragged into a wider war.

• Durandal accused LOGOS of secretly controlling the Earth Force, founding Blue Cosmos, and fueling wars and massacres for profit.
• Xiao Ran recognized that Durandal was pressuring Orb to choose between publicly opposing LOGOS and risking its neutrality, or appearing to let the organization operate unchecked.
• Xiao Ran explained that Orb had known about LOGOS for two years and had tried to restrain its influence, while arguing that the Earth Force and ZAFT also bore responsibility for its resurgence.
• Xiao Ran agreed that Orb could support ZAFT against LOGOS, citing Orb's own conflict with the organization and its commitment to answer those who started wars.
• Xiao Ran resolved to prevent Orb from joining a united force against the Earth Force or being pulled into the wider war, while still securing benefits from action against LOGOS.

Xiao Ran offered Orb’s limited support for ZAFT’s campaign against LOGOS while refusing Durandal’s offer of supplies to preserve Orb’s neutrality. Afterward, he began assembling an elite special unit, leaving PLANT’s delegation with evidence of Orb’s cooperation.

• Xiao Ran told Durandal that Orb could provide only a small special operations unit because the country was weakened and still faced threats from the Earth Force.
• Durandal offered Orb supplies, but Xiao Ran refused, saying that accepting them would draw unwanted attention and deepen Orb’s ties to PLANT.
• Xiao Ran made clear that Orb would cooperate against LOGOS without becoming an ally in ZAFT’s war, while privately resolving to oppose Durandal’s Destiny Plan.
• Xiao Ran and Durandal discussed world affairs, and Xiao Ran later showed Durandal around Orb without revealing confidential locations.
• Xiao Ran began assembling the elite unit promised to ZAFT, demonstrating Orb’s sincerity to Durandal and PLANT’s delegation.

Xiao Ran continued building Orb’s military strength by developing new mobile suits and recruiting pilots for a special unit. He welcomed Bari Ho and Mayu Asuka and gave them documents to review, leaving their new assignments to be revealed.

• Durandal told Xiao Ran that identifying LOGOS’s members would take time, and their joint effort against the organization was put aside for now.
• Xiao Ran accelerated mobile-suit development, sought technical support from Luo, and began voluntary reenlistment and nationwide recruitment for Orb.
• Erica Symonds introduced Bari Ho, Orb’s strongest Astray pilot, and Mayu Asuka, Shinn’s younger sister, to Xiao Ran.
• Xiao Ran welcomed Bari and Mayu, praised their abilities, and explained Orb’s need for strength to protect its rebuilding nation.
• Xiao Ran handed Bari and Mayu separate documents and asked them to read them.

Xiao Ran entrusted Bally with the Crimson Forbidden and Mayu with Midnight Gundam, while stressing that their lives mattered more than the machines. He ordered Director Symonds to arrange the handover and modifications, protect Orb’s advanced technologies, and accelerate repairs as Orb continued developing new mecha.

• Bally and Mayu received the files describing the Crimson Forbidden and Midnight Gundam and learned that Xiao Ran intended them to pilot the machines.
• Xiao Ran explained the machines’ capabilities and assigned the Crimson Forbidden to Bally and Midnight Gundam to Mayu, allowing them to request specialized modifications.
• Bally and Mayu saluted and promised to protect their machines, but Xiao Ran told them that preserving their lives as skilled pilots mattered more than preserving equipment.
• Xiao Ran instructed Director Symonds to hand over the machines, expedite repairs on other captured mecha, and recommend suitable pilots.
• Xiao Ran warned Symonds to prevent Orb’s advanced technologies from leaking, and Symonds described the safeguards protecting them and the ongoing development of a new mass-produced machine.

Orb recovered from its war with the Alliance as Xiao Ran organized refugees, the Scrap Merchant Guild, and a new ace unit while building ties with D.S.S.D. Akatsuki Works then neared completion of its first new mass-produced mecha test unit, just as spies and mysterious visitors gathered in Orb and a ZAFT invitation reached Xiao Ran.

• Xiao Ran helped the Scrap Merchant Guild establish a headquarters on an Orb island, where its members supported refugees and Orb's reconstruction while some joined Orb.
• Xiao Ran formed the Silver Hand ace unit from selected pilots and mecha, assigning it to reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, sabotage, and operations against the Librarians.
• Eshe and her group of four went to D.S.S.D after the organization offered technical support to Orb, while Xiao Ran considered bringing D.S.S.D under his control.
• Akatsuki Works told Xiao Ran that the first test version of its new mass-produced mecha would soon leave the production line, with safeguards against theft and reverse-engineering.
• As spies and mysterious visitors appeared in Orb following news of the test unit, Xiao Ran received an invitation from a ZAFT military base near the Black Sea.

Xiao Ran received Durandal’s invitation and learned that ZAFT had uncovered an abandoned Alliance research base and captured pilots connected to the Librarian. He suspected one captive was his Photocopy Person and decided to send Bargyll and the Silver Hand to meet ZAFT rather than travel himself.

• Xiao Ran read Durandal’s letter about forbidden human research, the Librarian, and captured pilots, then ordered the enclosed memory card inspected.
• Heine Westenfluss delivered Durandal’s message that the matter was urgent and that he would follow Xiao Ran’s arrangements in Orb.
• Xiao Ran recognized Heine and arranged for him to spend two days in Orb before departing with the Orb delegation.
• Xiao Ran considered whether Heine might join a future Destiny Gundam unit and whether he could recruit pilots from Durandal’s force.
• Xiao Ran decided not to visit ZAFT himself and chose Bargyll and the Silver Hand to handle the meeting and investigation.

Xiao Ran arranged Orb’s personnel and forces for a mission to Durandal’s base, then turned to handling the large number of Earth Alliance prisoners captured in battle. He planned to exchange most of them while keeping Sven Cal Bayang and Emilou Brodel, and the chapter left their future with Orb undecided.

• Xiao Ran assigned Bargyll, Mu, Stella, Sting, Orro, and a large group of mobile suits to travel to Durandal’s base aboard the Second Archangel.
• Xiao Ran let the Participants investigate the Librarians with help from Orb’s Intelligence Department while Orb’s administration and resource situation gradually stabilized.
• Xiao Ran reviewed the Earth Alliance’s exchange requests and decided to return the prisoners but keep their captured warships and mobile suits for Orb.
• Director Symonds proposed turning the Destroy Gundams into multi-pilot firepower fortresses, but Xiao Ran rejected the idea for the time being.
• Xiao Ran arranged for two Orb Participant teams to receive the Destroy Gundams despite their poor mobility and restrictions on deployment.
• Xiao Ran planned to keep Black Strike’s pilot, Sven Cal Bayang, and Crimson Aegis’s pilot, Emilou Brodel, rather than return them to the Earth Alliance.

Xiao Ran met Sven and Emilio at Orb’s military port and told them the story of Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala, hoping to persuade the captured pilots to join Orb. He left them considering how Kira and Athrun found a purpose in fighting for peace and protection.

• Xiao Ran decided Sven and Emilio could be persuaded to surrender and considered assigning one of them the vacant Savior Gundam, while planning to keep Dana Snipe imprisoned until Cruze returned.
• Xiao Ran asked the Earth Alliance to send representatives to discuss a prisoner exchange, then went to overlook Orb’s restored military port.
• Guards brought Sven and Emilio to meet Xiao Ran, and he ordered their handcuffs removed despite the guard’s concerns.
• Xiao Ran asked Sven and Emilio about the original pilots of the Strike and Aegis Gundams, then recounted Kira and Athrun’s friendship and their battles during the war.
• Xiao Ran explained that Kira and Athrun had sought meaning in their lives and ultimately chose to fight for peace and protection, as Orb had done.