Chapter Summaries

Inori challenged Cagalli to examine who benefited from the war, while Athrun’s team infiltrated Heliopolis to steal Earth Alliance mobile suits. As ZAFT launched its assault, the unfinished Strike remained in the factory, and explosions struck both the advancing forces and the city.

• Inori argued that Cagalli could not stop the war without understanding its causes and told her to look at who profited from it.
• Athrun’s team entered the mobile-suit factory, where spies revealed that two machines were stored there and another was still being completed.
• Athrun, Dearg, Yzak, Nicol, and Rusty began seizing the mobile suits and disabling their self-destruct systems.
• Cruze ordered ZAFT to coordinate with Athrun and begin the operation to suppress Heliopolis.
• Inori activated the air-raid sirens as the countdown to the attack began.
• Murrue Ramius learned that the unfinished Strike could not move under its own power, and explosions struck as ZAFT’s assault began.

ZAFT attacked Heliopolis and seized the four completed G-series mobile suits while Murrue struggled to use the unfinished Strike. As the colony fell into chaos, Kira stopped Cagalli from rushing toward danger by reminding her that her death could give the Alliance a pretext to force Orb into war.

• A tremor and air-raid siren alerted Murrue and the others that Heliopolis was under attack, and disguised ZAFT agents opened fire on Alliance soldiers.
• Athrun and the other Red Uniforms launched Duel, Buster, Blitz, and Aegis Gundam and began attacking the factory.
• Murrue learned Strike lacked working cameras and a finished OS, inserted an engineer's disc, and fired back from its cockpit as a stationary gun turret.
• Inori Yuzuriha followed Kira and Cagalli while Sai and the others headed for shelter, and Tolle hinted that Inori was capable.
• Kira caught Cagalli as she tried to run off and warned her that her death could give the Alliance cause to drag Orb into the conflict, leaving her collapsed on the floor.

Kira and Cagalli were trapped in Heliopolis as ZAFT attacked, and Inori Yuzuriha revealed the intelligence and power to get them out. After struggling with the consequences of authorizing lethal force, Kira gave permission, and Inori deployed a shield that opened their way into the factory, where they encountered the Strike Gundam and Murrue.

• Kira and Cagalli found the escape passage sealed, while Inori Yuzuriha reported that ZAFT might destroy Heliopolis and that no safe routes remained.
• Inori Yuzuriha asked Kira to authorize higher access so she could protect them, and Kira hesitated over the responsibility for allowing lethal force.
• After seeing Tolle, Miriallia, and Frey among the fleeing civilians, Kira gave Inori Yuzuriha permission to act.
• Inori Yuzuriha deployed the Black Secret Coffin and constructed a shield that stopped an explosion and opened a path into the factory.
• Cagalli recognized the Strike Gundam, and Murrue shot Rusty when he turned his gun toward them.

Murrue, Kira, Inori Yuzuriha, and Cagalli escaped the collapsing factory in the unfinished Strike. Kira repaired its OS enough to fight, but the Strike struggled to match Yzak’s attack.

• Murrue warned the others about a ZAFT soldier behind her, then led them into the factory as the Buster and Blitz broke through its doors and fired missiles.
• Murrue brought Kira into the Strike’s cramped cockpit, and Inori Yuzuriha carried Cagalli inside before the factory was engulfed in fire.
• Inori Yuzuriha gave Kira a VR visor so he could see outside, and he took over the controls while Murrue explained that the Strike’s OS was only temporary.
• Kira inspected the tangled OS, used Inori Yuzuriha’s source code, and made the Strike stand as Dearg and Nicol prepared to attack.
• Kira activated the PS Armor and dodged Yzak’s assault-rifle attack, but Yzak turned his weapon toward the still-stiff Strike again.

Inori Yuzuriha linked with Kira and took over optimizing the Strike, letting it evade the four Gundams with effortless precision. The Strike disarmed Yzak’s Duel, while Athrun realized the shutdown PS Armor was a trap and urged the others to destroy it.

• Cagalli and Murrue watched footage of Kira’s Strike surrounded by four fully equipped Gundams, while Inori explained that the Black Secret Coffin lacked enough power.
• Kira struggled to defend himself with only combat knives, and Murrue called for a retreat because physical weapons could not penetrate the enemy’s PS Armor.
• Inori told Kira to use her, then climbed into position beside him and linked their fingers as he released the controls.
• The Inori OS optimized the Strike’s movements and loaded combat models, while Inori deactivated its PS Armor to provoke the enemy.
• Athrun recognized that the Strike had shut off its armor deliberately and ordered Yzak to resume the plan to destroy it.
• Strike effortlessly dodged the Gundams’ attacks, evaded Yzak’s Duel, and took the Beam Saber from his hand.

Inori Yuzuriha’s command pre-cognition let Kira control Strike with uncanny precision, overwhelming the ZAFT pilots and revealing how dangerous the machine was. After Athrun’s Aegis ran low on power, the ZAFT team retreated with their mission to collect data still in mind.

• Viewers recognized that Inori Yuzuriha was using command pre-cognition, while she chose to let Kira have his moment without interfering further.
• Kira’s Strike dodged Dearg’s attacks and disarmed Yzak, leaving the ZAFT pilots stunned by its skill.
• Miguel arrived to help, but Strike cut off his Ginn’s arm and took its assault rifle.
• Kira fired at Aegis Gundam’s cameras with precise unaided aim, blinding Athrun and forcing him to retreat as its power fell below twenty percent.
• Dearg covered the retreat with a barrage, and Strike reactivated its PS Armor without pursuing the ZAFT team.

Cruze reviewed the battle footage and suspected the Strike’s pilot was connected to the terrifying Ginn known as the Grim Reaper, then went out to confront the Alliance. After Murrue woke aboard the Archangel and questioned Kira and Inori, Cagalli aimed Murrue’s own gun at her and demanded to know why she was working with Orb.

• Cruze learned that Orrol had been damaged, Plan D had been carried out, and the Alliance still possessed the X105.
• Cruze watched the battle footage, recognized the Strike’s precise attacks, and suspected its pilot was linked to the Grim Reaper.
• Cruze left his ship in a Ginn to meet the Alliance and deal with the Moebius Zero that had defeated Orrol.
• Murrue woke among the dead aboard the Archangel and learned from Neumann that no one else remained there.
• Murrue questioned Kira and Inori about how they had controlled the Strike and wondered if they had piloted it a year earlier.
• Cagalli aimed Murrue’s missing gun at her and demanded to know why she was working with Orb.

Murrue disarmed and restrained Cagalli, then revealed that the group was stranded on Heliopolis after Inori reported that all shelters and escape craft were gone. Meanwhile, Mu and Cruze fought through the colony, and the survivors introduced themselves aboard the Archangel.

• Sai, Tolle, Cagalli, and Miriallia arrived and found Murrue confronting Cagalli at gunpoint.
• Murrue disarmed Cagalli, bound her hands, and warned that she and the others had witnessed Earth Alliance classified information.
• Inori reported that nearly all personnel had evacuated Heliopolis and that no lifeboats or escape pods remained, leaving the group stranded.
• Cruze attacked Mu, and their fight moved into Heliopolis as Mu sensed his opponent's presence.
• Murrue, Sai, Cagalli, Tolle, Miriallia, Kira, and Inori introduced themselves aboard the Archangel.

Murrue assessed the Archangel’s damage and learned from Mu La Flaga that ZAFT had stolen four G Series units, leaving only the Strike in Earth Alliance hands. Inori helped repair the Strike and equipped Kira for space, while Murrue questioned their abilities and identities.

• Murrue concluded that ZAFT’s explosion might have been a feint aimed at the Akatsuki Foundation while she checked the Archangel’s status.
• Mu La Flaga told Murrue that ZAFT had taken the Buster, Blitz, Duel, and Aegis Gundams, and that the Strike was the only G Series unit still under their control.
• Inori demonstrated that the Rice Cooker Robot Funell could communicate through electromagnetic interference and said the Strike’s optical system could be repaired.
• Murrue asked Inori how she and Kira had piloted the Strike together, but Inori called the method a trade secret.
• Inori gave Kira an improved anti-G spacesuit and explained how it protected him and helped him withstand the forces of MS maneuvers.

Kira completed Strike’s system adjustments and defended his friends from Cruze, while Murrue’s Archangel drove the Ginn back. Elsewhere, Athrun and the ZAFT pilots realized their captured Gundams’ systems surpassed their abilities, leaving Athrun determined to face Strike again.

• Kira finished adjusting Strike’s system, and Murrue directed the crew to equip it with the Assault Shroud.
• Cruze attacked Strike and its crew, but Kira fired first; when Kira hesitated to avoid damaging Heliopolis, Cruze targeted his friends.
• Murrue ordered the Archangel to fire its Positron Cannons, and Kira’s assault-rifle shot forced Cruze to withdraw.
• Athrun and the other ZAFT pilots tested their Gundams and concluded they could not improve on the preset OS configurations.
• Miguel warned Athrun not to confront Strike’s skilled pilot alone, while Inori Yuzuriha noted how Athrun’s recognition of Kira could change their encounter.

Inori and Kira arrived aboard the Archangel, where Murrue explained how Kira had driven off ZAFT’s forces and Mu discovered that Kira was a Coordinator. When armed crew members reacted with suspicion, Murrue defended Kira and calmed the standoff.

• Murrue welcomed Inori, Kira, and the others aboard the Archangel and credited them with helping save the ship.
• Kira climbed out of the Strike wearing a Combat Suit, and Inori gave her a coat to wear.
• Mu La Flaga boarded the Archangel and learned that Murrue was in command and that Kira had driven off captured Gundams and a ZAFT Ginn.
• Mu asked Kira if she was a Coordinator, and Kira confirmed it as the guards tightened their grips on their guns.
• Tolle shielded Kira, Cagalli defended her, and Inori asked Kira for authorization.
• Murrue ordered the guards to lower their weapons and explained that Coordinators could have settled in neutral Heliopolis to avoid the war.

Inori Yuzuriha investigated Kira’s changing identity while the viewers watched ZAFT prepare to fight the Strike. After the Popularity Points Shop refreshed, Inori bought a Camera Card pack and considered a new procurement card for Kira’s performance.

• Inori Yuzuriha realized Kira felt self-conscious about being a Coordinator and connected her changes to biotechnology and Inori’s stated preference for girls.
• Mu described how Kira anticipated Cruze’s attack and skillfully pinned down his Ginn with the Strike’s assault rifle.
• Cruze assigned Athrun, Yzak, Nicol, and Dearg to use the captured G units against the Earth Alliance, while Miguel and Orro led Ginns equipped with D Equipment against the new ship.
• The viewers debated how both sides faced seemingly impossible odds and questioned why ZAFT considered its mobile-suit operating system perfect.
• Inori Yuzuriha noticed the Popularity Points Shop had refreshed, bought a Camera Card pack, and examined a blue Performance Prop Procurement Card.

The Archangel crew discussed how to protect the children and prepare the Strike for battle, concluding that Kira was their only viable pilot. Cagalli comforted Kira and called her a little sister, while Murrue later found Inori Yuzuriha examining the Rice Cooker Robot.

• Murrue reported that Heliopolis's shelters had launched and evacuation was nearly complete, leaving the children with nowhere to go.
• Murrue Ramius and Mu discussed Inori Yuzuriha's influence and whether the children should stay aboard the Archangel.
• Murrue argued that the Archangel needed the Strike's firepower against Cruze's team, and the crew concluded Kira would have to pilot it again.
• Cagalli thanked Kira, reassured her that Orb welcomed everyone, and said Kira was like a little sister to her.
• Murrue encountered Inori Yuzuriha crouched beside the Rice Cooker Robot.

Inori explained the MUV Protective Suit and urged Murrue to upgrade the Strike’s cockpit so Kira could fight more effectively. As Kira agreed to pilot the Strike to protect those close to her, Inori detected an imminent ZAFT attack on Heliopolis.

• Inori described the MUV Protective Suit’s life-support and synchronization systems to Murrue, who asked whether Naturals could use it.
• Inori said the Strike’s cockpit limited Kira’s abilities and asked Murrue to upgrade it, while insisting the Strike was the safest place for Kira.
• Murrue told Kira that the Archangel needed her to pilot the Strike, and Cagalli protested that she was being sent back into battle.
• Kira said she hated war but would pilot the Strike because she needed the power to protect people close to her.
• Inori detected four ZAFT Ginns and the four stolen G units preparing to attack, then warned Murrue and Mu as radio jamming approached.

Kira and Inori prepared Strike to fight ZAFT’s assault on Heliopolis, while Murrue took command of the Archangel. Strike then faced Athrun’s team and the attacking Ginns as Kira and Inori calculated their movements.

• Murrue told Kira to take Strike, and Inori joined him in the cockpit to help him control the mobile suit.
• Kira asked Madoc to equip Strike with the Aerial Equipment so it could handle a larger ammunition load and move more effectively.
• ZAFT blasted open Heliopolis’s outer shell and sent in Ginns and four G units.
• Murrue ordered the Archangel to focus on evacuating Heliopolis and left the four G units to Strike.
• Kira used Inori’s data to predict the enemy units’ movements as they closed in.

Kira and Inori’s Strike fought Athrun’s team inside Heliopolis, evading their coordinated attacks while the colony suffered mounting damage. With Heliopolis at 67% structural integrity, Inori asked Kira whether he wanted to protect it and requested higher authority.

• Kira evaded Dearg’s blind-spot sniper shot and counterattacked, but Yzak’s Duel shielded Dearg from the beams.
• Athrun’s Aegis, Yzak’s Duel, Dearg’s Buster, and Nicol’s Blitz attacked Strike in concert, but Kira dodged their strikes and disabled weapons with precise shots.
• Kira evaded Aegis’s cannon and Nicol’s invisible attack, slicing Blitz’s Beam Saber apart with a countering swing.
• Kira’s detached and rejoined aerial pack helped Strike evade another sniper shot, while Dearg’s round struck Heliopolis’s central axis.
• Kira warned the pilots that their battle could collapse Heliopolis, as Miguel’s assault on Archangel further damaged the satellite.
• Inori reported Heliopolis’s structural integrity at 67% and asked Kira whether he wanted to protect it; Kira said yes, and Inori requested higher authority.

Inori Yuzuriha gained authorization to activate Orb’s hidden Astray units, allowing Kira to bring MBF-P02 and MBF-P03 into the battle alongside Strike. As the Astrays joined the fight, Kira asked Archangel to launch Strike’s Sword Pack, and the chapter ended with Strike activating its PS Armor.

• Inori Yuzuriha told Kira that Orb had secretly developed five G Series mobile suits in Heliopolis and that the Akatsuki Foundation’s self-destruct countdown was running.
• Kira authorized Inori to control MBF-P02 and MBF-P03, and she stopped the countdown and linked the two units to Archangel’s combat network.
• The red and blue Gundam Astrays emerged from the wreckage, and Murrue ordered Archangel to identify them as friendlies.
• Strike armed both Astrays with spare weapons and helped them drive Athrun’s squad back while Inori promised to correct Kira’s attack trajectories.
• Kira asked Murrue to launch the Sword Calamity Pack, switched Strike to the new equipment, and activated its PS Armor.

Kira used Strike to disable all four Ginns without killing their pilots, forcing ZAFT to retreat. After returning to the Archangel with Inori Yuzuriha and the two Astray units, he left Murrue suspecting Orb had stolen Alliance technology in a security breach.

• Kira used Strike to sever the limbs and destroy the equipment of all four Ginns, while the two Astray units kept Athrun and the others occupied.
• Miguel ordered a retreat, and Athrun led the withdrawal as the Archangel opened fire; Kira and the Astray units let the damaged Ginns escape.
• Kira returned to the Archangel carrying Inori Yuzuriha and explained that the Astray units were unmanned Shifuru prototypes controlled by him, with help from two Rice Cooker Robots.
• Cagalli rushed to see the Astray prototypes, while Mu questioned why Inori had been aboard Strike with Kira.
• Murrue concluded that Orb might have obtained the machine data during a security breach at the Akatsuki Foundation.

Cagalli volunteered to pilot an Orb Astray, while Murrue and Inori discussed recovering the remaining mobile suits and using AI to ease the Archangel’s staffing shortage. Kira offered to help, but Inori refused her.

• Murrue realized the two Astrays could fight for the Archangel, and Cagalli asked to pilot one.
• Inori said naturals could use the Astrays and revealed that parts for two more units were stored at the Akatsuki Foundation.
• Murrue decided to recover the mobile suits, noting the Archangel needed more firepower but lacked enough crew and pilots.
• Inori suggested using AI to automate some of the Archangel’s systems.
• Inori said Cagalli and Mu could pilot mobile suits, and Cagalli promised to protect the crew and get them home safely.
• Kira offered to help, but Inori told her there was no need.

Inori Yuzuriha prepared combat suits and mobile suits for the Archangel's escape, while Cagalli learned her suit included a water-recycling system. At ZAFT's briefing, Cruze concluded his team could not defeat the Archangel and proposed retreating.

• Inori Yuzuriha told Murrue Ramius that she could calibrate Mu's and Cagalli's suits and rewrite their operating systems quickly.
• Murrue Ramius ordered the Archangel to depart in two hours after learning the disassembled mobile suits were being prepared for boarding.
• Inori Yuzuriha took Cagalli to change into a combat suit and explained that it could recycle water for long-term survival in space.
• Cagalli asked to use Kira's more advanced suit, but Inori Yuzuriha said it had been made specifically for Kira.
• Cruze's team reviewed footage of their four Ginns being disabled and agreed that the Strike and the Archangel were formidable opponents.
• Cruze proposed retreating to avoid further losses, shocking Athrun, Yzak, Dearg, Miguel, and Orro.