Chapter Summaries

Mu and Murrue concealed Lacus aboard the Blue Astray while Murrue pretended to accept Sazaland’s demand to join Blue Cosmos. Athrun then infiltrated the Earth Alliance fleet in the Blitz Gundam to search for Lacus and Kira, entering the Doolittle with plans to cross to the Archangel.

• Mu realized Cruze’s disclosure about Lacus could let Blue Cosmos use her to control the Archangel, and he and Murrue agreed to conceal her location.
• Murrue told Sazaland that Lacus might be in the officers’ quarters and pretended to accept his offer, while knowing that handing Lacus over could endanger the crew.
• Cruze’s team reached the Earth Alliance fleet, and Athrun proposed infiltrating the Doolittle to find Lacus before ZAFT attacked.
• Yzak and Cruze supported Athrun’s plan, and Nicol agreed to assist him.
• Athrun used the Blitz Gundam’s Mirage System to enter the fleet undetected, then slipped aboard a Mobius returning to the Doolittle so he could cross to the Archangel.

Murrue and the Archangel crew were betrayed by Blue Cosmos, while Athrun followed Inori Yuzuriha’s robot to the Doolittle brig and found Kira instead of Lacus. The chapter ended with Kira and Athrun reuniting and childhood photographs from Copernicus appearing during a special ending sequence.

• Blue Cosmos took control of the Archangel after Murrue and the crew unlocked its systems, then confined them to the officers’ quarters.
• Mu warned Murrue that Rau Le Creuset might be behind the events and that they could be facing ZAFT as well as Blue Cosmos.
• Athrun followed Inori Yuzuriha’s Rice Cooker Robot through the Doolittle toward the brig, where he believed Lacus was being held.
• Athrun attacked two Blue Cosmos guards who threatened a captive, then discovered the prisoner was Kira rather than Lacus.
• Kira and Athrun recognized each other as a special ending showed photographs of their childhood memories together in Copernicus.

Athrun freed Kira from a Blue Cosmos detention cell, and the two confronted their ties to opposing sides and the destruction of Heliopolis. Kira refused Athrun’s invitation to come to PLANT, and Athrun asked where Lacus was after learning she was aboard the Astray.

• Athrun found an electronic key on the unconscious Blue Cosmos members and unlocked Kira’s cell.
• Athrun grabbed Kira’s hand and asked how she had ended up there; Kira said it was because she was a Coordinator.
• Kira asked whether Athrun was with ZAFT and brought up Heliopolis, and Athrun confirmed he had been there but said they attacked only after confirming everyone had evacuated.
• Athrun asked Kira to come to PLANT, but Kira refused because her friends were aboard the Archangel.
• Athrun asked whether Lacus was aboard the Archangel, and Kira said Lacus was on the Astray.
• Athrun asked where Lacus was.

Athrun reunited with Kira aboard the Doolittle as ZAFT forces approached and Blue Cosmos held the Archangel’s crew prisoner. After Nicol destroyed the Archangel’s bridge, Murrue and the others tried to regain control of the ship, while Cagalli went to retrieve the Strike and discovered it was missing.

• Athrun found Kira, who refused to leave before finding Inori and worried she might kill to protect him.
• Inori reported that Blue Cosmos controlled the Archangel and held its crew under house arrest, while ZAFT forces approached.
• Nicol lost contact with Athrun, then exposed the Blitz and fired through the Archangel’s bridge.
• Cagalli freed Murrue and the other officers, and Murrue directed them to control the Archangel from the officers’ quarters.
• Mu went to clear Blue Cosmos guards as Neumann struggled to steer the Archangel, while Cagalli headed for the hangar to retrieve the Strike.
• Cagalli reached the hangar and found that the Strike had already been taken.

Cruze launched ZAFT’s attack after the Earth Alliance discovered its reconnaissance GINN, while Blue Cosmos panicked and abandoned the Archangel under fire. Kira and Athrun escaped toward the Doolittle’s hangar, where Kira began changing clothes and Athrun realized Kira was a girl.

• Cruze learned Lacus was safe and ordered ZAFT to launch a full-scale attack on the Earth Alliance fleet.
• The Blitz struck the Archangel’s bridge, and Sazaland ordered the Doolittle to disconnect from the Archangel, leaving some officers to die in space.
• Kira and Athrun watched the Doolittle abandon the Archangel, and Athrun wondered how they should proceed.
• Athrun suggested searching the hangar for a reserve Mobius and finding Kira a spacesuit.
• Kira said he did not need a spacesuit and began taking off his coat, leaving Athrun red-faced.

Kira and Athrun fought their way through Blue Cosmos soldiers, while Inori Yuzuriha killed the attackers blocking their escape. Afterward, Kira told Inori he would handle the killing himself, but she insisted that carrying out what he could not bear to do was her duty.

• Kira showed Athrun his bulletproof MUV Protective Suit as armed attackers confronted them in the corridor.
• Inori Yuzuriha assessed the threat and killed the Blue Cosmos soldiers guarding the reception-room exit and hallway.
• Athrun returned fire while Kira was protected by the Black Secret Coffin, and the pair broke through after the attackers lost reinforcements.
• Kira and Athrun found Inori Yuzuriha standing among the dead soldiers, and Kira took her hand.
• Kira told Inori Yuzuriha he would take responsibility for killing from then on, but she said she was his tool and would do what he could not.

Athrun, Inori Yuzuriha, and Kira moved toward the Doolittle, where the Strike was stored, while ZAFT forces overwhelmed the Earth Alliance fleet. The battle left Sazaland demanding answers as the Archangel deliberately cut off communications.

• Inori Yuzuriha told Athrun and Kira that the Strike was in the Doolittle's hangar, and Athrun led the way as Kira agreed to go with them.
• Sazaland ordered the Earth Alliance fleet to attack, but ZAFT's GINNs, Duel, and Buster rapidly dismantled its forces.
• Dearg and Yzak pushed toward the Doolittle, with Buster destroying escort ships and Duel crushing Mobiuses at close range.
• Yzak grew overconfident as Duel advanced, while Dearg covered him and helped clear a path through the fleet.
• A Mobius exploded beside the Doolittle, and Sazaland learned that the Archangel had stopped communicating by choice.

Kira, Inori Yuzuriha, and Athrun escaped the Doolittle aboard Strike, while the Archangel prepared to withdraw from the battle. With Strike and the Archangel no longer restraining ZAFT, Yzak and Dearg intensified their attacks on the Earth Alliance fleet.

• Athrun rescued Kira and Inori Yuzuriha from the Doolittle hangar, and Kira unlocked and boarded Strike with Inori Yuzuriha.
• Kira and Inori Yuzuriha piloted Strike out of the Doolittle, and Strike dodged Yzak's attack as it appeared in space.
• Sazaland ordered the Archangel and Strike marked as enemies after learning Strike had escaped.
• Athrun told Yzak that Strike and the Archangel would withdraw, then he planned to meet Lacus.
• With the Archangel and Strike no longer holding ZAFT back, Yzak attacked the Mobius units and Dearg destroyed a Drake-class escort ship.

ZAFT destroyed the Doolittle and began hunting down the remaining Blue Cosmos forces, while Frey struggled to understand the hatred directed at Blue Cosmos aboard the Archangel. Kira, Athrun, and Inori returned to the Archangel, where Cagalli was startled to see them; the story left their reunion unfolding.

• Dearg destroyed three escort ships, and Nicol disabled the Doolittle’s Fire Line Cannons while Duel battered the ship.
• Sazaland watched the Doolittle explode, and Cruze ordered ZAFT’s forces to switch to free-hunt mode.
• Frey heard refugees accuse Blue Cosmos of attacking people aboard the Archangel, then wandered through the ship as she grappled with the loss of her hopes for revenge.
• Mu stopped Frey from entering the area where Blue Cosmos casualties were being handled, while the viewers discussed Frey and warship bridge designs.
• Kira, Athrun, and Inori returned to the Archangel, and Cagalli was shocked to see them emerge from Strike.

Kira and Athrun headed to find Lacus while discussing why they fought and whether Kira’s identity as a Coordinator mattered to their friendship. Athrun began questioning his motives as the three Gundams returned from battle and Cruze welcomed the destruction that would fuel further conflict.

• Athrun apologized for mistaking Cagalli for Kira on Heliopolis, and Cagalli took the mix-up lightly.
• Kira and Athrun left to find Lacus, and Kira explained that he fought to protect his civilian friends aboard the Archangel.
• Kira asked whether Athrun would still call him a friend if he were not a Coordinator, and Athrun answered that Kira’s identity did not matter.
• Athrun reconsidered his call for Kira to join ZAFT and questioned whether revenge justified the deaths caused by his side.
• Cruze watched the wreckage of the battle and the returning Gundams, pleased that Blue Cosmos would likely retaliate and deepen the conflict.

Athrun found Lacus with Kira and brought her back to ZAFT, while Lacus noticed how close Kira and Athrun seemed. Cruze arrived with the ZAFT Gundams but could not make a move against the Strike and Astrays, and Athrun left Lacus with Yzak.

• Cruze learned that Athrun had reached Lacus and prepared his Ginn, hoping for a chance to provoke a fight.
• Kira reunited with Lacus and learned that she was Athrun’s fiancée, while Athrun called their engagement a political marriage.
• Athrun arrived beside Lacus, but stepped back when she tried to embrace him and then offered her his hand.
• Kira told Athrun he would protect Lacus until ZAFT arrived and revealed that he could remotely operate the two Astrays.
• Cruze arrived with the Ginn, Duel, Buster, and Blitz, but the Strike and Astrays left him no opening to act.
• Athrun left Lacus with Kira and went over to Yzak.

After the battle, Yzak and Athrun retreated with Lacus while Inori watched viewers analyze Athrun’s character and speculate about Kira. When Mu asked how to restore the damaged Archangel bridge, Inori proposed setting up an external bridge with Funnells, and the crew began putting the plan into action.

• Yzak helped Lacus aboard and retreated with Athrun, who kept watching the Strike as its hatch closed.
• Inori watched a popular video analyzing Athrun as an awakening revolutionary and liked it, then read viewers’ theories about Kira.
• Mu asked Inori how to repair the Archangel’s wrecked bridge, and she explained that a full repair would require major facilities and take seven days.
• Inori proposed building a temporary bridge outside the officers’ quarters and using Funnells as external cameras, and Mu agreed.
• Inori and the crew deployed Funnells across the Archangel’s hull to form a camera array and project the outside view into the new bridge.

After Inori restored the Archangel’s external view, Murrue considered changing course to Earth so the crew could reach Admiral Halberton and tend to the wounded. Aboard the Vesalius, Lacus reflected on Inori’s song and the divide between Coordinators and Naturals before leaving for PLANT with Athrun, whom she questioned about fighting Kira.

• Inori’s installation restored the Archangel’s panoramic external view, and Murrue proposed moving the bridge inside the ship.
• Mu explained that the Archangel’s orders were likely to send it to Alaska and that reaching Admiral Halberton on Earth would be safer than going to the moon, especially because the wounded might not survive the trip.
• Lacus’s memorial song played aboard the Vesalius, where she told Yzak and the others that Inori’s songs were not about love between people.
• Lacus asked whether an alien would see any difference between Coordinators and Naturals, and Rau Le Creuset deliberately twisted her point by claiming Naturals would lower humanity’s standing.
• Rau sent Lacus back to PLANT with Athrun, and Lacus revealed that Inori’s red Latex Membrane spacesuit could turn invisible.
• Lacus asked Athrun whether he would keep fighting even if he had to fight Kira, and he said he had no choice.

Inori confronted Frey over blaming Kira for her father's death and profiting from his protection, while Kira reunited with his friends aboard the Archangel. Inori later reminded Frey that Kira had saved her, leaving Frey unable to accept the truth.

• Kira returned to the Archangel and was greeted by Sai, Cagalli, Tolle, and Miriallia, who had joined Orb's side to help him.
• Inori observed that the Archangel's crew had abandoned military discipline after repeatedly breaking rules.
• Inori accused Frey of blaming Kira because he would never retaliate against her, and Frey remained convinced she had done nothing wrong.
• Inori told Frey that her father would have died even without Kira and that war, rather than any one person, had caused his death.
• Inori reminded Frey that she would already be dead if Kira had not saved her, and Frey could not accept it.

Inori Yuzuriha left Frey Alster to decide what she would do, while Lacus returned to PLANT and learned Siegel had a story to tell her. Athrun received the upgraded Crimson Aegis, and the Archangel prepared to enter Earth’s atmosphere with evidence that could protect its crew from a court-martial.

• Inori Yuzuriha told Frey Alster to stop playing the victim and left, prompting Frey to search for something she could still do.
• Lacus reunited with Siegel Klein on PLANT, told him about Inori and Kira, and heard that he had a story to share about someone.
• Athrun reunited with his upgraded Aegis Gundam, which was redesigned for atmospheric flight and renamed the Crimson Aegis.
• Murrue Ramius and Mu realized the Archangel had evidence of Blue Cosmos’s attempt to seize the ship and harm Kira, giving them hope of avoiding a court-martial.
• The Archangel began its descent toward Earth and prepared for atmospheric entry.

The Archangel was attacked by hidden missiles while descending toward Earth, but Neumann evaded them with a dangerous barrel roll. During the maneuver, Kira caught Frey, who became convinced that only he could protect her.

• Murrue and Mu detected missiles attacking the Archangel and suspected Blue Cosmos had used tampered data to conceal the attackers from radar.
• Neumann proposed a barrel roll to evade the missiles, and Murrue ordered the crew to secure themselves.
• Neumann rolled the Archangel through the atmosphere until it evaded the missiles, though the ship's structure groaned under the strain.
• Kira caught Frey during the maneuver, and Frey clung to him, deciding that only Kira could protect her.

After the Archangel crash-landed in ZAFT territory, Inori Yuzuriha received her rewards for the completed Gundam SEED season and agreed to repair and improve the ship. The Camera Card then shifted away from Inori as someone began rebuilding a neural connection system and examining PS Armor.

• Kuzz and Cagalli helped injured passengers after the Archangel landed in the North African desert.
• Murrue Ramius and Murrue disagreed over whether the damaged Archangel should head toward Alaska or seek the nearest Earth Alliance territory.
• Inori Yuzuriha received her season settlement, including design, songstress, figurine, and Character Inheritance Card rewards.
• Mu asked Inori Yuzuriha to improve the Archangel's radar and fix other vulnerabilities, and she agreed.
• Inori Yuzuriha used the Daily Life Camera Card, which showed someone rebuilding a neural connection system and inspecting PS Armor.

Inori Yuzuriha proposed upgrades to the Archangel’s bridge and urged its crew to contact ZAFT for help with the injured refugees. The story then shifted to ZAFT forces in North Africa after nightfall.

• Albert Heinlein received another message from the mysterious Doctor Lacia, who sent designs for new mobile suits and other technologies.
• Heinlein and his colleagues examined the designs, discussing a transformable fighter, a panoramic cockpit, and other concepts.
• Inori Yuzuriha explained that the Archangel’s bridge had a dangerous blind spot in space and proposed replacing it with a panoramic design.
• Inori Yuzuriha offered several repair plans and recommended contacting ZAFT to obtain humanitarian aid for the injured refugees aboard the Archangel.
• Murrue Ramius questioned whether ZAFT would accept the refugees, and Inori Yuzuriha suggested that a refusal would serve their purposes.
• The view shifted to ZAFT in North Africa after nightfall.

Andrew Waltfeld’s ZAFT forces found the damaged Archangel in North Africa and considered its crew’s request for help, while Athrun argued that Blue Cosmos had attacked the ship and urged ZAFT to win it over. Captain Le Creuset ended the debate by announcing that headquarters had sent a message.

• Andrew Waltfeld joked about his coffee before noticing the Archangel moving, and he recognized its crew’s claim that Orb refugees aboard needed help.
• Andrew told Martin DaCosta that the Archangel and Orb mobile suit were not enemies, while ZAFT’s troops remained wary of attacking the battered ship.
• Captain Le Creuset’s team learned the Archangel had landed on Earth, and Athrun concluded that Blue Cosmos had likely attacked it.
• Athrun suggested winning the Archangel over and explained how Blue Cosmos might have arranged events to destroy it and conceal its plans.
• Yzak argued that he would eliminate every Natural, and Athrun challenged him before Le Creuset announced a message from headquarters.

The Archangel’s crew prepared to hide from ZAFT while Madoc worked on a combined Striker pack to upgrade the Strike. When ZAFT arrived, Murrue realized Inori might have another plan if negotiations failed.

• Cruze’s team prepared atmospheric equipment for the four G Series units while the crew waited for the Archangel’s next move.
• Katz and Madoc discussed how the N-Jammer disrupted detection and communications, and Tolle and Sai reflected on the destruction of Junius 7 and the consequences of nuclear retaliation.
• Madoc began combining the Aile, Sword Striker, and Launcher equipment into a lighter three-in-one pack that would give the Strike more firepower but make it harder to control.
• Cagalli broadcast from the Gold Astray, prompting concern on the Archangel’s bridge that ZAFT could hear their position.
• Murrue and Mu saw a ZAFT jeep approach and considered the coming negotiations, while Murrue suspected Inori had a plan if the talks broke down.