Chapter Summaries

Inori Yuzuriha challenged Athrun Sarla to consider the consequences of Patrick’s plans, then brought him to meet ZAFT engineer Albert Heinlein and discuss Dragoon technology and Factory Ships. The story shifted to Kira, where Lacus said her engagement to Athrun was over as she took Kira’s hand, leaving Kira unsure how to understand her feelings.

• Inori Yuzuriha asked Athrun whether Patrick had considered the fate of Naturals after a ZAFT victory, and Athrun admitted they would likely suffer.
• Inori brought Athrun to meet Albert Heinlein, who explained the Dragoon System’s reliance on Phantom Particles for Quantum Communication.
• Albert showed Inori and Athrun technical materials and discussed ZAFT’s plans for improving Factory Ships and expanding humanity’s reach beyond Mars.
• Lacus visited Kira on a balcony, covered him with a blanket, and explained that her engagement to Athrun had ended.
• Lacus took Kira’s hand, and Kira felt his heartbeat quicken without knowing whether he welcomed the feeling.

Kira, Lacus, Inori Yuzuriha, and Master Malchio discussed a ceasefire proposal and SEED, which Inori said Kira, Lacus, and Athrun possessed. Kira changed into his new uniform while Lacus and Athrun helped Malchio, leaving Athrun awkwardly trying to distract himself with thoughts of Cagalli.

• Kira and Lacus held hands as they discussed the war, and Master Malchio said he had delivered Secretary-General Albany's ceasefire proposal to Siegel for consideration by the PLANT Supreme Council.
• Lacus doubted PLANT would accept a proposal that placed it under Earth Alliance jurisdiction, and Malchio argued that people with SEED could change the course of war.
• Inori Yuzuriha explained SEED and said Kira and Lacus possessed it, then surprised Athrun by saying he possessed it too.
• Inori told Kira that his new uniform was ready and took him to change, while Lacus and Athrun supported Malchio indoors.
• Kira tried on the uniform and felt more comfortable, while Athrun drank his coffee and thought about Cagalli to distract himself.

Kira wondered whether she could form a band with Lacus and Inori for the rest of their lives, while Athrun struggled with his awkward role as their bodyguard. Athrun finally redirected the conversation by asking Kira about the incident she had encountered before.

• Lacus and Inori revealed that they also wore protective suits, leaving Athrun awkwardly excluded.
• Lacus suggested becoming an idol, and Inori proposed that Kira play guitar in a band with them.
• Kira asked whether they could stay in a band together for the rest of their lives, and Lacus and Inori welcomed the idea.
• Athrun accidentally sprayed coffee when Lacus joked that he could join their girls' band if he were a girl.
• Athrun reminded them that forming a band would have to wait until the war ended, then asked Kira what had happened to her before.

Athrun and the others discussed the Earth Alliance’s enhanced pilots and the possible value of the Archangel’s AI, while Inori outlined her plans for the conflict. Athrun was kept at Lacus’s home for the night, as Kira began recovering and Inori proposed making her an idol.

• Inori explained that Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider were piloted by Naturals enhanced as Cyber-Newtypes, and warned that the Archangel’s AI data could help the Earth Alliance develop a Super AI.
• Athrun asked whether Kira would return to Earth, then realized that Inori’s Forced Liquidation might involve the Gundams and regretted raising the subject.
• Lacus offered Athrun a room for the night and said she would work with Master Malchio to gather intelligence about Earth.
• Inori told Kira that East Asian allies were repairing the Archangel, which now belonged to them through their deal.
• Inori urged the recovering Kira to become an idol, and Kira reluctantly agreed to consider it for Inori.
• Kira asked why she was wearing a transparent membrane, and Inori explained that it helped her absorb sunlight and cosmic radiation while recovering.

Lacus, Inori, and Athrun discussed whether Naturals and Coordinators could reconcile, and Inori argued that humanity’s divisions would look trivial to aliens. Kira joined them and left with Inori to talk privately, leaving Athrun and Lacus alone with the tangled relationships unresolved.

• Lacus joined Inori by the ocean and asked whether Naturals and Coordinators could live together in harmony.
• Inori argued that the division between Naturals and Coordinators was constructed and that conflict would persist regardless of genetic differences.
• Athrun came upon Lacus and Inori, and the three discussed humanity’s conflicts and how aliens might view them.
• Kira arrived in a protective suit and agreed that humanity’s inability to accept itself could endanger it when facing other species.
• Kira said she wanted to talk with Inori and pulled her away, leaving Athrun and Lacus together.

Siegel Klein failed to persuade the Supreme Council to consider Albany’s peace proposal, then questioned Inori Yuzuriha about AI and the future of the war. The story left Siegel unwilling to hand the war to AI and shifted to Frey leaving the Archangel while wondering about Kira.

• Siegel Klein argued for considering Albany’s peace proposal, but Asalia Merl, Irene Canaver, and Hyman Guld opposed it as unacceptable or a delaying tactic.
• Patrick Sarla rebuked Siegel and confirmed that the current Supreme Council would decide policy, leaving Siegel to depart without changing the council’s course.
• Siegel met Inori Yuzuriha by the Whale Stone and asked whether AI could destroy humanity or stop the war; Inori said she could intervene with authorization, but Siegel said war should remain in human hands.
• Siegel left before hearing Inori’s explanation, and Inori told the viewers that he had not listened to her.
• Frey prepared to leave the Archangel after being reassigned, and she wondered whether Kira was still alive.

Frey grieved Kira’s apparent death as Inori Yuzuriha arranged her departure from the Archangel and pursued a Factory Ship project for ZAFT. Yzak returned from captivity after Seibu released him, while Athrun learned of his condition and later mistook Inori’s call for Kira.

• Frey mourned Kira’s disappearance, and Doli flew from her to Sai.
• Inori Yuzuriha arranged for Frey to leave the Archangel for publicity work and wondered what move Cruze would make.
• Seibu released Yzak after his injuries healed, but a child accused him of killing the child’s father.
• Nicol told Athrun that Yzak had returned but seemed mentally unwell.
• Inori Yuzuriha finalized the Factory Ship’s plans, and construction began with a three-month schedule.
• Athrun grew sleepy while waiting, then startled when Inori Yuzuriha addressed him, mistaking her call for Kira.

Inori encouraged Athrun to find his own justice and offered Yzak a place on DSSD’s security team. As ZAFT prepared to attack Panama, Yzak considered whether leaving the military was the right choice, while Rau Le Creuset appeared at a nuclear mobile suit armory.

• Inori told Athrun to investigate the suffering of people beyond online surveys so he could determine his own path and justice.
• Inori offered Yzak a DSSD security-team position using a recruitment slot from Chairman Sarala.
• Athrun and Yzak discussed their past encounter in the Dawn Desert, and Yzak thanked Athrun for not revealing what had happened.
• Yzak considered signing the DSSD contract and stepping away from the war as ZAFT prepared to attack Panama.
• Rau Le Creuset arrived at an armory where nuclear-powered mobile suits were being built and noticed an unfamiliar machine.

Cruze noticed the dismantled Brave Gundam, while Inori arranged for Master Malchio and Lacus to leave PLANT and kept the prototype for herself. As ZAFT launched the Throat Cutting Operation against Panama, Patrick redirected its forces toward the Earth Alliance’s Alaska headquarters, Joshua Base.

• Cruze saw the Brave Gundam being dismantled and learned that its verification role was complete.
• Inori arranged for Master Malchio to travel to Earth via DSSD, and Lacus left with him while Kira stayed behind to recover.
• Inori told Siegel and Athrun that she had been helping ZAFT develop AI, unmanned mobile suit technology, and other weapons.
• Siegel explained the idea of Super AI, which Dr. Hibiki had proposed at Mendel Colony, and worried that Patrick was playing with fire.
• Patrick announced the Throat Cutting Operation, then redirected the operation toward the Earth Alliance headquarters at Joshua Base in Alaska.

Mu discovered a hidden file in a strange MS at Alaska Base and unlocked it, revealing that the machine contained encrypted N-Jammer Canceller data. As the base sounded an alarm and the Archangel’s crew received orders to attack, the story left them preparing to respond.

• ZAFT began its secret “Throat Cutting Operation” against Joshua Base in Alaska, while Cruze revealed that he and Inori Yuzuriha had arranged for a crucial MS to reach the Earth Alliance.
• Mu stayed behind after testing the gray MS and used the password “GANDUM” to unlock its hidden file and start an OS restructuring process.
• The MS’s head contained encrypted N-Jammer Canceller data, which Inori had secured with additional locks.
• An alarm sounded throughout Alaska Base, and Murrue rushed to the Archangel’s bridge.
• Pal relayed an order from the Unified Operations Room for the defense forces to deploy and attack.

The Archangel was trapped at Alaska after its main engine was sabotaged, while Kira learned it was under attack and despaired over being unable to help. Inori Yuzuruha offered Kira a weapon and declared she would enforce Forced Liquidation against ZAFT, leaving Kira poised to gain power.

• Murrue confirmed the Archangel had been used as bait, and Mu sent evidence that Alaska contained the Cyclops System.
• An explosion disabled the Archangel’s main engine as ZAFT forces deployed mobile suits and aircraft around the base.
• Irene told Siegel that the Throat Cutting Operation targeted Alaska instead of Panama, and Kira used Inori’s authorization to view the battle live.
• Kira saw the Archangel under attack, including the Buster Gundam firing on it, and broke down as Athrun reminded her she could not help from PLANT.
• Inori asked Kira whether she wanted a weapon and power, then explained that ZAFT had missed the deadline to pay for her Heliopolis property and she was beginning Forced Liquidation.

Inori Yuzuriha took Kira outside the satellite and used Forced Liquidation to seize Freedom Gundam as Kira’s asset. Kira entered the cockpit with Inori and launched, leaving Athrun and Siegel behind as ZAFT struggled to regain control of its base.

• Siegel guided Inori Yuzuriha and Kira through an emergency maintenance route to the outside of the satellite, where Athrun watched them leave.
• Inori Yuzuriha began Forced Liquidation, and Freedom Gundam awakened, took off from ZAFT’s harbor, and flew to Kira.
• ZAFT’s systems malfunctioned under the liquidation, though its AI drones helped restore some control.
• Inori Yuzuriha told Kira that Freedom was their asset and her own power, then joined her in the cockpit.
• Kira activated Freedom, discovered its output far exceeded Strike’s, and launched after a final glance at Athrun.

Kira and Inori Yuzuriha guided Freedom through a battle with ZAFT’s AI-controlled forces and into a solo atmospheric entry. On the surface, Mu arrived in Brave Gundam to help Archangel, but the ship remained badly damaged as Murrue rushed to repair it before Cyclops activated.

• Freedom destroyed approaching GuAIZ and Ginn units while Inori Yuzuriha explained that ZAFT had linked its machines to an advanced AI system.
• An experimental warship fired a Positron Cannon at Freedom, and Kira used a sniper rifle to destroy it beyond visual range.
• Freedom entered the atmosphere alone while Archangel drew fire from ZAFT forces and Buster damaged its temporary bridge.
• Mu arrived in Brave Gundam and drew enemy fire away from Archangel, whose main engines were still disabled.
• Dearg shot off Brave Gundam’s temporarily fitted Strike head, though its secondary camera kept Mu operating.

Cruze’s forces pushed the Archangel to the brink while Mu struggled to defend it, until Kira arrived in a winged Gundam and overwhelmed the attacking ZAFT mobile suits. Kira contacted the Archangel after rescuing it from imminent destruction.

• Cruze used his Natural identity and alliance with Blue Cosmos to help ZAFT attack the Archangel’s defenses.
• Mu fought off ZAFT units until her Brave Gundam’s energy ran critically low, while the Archangel suffered heavy damage and became trapped in the bay.
• Nicol’s Blitz breached the Archangel’s hull and prepared to fire into the ship as Murrue and the crew faced their apparent end.
• A beam from the sky severed Blitz’s arm, and Kira’s Gundam rapidly destroyed Blitz, Buster, and two GINNs.
• Kira arrived before the Archangel in a white, blue, and black Gundam with six wings and called the ship.

Kira and Inori Yuzuriha stopped the Earth Alliance’s Cyclops activation from destroying Alaska Base while Freedom disabled enemy forces and opened a route for the Archangel. The officers responsible realized their activation system had been blocked, but Inori warned that the Alliance might have another way to trigger the explosion.

• Murrue told Kira that the Archangel could not move and that the Earth Alliance had installed a Cyclops beneath Alaska Base; Inori identified its lethal radius as ten kilometers.
• Kira authorized Inori to use electronic warfare, and she broadcast a warning over both armies’ private channels to stop fighting and retreat.
• Dearg and Nicol chose to withdraw, but other ZAFT soldiers dismissed the warning and charged at Freedom.
• Kira used Freedom’s weapons to disable enemy mobile suits and forced the Submersible Aircraft Carriers to clear the Archangel’s escape route.
• Inori blocked the Cyclops activation while Kira fought to protect the retreating forces and the Archangel’s crew connected the Black Coffin’s claws to the ship’s power supply.
• Two Blue Cosmos officers turned the Cyclops keys but saw nothing happen, then realized that someone had hacked their network and blocked the activation.

Inori Yuzuriha failed to stop the Cyclops System from activating at Joshua Base, and the blast annihilated the base and everything caught within its expanding wave. The Archangel and nearby ZAFT forces raced to escape as the Arctic Ocean flooded the enormous crater left behind.

• Black Coffin infiltrated the enemy network, while an AI built from technology obtained from the Archangel tried to counter it but needed more time and access.
• Murrue ordered the Archangel to ram through ZAFT ships and flee Joshua Base as Kira used Freedom to clear a path and the countdown continued.
• ZAFT soldiers pushed deeper into the base despite warnings, while Inori Yuzuriha's network battle reached its final seconds.
• Inori Yuzuriha announced that suppression had failed, and the Cyclops System activated, disabling instruments and killing soldiers and mobile suits across Joshua Base.
• Murrue and Madoc drove the Archangel's engines at maximum thrust as the wave of light expanded, destroying the base and leaving a vast crater that the Arctic Ocean rushed to fill.

Kira and Inori returned to the Archangel after the Cyclops trap devastated ZAFT’s attack, and the crew fled rather than risk going to Panama. The Freedom Gundam brought a nuclear-power breakthrough with it, but Mu warned that the Atlantic Federation might eventually crack its encrypted N-Jammer Canceller data.

• Kira carried two damaged Ginns back to the Archangel while ZAFT’s commanders realized the Throat Cutting Operation had become a devastating trap.
• Murrue ordered the three Euro-Union Federation ships to escape through the Arctic Ocean and said the Archangel would head south instead of going to Panama.
• Kira arrived carrying the sleeping Inori, and the crew welcomed them while reacting awkwardly to Kira’s transparent pilot suit.
• Kira explained that the Freedom Gundam was hers and that ZAFT had owed her, while the crew struggled to accommodate the Gundam and its many weapon packs.
• Inori revealed that the Freedom ran on nuclear power using an N-Jammer Canceller, and Mu warned that the Atlantic Federation had likely obtained the data and could break its encryption in several months.
• Inori told Mu that the Brave Gundam’s reactor sat beneath his seat, then offered to add radiation shielding.

After the Archangel chose Orb as its destination, its damaged engine forced it to accept a tow before it reached safety. Meanwhile, ZAFT reeled from its losses, the Earth Alliance planned to exploit the captured AI and smear the Archangel, and Cagalli reunited with Kira at Orb.

• Murrue learned that a Blue Cosmos spy had contacted ZAFT, while Kira declared that he represented only himself and the Archangel’s crew agreed to head for Orb.
• Madoc revealed that the Archangel’s overloaded engine was badly damaged, so two Euro-Union Federation ships towed it part of the way to Orb.
• Athrun and Yzak received orders to return to their units as ZAFT struggled with the destruction of most of its main force, and Patrick Zala raged over the defeat at Alaska.
• Blue Cosmos officers celebrated the AI’s potential and plotted to brand the Archangel’s crew traitors and spread lies about their escape.
• The Archangel arrived safely in Orb, where Cagalli rushed to greet Kira and embraced him, relieved that he was alive.

Inori Yuzuriha negotiated with Uzumi for the Archangel to be refitted and warned that Orb would soon be drawn into the war. The Archangel’s crew learned the ship now belonged to Inori and that they had been cut loose by the Atlantic Federation, leaving Mu to sign a contract with their new employer.

• Inori told Uzumi that Orb owed her compensation for Heliopolis and requested that the Archangel be refitted in exchange for her help with Orb’s Astray development.
• Uzumi asked Inori to hold a concert in Orb, and she agreed.
• Inori warned Uzumi that ZAFT would seize Port Panama and then target Orb’s spaceport, advising him to negotiate with ZAFT and destroy the spaceport before Port Panama fell.
• Murrue learned that Inori had claimed the Archangel and that the Atlantic Federation had accused the ship and Euro-Union Federation warships of desertion.
• The Archangel’s crew decided that staying in Orb was safer than returning to the Atlantic Federation, and Mu signed a contract with Inori.

Inori Yuzuriha showed the Archangel crew evidence that Blue Cosmos had killed Admiral Halberton, while the crew faced exile and the ship’s refit in Orb. Meanwhile, Frey learned from the news that the Alaska base and ZAFT had destroyed each other.

• Mu chose to stay with the Archangel rather than return to the Atlantic Federation, and Murrue Ramius struggled with being branded a deserter.
• Inori Yuzuriha showed the crew a recording of Admiral Halberton’s death and explained that the reorganized Eighth Fleet could not help them.
• Inori offered the crew new identities in Orb, but Murrue vowed to stay until the truth came out, and Inori outlined upgrades for the Archangel and Mu’s Brave Gundam.
• Inori planned to fit the Brave Gundam with a safer reactor system and the Dragoon System, while the Archangel prepared for a major refit.
• Frey watched the news and learned that the Alaska base and ZAFT had wiped each other out.