Super Robot Wars Z II Hakai-Hen Walkthrough
by Mark Neidengard, mneideng at ugcs dot caltech dot edu
Working copy


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TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:

One of the areas that constantly produces friction in these guides is name
Romanizations.  My general approach is to produce the simplest rendition that
does not misrepresent the Japanese, while being consistent with relevant
external information.  For instance, the "SANKU KINGUDAMU" from Gundam Wing is
rendered the "Cinq Kingdom" because of the pervasive numbers-based naming
scheme and because of the fact that the French number "cinq" is pronounced
"sank".  By the same token, I spell the main character "Hiiro" rather than
"Heero" because it is a direct rendition of the katakana and harmonizes with
"hi", the "native number" 1 in Japanese.  I mention this to preface the
following interesting case: Votoms.

According to someone's "official" Romanization, the main character's name is
"Chiriko", based on the katakana "KIRIKO".  The theory is that a few of the
show's characters' names (not all, note) are associated with Greek letters.
I couldn't find an authoritative first source for this claim, which is all over
the Internet and included on the English Wikipedia page but NOT, interestingly,
on the Japanese Wiki page.  Indeed, the *name* of the Greek letter "X" is
"chi", which rhymes with "sigh".  We see an immediate problem: the character's
name is not pronounced KAIRIKO, so we cannot conclude he's named after the
Greek letter.  And if his name was supposed to _be_ Greek, as though related
to the Japanese "KIRISUTO-kyou" ("Christianity"), we might expect the
Romanization to be "Chriko" and not "Chiriko".  All of this leads me to default
back to "Kiriko", which is pronounced the way it's supposed to according to
the (original, since this is written and produced by Japanese) pronunciation.

Calling the Greek connection further into question is the character "Fiana",
rendered "Fyana" in the so-called official Romanization.  Her name in kana is
FIANA (that is, FU(I)ANA, which means that the "u" sound of the first phoneme
is dropped -- whoever wrote the English Wiki page did not seemingly heed this
basic fact).  If her name was part of the naming scheme, should it be "Phiana"?
The answer comes from the Japanese Wiki page, which correctly notes that her
name is actually intended as the feminine form of "fire" -- this is why the
theme song is called "Blazing Destiny" ("Honou no Sadame"), and is reiterated
in the preview to the last OVA episode.  Suffice it to say that any relation to
Greek letters is either complete coincidence, or is applied post-facto in the
same way that some fanartists have referred to "Sheeta" from Laputa with the
Greek letter "theta".

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PROLOGUE.

Many worlds, many cosmoses... so-called "parallel worlds" which should never
have interacted.  Nor did they... until that day.

The "Great Spacetime Quake" began in one of the worlds, demolishing the
dimensional walls that kept all the worlds separate.  The result was the
commingling of those worlds, and the birth of many new ones to form the
Multidimensional World.

With this new world came new meetings, and those new meetings begat new wars.
The newly-formed Multidimensional World was gripped by chaos well after its
founding, only at length settling into several new orders.

Our story unfolds on one of the countless Earths in the Multidimensional World.
This Earth, with two moons and two Japanese island chains, has finally attained
order two decades after its creation.  From its surface, orbital elevators
stretch into space to meet an orbital ring, while clusters of space colonies
grow at the Lagrange points.  This is not a world at peace...

The majority of this world is aligned behind three great powers.  One is the
Britannia Union, created when the Holy Britannia Empire and the International
Federation both found themselves occupying North America following the Great
Spacetime Quake.  Another is the AEU, combining the nations of Europe.  And the
third is the Human Reform League, forged from Chinese Asia and the Russian
bloc.

These so-called Three Great Nations vie for world supremacy, wielding in
practice the international authority that the United Nations has in name only.
It is also under the aegis of those three nations that the Colony Management
Collective that oversees the space colonies is organized.

The Three Great Nations remain in a state of cold war, marred by a series of
worldwide skirmishes.  Wars between the lesser nations, armed resistance
movements, and terrorist strikes are rampant.  The arrival of humans from the
Astrageus galaxy two years ago, many of whom went directly to work as
mercenaries for the armies of the world, only fanned the flames.

Mankind also faces common enemies.  Among them are the Dimension Monster,
lifeforms from other worlds brought by the Great Spacetime Quake.  As raids
by the Emerge have decreased since the Great Dimensional Quake, Dimension
Monster activity has increased steadily.

The embers of widespread anxiety and rage swirling around a world poised on the
brink of a storm: Revolution.

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CHAPTER 1. The Million-Dollar Man

Crow is pounding the mean streets of Chicago, homeless, penniless and hungry.
Well, _almost_ penniless: he's got one whopping G after selling all his
worldly possessions.  Balance that against his one million G in debt (due
today, by the way) and resignation from the military, and the future looks
grim.  But Crow isn't one to dwell on the negatives -- this is his big chance
to risk his whole future on the toss of that one last coin.  Heads and it's
back to the military; tails, and it's off on some other adventure.  He flips
the coin...

..and Zenitory catches it, happy to have at least one millionth of the debt
Crow owes in his hands.  He doesn't seem especially sincere when he offers
Crow "condolences" for his father's failed business venture and abrupt passing
from an illness, adding that Crow would need to win two or three times with a
single lottery ticket to have any hope of repayment.  All he had to do was
simply deny his inheritance and Crow would be debt free!  Crow grimaces and
says that even a shitty dad is still a dad, and assuming his debts is the least
he could do after his dad fed him all those years.

A noble sentiment, to be sure.  That still leaves Crow broke as hell, and
throwing himself on Zenitory's mercy.  Tomorrow!  He'll pay tomorrow, or the
day after that maybe!  Zenitory asks if he'd even be willing to rejoin the
military, knowing all about Crow's past with the "Firebug" squadron.  All this
blubbering idiocy Crow's displaying doesn't remotely match the black deeds
he's said to have done, or the fearsome skills he still possesses.  Zenitory
says he has a much better job for Crow than slaving away for the army...
nothing any more criminal than defaulting on a loan at any rate.  Heck, look
at the mess the world is in, between the three-sided cold war and the space
monsters and God knows what else.  Surely Crow can put is skillz to good use,
and if he doesn't, Zenitory might just have to kick his debt-dodging ass.

Crow doesn't like being threatened, but as he tries to defuse the situation, an
explosion rips through a nearby building.  From the woods nearby, a voice comes
over a loudspeaker claiming to be a member of the World Liberation Front (WLF).
He announces an attack on a lab belonging to Axion Corporation, who he accuses
of supplying weapons to the nations of the world, never mind the fact that his
own mecha is made by Axion.  Crow knows these guys: terrorists-for-hire who've
been swelling their ranks with cast-off warmongers of late.  They certainly
know how to pick targets: Axion is the world's largest conglomerate, and
according to terrorist ideology, the bigger the capitalist, the deeper in bed
with The Man.  Apparently terrorist ideology cares nothing for all the
innocents caught in the crossfire, and Crow tells Zenitory to bug out while he
still can.  Crow, on the other hand, has a little "errand" to run.

The head of the lab, "Traia", isn't interested in fleeing either, at least
without taking the untested "Number 0" with her.  She's actually enjoying the
situation immensely, to the point of donning a festive fox mask, and suspects
that a certain jackass she knows hired these terrorists specifically to mess
up her plans.  Whatever the case may be, there's no way the army's getting
here in time to intervene.

Crow, however, does just that, showing up unannounced and telling Traia to
give him any mech that'll move so he can fend off the bad guys.  Traia is
intrigued, asking if he's one of those Allies of Justice everyone always reads
about.  He's certainly no friend of terrorism, and Traia, laughing, says that
if they're all going down anyway she might as well let this idiot try his hand
first.  Crow is clearly looking forward to showing what powerful idiot he can
be.

More terrorist ideology first though: all authority must be denied, and the
world must be destroyed before a new order can arise!  Exclamation point!
Crow sounds unconvinced, striding onto the field and telling this third-
stringer to go play revolutionary where it won't bother the townsfolk.
Incensed, the terrorist demands to know why Crow is casting aspersions on his
"holy" war... just proving that he doesn't know what "holy war" really means.
Traia is intrigued to see that Crow knows his way around the cockpit, and he
tells her that he's been redlining the odometer since before his training
wheels got taken off.... one of his many good features.

She smirks at that, telling him that the mech he's in is the Number-0, aka
the "Blaster".  There's no hope of him treating it nicely, but he's quite
confident that its first sortie will also be its first victory.

 The first round of bad guys go down with negligible resistance, and Crow will
 leave it up to the military to scoop up the terrorist pilots who ejected.
 He's impressed with the Blaster's active, mild and non-idiosyncratic design,
 and tells Traia she can stop calling the thing by its pre-launch designation.

 Unfortunately, today's action isn't quite over: a dimensional tremor hits the
 area, and with it come a herd of Dimension Monster.  Nobody knows quite what
 they are or where they come from, but with no means to communicate with them
 or stop their destructive rampages, they're classified Threat Level Alpha.

 Traia, ever more impressed with Crow's acumen, decides to show him how
 "non-mild" the Blaster can be.  She cuts its limiters, revealing the true
 power of the DM Buster Number 0 (that's DM as in Dimension Monster), the
 world's first purpose built mech for throwing down with the pesky critters.
 No normal pilot could remain conscious aboard this beast of a machine, but
 Crow is anything but a normal pilot.  The question now is, which is greater:
 Crow's skill in battle, or the Blaster's newborn potential?

 The Blaster is one heck of a mech, but Crow realizes quickly that even its
 impressive firepower won't let him hold out for long on his own.  At that
 moment, a mobile suit he's never seen before shows up.  Its pilot isn't
 impressed at how weak all the combatants are, but is also unwilling to just
 let this battle deteriorate.  The other pilot, Wufei, wants to get this over
 with as quickly as possible so he can get on to his real mission.

 Wufei leaves without another word once the battle is over, ignoring Crow's
 thank you message.  You know, places to go, things to see, justice to mete
 out, etc.

Crow, on the other hand, has a little poverty problem to attend to.  He's
smarter than to pretend that the state of his affairs is anything but pathetic,
and more or less throws himself on her mercy.  When she asks, he says he's
never seen the mystery mobile suit before, and reckons that its operating
layout is unlike anything he's familiar with.  Or Traia, for that matter, which
isn't so surprising given all the weird and wacky goings-on in this world of
late.

As for Crow's retirement from the military, he explains to her that there was
more going on than just the desire to repay his father's debts.  He hasn't
liked some of the military's actions for quite a while, and enlisting in the
first place was more out of a desire to be away from his dad than a desire to
be _with_ the other soldiers.  Traia asks how much money he wants for helping
out, and while a million G would be nice, he says he'd rather leave the
amount up to her.  He may have financial debt hanging over his head, but it'd
be against his beliefs to go into debt morally in exchange.  Traia smirks and
offers him a single G, which is in fact waaay less than he hoped for.

At this point, Zenitory walks in, proving just how lax this lab's security must
be.  He's grateful that Crow saved his bacon, but isn't willing to forgive the
debt.  Instead, he's got a plan for how Crow can repay it: work as a mercenary
for the Private Military Corporation, who are sure to value Crow's obvious
skills highly.  Traia has a better ideal: she'll _buy_ Crow's skills from
Zenitory for that million G on the spot, in return for him being the Number
0's test pilot.  Since he's already demonstrated he can handle the Blaster
with its limiters cut, she'll have satisfied that certain idiot's orders too!
Crow is forced to admit that no better deal is likely to come his way, and
has to grin and bear it.  He does, however, demand his own G back from
Zenitory now that he's got a million from Traia, and both he and Zenitory
agree (somewhat in jest) that they never want to see each other again.

Now that that's dealt with, Traia Scott introduces herself fully as the
person in charge of the "Scott Lab", Axion Corporation's 13th Defense
Laboratory.  Her fox mask is her alter-ego, "Okon".  Crow Brust smiles and
flips her his G, leaving 999,999 left to go.  Both of them smirk alarmingly
at each other, in eerie agreement about just how valuable every last coin is.
As Traia sets about configuring the Blaster for real combat, she asks whether
Crow prefers close-in or ranged combat.

 [You can pick either, which affects what kind of weaponry you'll get.  I
 chose close-range.]

Crow will have his work cut out for him as a test pilot, between analyzing
combat data, evaluating new weapons, and actually battling those DM's.  He'll
also have to do demos from time to time, which seems like a good place to
start now.  His job will be to demolish the newest AEU mobile suit at its
unveiling ceremony...


CHAPTER 2. Changing World

Crow has accepted the assignment to crash the new AEU mech's unveiling, but
still wants to know more about the "whys" behind it.  Traia figures that any
man who counts his freedom one G at a time is unlikely to simply take his mech
and flee, and agrees to give him the real lowdown.  First the history lesson:
Axion's principal business is arms sales, as any former military man like Crow
should know.  That Axion doesn't seem to care who they sell to has earned them
considerable enmity in some quarters, and led to little problems like their own
weapons being used against them (and VERY recently, at that...)  Traia will be
the first to admit that her company does idiotic things, and tells Crow that
their orders this time are all about forcing that idiocy on the AEU.

Apparently the CEO doesn't like the fact that Axion's latest Axio Version 7, a
global best-seller even among the terrorists, got its butt kicked by the new
AEU mech in AEU's trials.  AEU has long relied on mobile suits for both its
airborne and terrestrial combat forces, so it's only natural to Crow that the
Axio would be a tough sell.  Traia says that any rational person would come to
the same conclusion... but the CEO is an idiot after all, and plans to vent his
misplaced indignation by trashing the unveiling.  Doesn't that make Crow every
bit as bad as the terrorists?  Is this why he was ordered to fly his transport
to the scene solo?

Not so fast, my friend!  Turns out the Scott lab is a bit of a black projects
operation even compared to the rest of Axion, unknown to the rank and file and
staffed to the absolute minimum.... or, as Crow surmises, maybe they're just
being slowly starved to death by a vindictive boss?  Traia admits that she
doesn't get along with the CEO, and has no plans to start any time soon.  She
assures Crow that he's being shielded from all the real political infighting,
and that his little stunt is going to be nothing more than a sideshow, albeit
one the idiot CEO expects him to win.  Such is the price of Traia asking him
to increase the Blaster's development budget, and from a certain viewpoint it's
a great chance to demonstrate the Blaster's capabilities to the world.

There's no way for Crow to play this fiasco as the good guy, so he'll just have
to trust in Traia's promise to clean up the mess afterwards.  He knows better
than to rock the boat when that boat is caught in a fox-vs-tanuki tug-of-war.
Traia asks if what Crow really dislikes is the army, and he tells her he
neither likes nor hates it: it's something the world needs.  Goodness knows
the Three Great Nations have found plenty to squabble over, to say nothing of
the WLF and others like them.

Traia supposes that the WLF's recent spate of activity stems from landing a
deep-pocketed patron, and wonders if they're really serious about changing
the world.  All Crow knows is that the yahoos he just pulverized were too
drunk on the word "revolution" to have any real ideology to speak of.  Traia
suspects that that mystery mobile suit that helped him might actually come from
a _real_ anti-government organization somewhere, which if true would be yet
another manifestation of how much the world and the people in it have changed
over the past twenty years.  And that change is going to keep right on keeping
on if she knows anything about it.

One of the effects of the Great Dimensional Quake was the sealing off of South
Africa, resurrecting the notion of the "Dark Continent" and raising the
possibility that the DM's are using it as a staging area.  Crow's not far from
there now, in fact, and both he and Traia would rather be kicking DM ass
with the DM buster than screwing with the AEU.  Still, when the CEO asked
Traia if she wasn't confident in her creation, she at least got into the
spirit.  Crow's reward for victory will be 30k, plus 20k more if he emerges
without a scratch... and that's got HIM in the mood too.

At the trial, Patrick has just put every practice round on target from his
Enact, AEU's first solar-powered mech.  Graham and Billy are watching the demo
from the sidelines, and Graham reminds Billy how the AEU were behind the curve
as the orbital elevators were built -- good to see that at least some
technology of theirs is state-of-the-art.  Billy asks him if it's really a good
idea for an MSWAD ace to be here, and Graham tells him it is, in fact, a rotten
idea.  After all, their nation of Britannia is supporting the Commonwealth of
Gizan in open warfare against Malania (supported by the AEU) not far from here.

Then again, says a masked man who walks over to the two, that little problem
is for Gizan and Malania to solve; it's not as though Britannia and AEU have
gotten into battle themselves.  He introduces himself as Zechs Marquis of the
AEU, known as the "Lightning Baron" of Oz.  He's heard of Graham's exploits,
and asks to join them in the regular spectators' section since today's
unveiling has little to do with his own sphere.  Billy takes this to mean
that the new AEU mech was developed by someone other than the Romfeller
Conglomerate, with whom Zechs has been linked.

Zechs asks them for their impression of their new mech, but Graham tells the
superior officer (O-3 for Zechs versus his O-2) that he would like to withhold
comment... except to say that the new mech appears very "singular" in its
design.  Patrick, still in the cockpit, shouts out that he heard that
statement, including a note of disdain.  Graham smiles thinly and adds that
its auditory sensors appear quite remarkable too.

While the banter is going on, Crow has managed to sneak up thanks to the
Blaster's extensive array of stealth goodies.  Since the demo has reached a
nadir, it seems a good time to get the show on the road like a wrestling
villain.  No need for the bamboo swords and chains and junk, but he had wanted
a proper luchador-like mask.  Just then, an alarm signals the arrival of
something approaching from overhead... something that managed to get _very_
close without notice.

That something is the Exia, piloted by someone named Setsuna.  It's been
dispersing GN particles as part of its mission profile, and it's quickly
apparent to those in the stands that this new mobile suit isn't on today's
program.  It's emitting a strange light, and with the acquisition of his
target Setsuna begins Phase One.  Patrick for his part plans to kick this
unknown newcomer's ass, but Zechs isn't so confident in the supposed "ace"'s
abilities.  Crow realizes that whatever this new mobile suit is up to, he's
lost the ability to just jump into the fray.

Patrick yells to the interloper that he's a SPECIAL guy in all caps, who's
never been beaten once in mock combat!  That matters not at all to Setsuna,
whose motive for attacking seems to be that there is no God.  Oookayy...

 Now, Patrick is a pretty good pilot if his record in mock combat is 2000-0.
 Too bad for him this was real battle, and that his opponent was so much a
 Gundam that it's even got the word emblazoned on its forehead.  With Phase
 One finished, Setsuna continues to Phase Two, heading away from the arena.
 In the process, he gets close enough to the Number 0 for the GM particles to
 compromise its stealth capabilities.

 As both Crow and Setsuna stand startled, a horde of AEU mobile suits pour out
 of the orbital elevator... a structure required by law to be demilitarized.
 Of course they're going to see Crow as one of Setsuna's friends, but before
 Crow and figure out how to respond to the demand to lay down arms, a long-
 range barrage from Lockon takes one of the AEU mecha down.  With the AEU
 heading into the battle, Lockon and Setsuna decide to ignore Crow and destroy
 the AEU as planned.  Crow's only real option is to join the fighting too,
 and at least for Lockon Stratos and his Gundam Dunames, this will be their
 first real battle.

 Lockon knows that his friends on the space side should be kicking into gear
 right about now, and wishes them (Allelujah and Tielia) the best of luck.

 On turn 2, Duo arrives in his Deathscythe.  He _had_ been planning on simply
 spying on the AEU, but he's not one to sit this sort of battle out.  Since
 the other Gundams revealed the AEU's treaty breaking to him, he figures it'd
 be only right to repay the favor.  Crow sees something common to his previous
 tight-lipped helper in this new mech, and to everyone's surprise Duo
 broadcasts on an open channel to tell the three mecha that he's on their
 side... and will be the Grim Reaper to all three of the Great Nations.  He
 promises the AEU that everyone who sees his face, dies.

 Duo has no love for the AEU, one of the three powers manipulating the
 space colonies... but he's really after who's pulling the AEU's strings.
 And if it takes borrowing the strength of these mystery mobile suits to make
 that happen, so be it.

 After the AEU forces are toast, Setsuna seems ready to take on Duo too.
 Lockon tells him to hold his horses: they can't afford to attack someone
 whose origins they know nothing about.  Setsuna reluctantly agrees to declare
 this "mission accomplished" and withdraw.  Duo is about to do the same when
 Crow, taking advantage of the reduced levels of EM interference, asks him
 who the hell he and the others are.  Duo tells him not to try to find out if
 he values his life, and bugs out.  Crow has no choice but to follow suit,
 lest the the entire AEU army surround the place first.

The spectators are left marveling at the band of interlopers, who in Graham's
estimation were _not_ from the same source.  Graham reckons that the first mech
was here as a warning, in the form of demolishing the new mech and laying bare
the reserves in the orbital elevator.  Now the whole world will be aware of the
AEU's treaty violation, though only the "Gundam"'s pilot knows the motivation.

Word then reaches Zechs of another emergency: the Human Reform League's
high orbit space station has just suffered a terrorist attack, which was
repulsed by mobile suits of unknown origin.  Neither Zechs nor Graham knows
what would result in mobile suits showing up simultaneously on Earth and in
space, but it can't be anything good....

Said space-based mobile suits belong to Tielia and Allelujah, acting on
a tip-off and strategy hints from "Sumeragi".  They leave as suddenly as they
appeared, leaving Sergei and his forces scratching their heads.

Traia certainly doesn't know who they were either, though she's quickly figured
that the mech which took out the AEU prototype, and the one with the long-range
gunnery, are of the same lineage.  And the grim reaper dude seemed to resemble
the mech that helped out Crow before.  As for the green light coming from the
first Gundam, Traia figures it was emanating from its power source, and passes
along the tidbit that the mecha who repulsed the terrorists from the Human
Reform League station also shared traits in common with it.  Crow is
surprised she gets information like that delivered to her, and Traia smirks
that she extracted it from her idiot boss as payback for using _her_ mech for
his own ends.  Apparently Traia's ties with her boss are tight enough that
she can occasionally push back on him...  In any event, someone with at least
as much technology as the Blaster uses has decided to pick a fight with the
AEU, and that can only mean a lot of bloodshed before all is said and done.

Traia then yells for Crow to turn on the news, which is about to broadcast an
uncut message from the crew who repulsed the attack on the space station.
"Oh shit", is what Crow's intuition is telling him.  The broadcast is from
someone named Ioria, representing the private army known as "Celestial Being".
Their stated objective is the elimination of the causes of war, not for their
own profit, and they are about to wage war on all those who wage war,
regardless of rationale.  All nations, organizations and corporations who
support war will find themselves in the crosshairs too.  All mankind should
consider themselves warned.

This message does indeed reach the whole world, including the environs of
"Tokyo" (in quotation marks) in Area 11, where the elite Ashford School sits.
Lelouch is watching from the Student Council chambers, turning over this
declaration of world-altering war in his mind.  His fellow council members
are divided on what to make of the announcement: are the Celestial Beings
terrorists, or anti-terrorists?  Lelouch mutters that they might actually have
the wherewithal to make good on their declaration of war on the world, and
starts considering the possibility that the Celestial Beings might actually
topple Britannia...  But no, that is a problem he needs to solve with his own
hands, and for that he needs power somehow.  Do the Celestial Beings really
have that power?

Duo's parked on the plains of Africa to watch the broadcast, musing over how
these Celestial Beings seem to be fellow Gundam users.  But unlike his
organization, they seem to have beau coup resources... and the bit about going
after "organizations" who support war might well bring them and Duo into
conflict before all is said and done.  If so, so be it -- Duo will do whatever
it takes to liberate the colonies.

Meanwhile, Treize Krushinada, leader of Oz, is conferring with Zechs.  Treize
wants to gather more information before speculating on who the Celestial Beings
actually are, but if they actually have the firepower to carry out their
threat...  For the time being, Treize is actually more worried about the other
Gundam hidden in the shadows of this incident: reports from the battle indicate
that the black mech's armor includes Gundanium alloy, so "Gundam" is an
appropriate name.  And where is the only place that Gundanium can be
manufactured?  That's right, space, meaning the space colonies.  And from what
Treize saw, the black Gundam was at least as powerful as the Celestial Being
mecha, to say nothing of the Enact or the regular AEU troops.  Treize is hoping
that Zechs could actually stand up to it though, planning to use the
predictable response of the Three Great Nations to the broadcast as cover for
sending Oz forces after the colony's Gundam.

As Zechs hangs up, Treize muses to Lady Une that the Celestial Beings will
probably prove an obstacle to Oz... yet if they measure up to their
declaration, he won't be able to hate them for it.  That sounds cryptic, and
he won't elaborate for now; instead, he tells Lady Une that they'll content
themselves with watching the CB's actions in silence.  After all, he too wishes
to change the world.

On the bridge of the Ptolemeios, Sumeragi has started hitting the sauce in
honor of the war finally beginning.  Rasse reminds everyone that it's a long
way from here to their final objective, and Allelujah tells Hallelujah that he
can _see_ the malice of the world.  Tielia says that the CB's are about to test
the world, even if doing so is itself evil.  Apparently Sumeragi can really
handle her liquor, and promptly sends Tielia and Allelujah to the Earth's
surface so that they can all change the world.  Their friends are already down
on the surface, looking up the moon and pondering the fight they just picked
with the world.  Setsuna doesn't need to be told what that means.  He and his
friends are the Gundam Meisters!


CHAPTER 3. [Route Split]

In contrast to the uproar going on elsewhere, Traia tells Crow that nobody
on high is actually taking these Celestial yahoos seriously.  In fact, the
real identity of the dude in the broadcast came out the very same day... though
that revelation actually made the identity of the CBs as a whole less clear.
"Ioria Schoenberg" turns out to be a seminal solar power engineer, thus one of
the people responsible for the state of the world.  Grandiose, you say?  Not
given that this guy did his work 200 years ago!  Assuming the guy in the video
isn't an imposter, that leaves open two possibilities: A) the guy has jumped
200 years forward in time during the Quake, or B) the message itself was
recorded a good two centuries ago.

Both sound pretty far-fetched to Crow, who asks about some great-great-grandkid
that might be the spitting image of Ioria.  Been there, checked that, no
relatives anywhere in the records.  No conceivable motive for this all to be
a colossal prank either.  Traia's confident expression finally falters, and
she asks Crow if he thinks the CB's really mean to go through with their jihad.
Scowling, he replies that they seem much more "plausible" than those WLF
knuckleheads, and by "plausible" he means "ready to die for the cause".

Interesting, and convenient too, since Traia's new assignment is to track the
CB's down.  Isn't it nice that her test pilot shares her concerns?  Crow
reminds Traia about his payment from the previous mission, and she says that
since he didn't follow orders it's been completely cut.  But lest he worry,
her idiot boss has fixed it with the AEU so they won't be specifically trying
to hunt him down along with the CBs.  That sounds like excessive penny-pinching
to Crow, even given Traia's limited development budget for the Blaster, and
he asks if she intends to keep paying for the mech instead of paying for him.
Like he told her: piloting is only one of his good points... math is another.
Smirking ruefully, she agrees to give him 19.999k for the previous job: that
makes the math easier in any case.

That's fine with Crow, who has to admit that he didn't really carry out his
mission properly.  Traia smoothed that out with the boss, and has a new idea
in mind for testing the Blaster's capabilities out.  Two ideas, actually:
one for returning to Japan and the other for hunting down the CBs.  The Japan
junket involves swinging by the Photon Power Lab -- where a miraculous new
energy source is being unveiled -- and keeping the new energy from falling
into the hands of the Bad Guys(tm), whoever those might be.  Going after the
CBs would also entail throwdown along the way, and on both missions Crow's
payout will be increased to 50k G to reflect the danger.

 [Japan will be Chapter 3J; Celestial Beings is Chapter 3C.]

If you chose 3J, Crow feels drawn to this light of hope in Japan, a natural
response to the darkness of despair all around him.  Let's just hope that Crow
doesn't prove to be a moth diving into the flame.

If you chose 3C, something about the CBs smells like money to Crow, and Crow
has a policy of following his intuition.  After all, it hasn't gotten him
killed yet (though it's come close).  Traia smirks at that, and sends him off
with the hope that he gets into as much trouble as possible.  Great.

Meanwhile at Birds Island, Dr. Hell summons Baron Ashura to propose a toast:
the time has finally come for his plans for World Domination(tm) to take
flight.  Ashura's forces get to lead the first assault, and Dr. Hell orders
him/her to go to the Photon Power Lab in Japan: its light will show the way
forward!


Chapter 3J. Mazinger, Launch!

Shirou gets the rudest awakening of his life when his grandfather Juuzou says
"good morning": both of them agree that Juuzou's face has seen better days.
Never mind that it's Juuzou footing the bill for keeping Shirou and Kouji fed
these days, and Kouji doing most of the cooking.  Kouji and Juuzou have a good
laugh over his newfound skills with a skillet putting him in danger of being
married off to someone or other, making the CB's declaration of war seem very
far away.  Kouji is sure it's some kind of hoax; after all, only God or the
Devil could take on the whole world at once.  "Only God or the Devil", ponders
Juuzou...

As the boys finish breakfast and get ready for school, news of yesterday's
successful Photon Power test flashes across the TV.  The announcer declares
that the first major step towards productizing this next-generation energy has
just been taken, with a model facility being built in Atami, Japan.  And
what's more Professor Yumi has already developed the successor to Photon Power,
something more awe-inspiring yet.  Juuzou mutters under his breath about
such idiocy, and tells the boys to hurry home after school today: he's got
something important to tell them.

Kouji senses that something is amiss from Juuzou's unusually grave expression,
but Shirou passes it off as just the usual difficulties in Juuzou's research.
You can take the science away from the scientist, but you can't really take the
scientist away from the science.  Whatever he's working on is taking up most
of the royalties from his previous inventions, and is something he won't show
to the kids.  Kouji just hopes that Juuzou doesn't suffer a research accident
and perish like their father did... though one could do worse than to lose
one's life in the pursuit of knowledge.  Kouji for one is a huge fan of his
noble granddad (Shirou for two), and like the good grandson he's resolved to
head straight home this afternoon.

En route to Japan, Crow asks if this Photon Power stuff is really all that
bad-ass.  Traia's heard that it comes from this Japanium ore discovered deep
under Mt. Fuji, and if utilized properly could immediately solve the world's
energy problems.  Japanium is not to be confused with "Sakuradite", a rare
metal mined in the _other_ Japan, aka Area 11 of the Britannia Union.  That
Japan has been the victim of intense power games over the rare metal, and led
to it becoming in effect a Britannian colony seven years ago.  Crow wonders if
Japanium will lead the remaining "Japan" to a similar fate, but Traia points
out it's situated between Area 11 and the territories of the Human Reform
League -- neither side can make a grab for it without starting a war with the
other.

For now, Traia's used Axion's vast influence to secure Crow's entrance visa,
and tells him to go get into trouble pronto.  Better yet, he should go say hi
to these Photon Power folks first: maybe he can get them to add some to the
Blaster while they're at it.  That gets Crow thinking: the Blaster seems to
run on something other than Axion's standard Plasma Battery tech... something
he's been ordered not to touch even when performing maintenance or repairs.
What that "something" is is so secret that Traia can't even tell her test
pilot, but so long as it keeps the mech running sweetly, it's okay by Crow.

The first thing Crow does upon reaching Atami is what any sensible tourist
would do: avail himself of the abundant hot springs!  There he encounters the
grizzled (and good-humored) Juuzou going for a morning parboiling, and muses
that a good enough hot-springing might just convince the whole world to stop
fighting itself.  Juuzou smiles at the thought, but adds with a glint in his
remaining eye that real life is sadly not that simple.  Crow agrees, with an
equal glint in both eyes, as Juuzou departs the baths and tells him to enjoy
the town.

As Crow is musing about what the CBs may be up to while he's soaking up the
warm water, another man saunters over and asks if Crow knows the old
scientist.  Nope, never seen him before in his life.  The sinister figure
makes to head off, but Crow stops him, having figured out that there's
something fishy going on.  The man (Ankokuji by name) says that he's nobody
respectable folk ought to worry themselves about and sneaks off, leaving Crow
wondering about the somewhat disreputable clientele this particular hot spring
seems to cater to.

That's when the bathing attendant "An" shows up, a very fishy sort who plans
to wash Crow's back in a big hurry.... Not because the place is crowded, but
because the proprietor is expecting trouble.  Now _that_ is the kind of bath
Crow likes, and the fact he declares that while naked doesn't really deduct
too many coolness points...

Elsewhere in the resort, Cross reports to Tsubasa that Yasu has been sent to
deal with the last of the guests: all is in readiness.  Tsubasa tells her
subordinate not to underestimate the guests they're about to receive, and is
looking forward to her first glimpse of her prey.

Kouji's plan to head straight home from school doesn't last very long, as
Boss and his lackeys get in the way.  Boss says that Kouji's in the presence
of the gang leaders of all Japan, and they all report to _him_.  Seems that
Boss has been busy beating his way across Japan, taking over gang turf after
gang turf, and Atami is last on the list... except that it doesn't appear to
have anyone _owning_ that turf.  He's heard that Kouji is actually the one in
power around here, and had his boys grab Shirou in a bid to make Kouji fight
him.  Smart, huh?  And if that doesn't get Kouji's goat, how about they go
grab Kouji's ugly-ass granddad out of that hotspring he hangs out in all the
time?  What's the deal with his face anyway, huh?

Now, Kouji's a very good kid.  But one thing you don't do is talk shit about
his family, as Boss finds out to his extreme sorrow.  Kouji ridicules any
talk of taking over Japan with Boss's shitty combat skills, and offers
menacingly to fix Boss so he can never say shit about people's face again.
Just then, a woman's voice rings out in the night, telling Kouji he's gotta
leave these punks alone and go save his grandfather.

Just then the ground shakes violently, heralding the arrival of a bunch of
giant... thingies that are apparently after Kouji and his grandfather.
Juuzou radios in to Kouji and tells him to run _fast_ until he can send the
Pilder to them.  Ankokuji, who's been hanging out with Juuzou, wants to know
what the hell a "Pilder" is, not to mention what the giant thingies are, but
Juuzou has totally no time to explain.  Ankokuji explains he's a cop assigned
to keep Juuzou safe, which makes him one unlucky mo-fo under the circumstances.

As the Pilder flies toward Kouji, one of the giants moves to intercept it.
Intercepting the giant in turn is Aphrodite-A, a giant robot from the Photon
Power Lab.  Its pilot is the female voice Kouji heard before, who turns out
to be Professor Yumi's daughter.  Juuzou scoffs at Yumi's little toy, saying
that he's got something far better on hand.  Once Kouji gets into the Pilder,
Juuzou has him don the flight suit he finds there and grab the controls, which
resemble the motorcycles Kouji's been raised to ride.  Oh, and the Pilder
has missiles too!

Juuzou tells Kouji to buy him a little time, and Sayaka introduces himself and
says she's here to help.  Kouji tells Shirou to hang on tight as he twists
the throttle...

 Shoot down one of the giants and Ashura will scoff at Juuzou's pathetic
 little aircraft.  Before (s)he can set up a pincer attack, Crow strides onto
 the field in the Blaster, telling the puzzled Photon Power folks that he's
 here to save them for cryptic reasons of his own.  His unexpected arrival
 gives Juuzou just enough time to finish whatever he was doing, and Juuzou
 yells for Kouji to fly over to him.  Kouji's fate was decided the moment he
 got into the cockpit, a fate of never-ending battle!  Juuzou shall bear
 witness to whether Kouji elects to be God, or the Devil!!

 Behold Juuzou's life's work, a titanic shape shrouded in fog that Shirou
 thinks is Satan incarnate.  But no, this is not the Devil -- somehow Kouji
 knows it to be a God: omnipotent, omniscient, and his to pilot.  Ashura
 cries out that this is Zeus, the Traitor, and suddenly Kouji remembers all
 the books on Greek ruins stacked around his house.  These books were his
 childhood companions, though he knew not why, and the shape he sees before
 him resembles the statues of the greatest of gods... and the nemesis of the
 Mikeene Empire!

 Only one thing is missing: the top of the head.  And if Kouji's smart, he'll
 fly his ass over there right now, and scream out "Pilder On" at the top of
 his lungs!  This triggers the docking sequence, and puts at Kouji's
 fingertips the power to become the ultimate good or the ultimate evil.
 Juuzou hollers for him to obliterate the bad guys with its irresistible
 might, in an attack called.... (wait for it)... (wait for it)... "Rocket
 Punch"!  HOLY SUFFERING CATS!!!

 Yeah, all in a day's work for the grizzled scientist, and jaw-dropping
 awesomeness for everyone else watching, especially Professor Yumi.  This new
 robot is obviously the work of his mentor, who he never dreamed was working
 this close at hand.  Juuzou yells that what just happened was thanks both
 to Mazinger and to Kouji himself: the two are now one being, Mazinger-Z, a
 form that transcends humanity.  Hell, maybe even a form that transcends
 _that_, and it's time to kick some sorry Mikeene ass.

 Everyone quickly sees how tough Mazinger is: its metal skin isn't the crappy
 Alloy-Z that Aphrodite-A uses, but rather Super-Alloy-Z, an impregnable
 material suitable for a mech as grand as Mazinger-Z.  With this, Kouji has
 nothing to fear, though he be surrounded by a thousand enemies!

 As the battle progresses, Ashura finds h(im/er)self overcome by laughter.
 Mazinger-Z is both god _and_ demon, and the bitterest enemy his/her
 people have waited millennia to face.  Apparently it's been time well-spent,
 as Ashura is able to _bare-handedly_ sock Mazinger-Z right where it hurts.
 Apparently the Olympian traitor "Zeus" must have really ticked Ashura off at
 some point...

 The rest of the combatants stand agape at this new development, and Shirou
 is the first to comment on Ashura's weird face.  Weird?  Yep, and all thanks
 to Zeus and his cardinal sin that left so many of Ashura's fellow gods
 imprisoned behind the Door.  Ashura's tirade is abruptly interrupted by a
 booming voice from off-set, one which Juuzou recognizes grimly.  It is
 indeed Dr. Hell, acting as the voice of reason to his suddenly penitent
 subordinate.

 Indeed, Mazinger-Z resembles Zeus, and as such Ashura's outburst is
 understandable.  To illustrate his point, he projects a giant hologram for
 all present to see.  Dr. Hell knows Juuzou well enough to know that Juuzou
 has seen this image before, having been plagued by visions of the guy every
 night in bed for a decade.  Juuzou on the other hand has been sleeping like
 a fucking LOG at the thought of Dr. Hell's comeuppance, and refuses to
 repeat Dr. Hell's idiotic dream.

 That would be world domination, and Ashura's Iron Masked Army is the main
 instrument for bringing it about.  And in case a few goons in armor isn't
 scary enough, Dr. Hell tells Ashura to bring forth Garuda K7 and Dublas M2.
 Ashura sics them on the Photon Power Lab, about as big a fracas as Traia
 could have hoped for.

 Juuzou warns Kouji that these are far more durable than his previous foes,
 fretting that the Rocket Punch may not be enough to take them down.  Dr.
 Hell smirks that Juuzou's robot seems pretty puny, or perhaps it's just that
 his robots are that cool.  Juuzou doesn't deign to dispute this, but Dr.
 Hell tells him that in a way he's to thank for all of this.  The sight of
 the impending carnage reminds him of the moment years ago when the Door
 opened, and Kouji asks Juuzou what all this talk about Doors and Mikeene
 is about.  Juuzou hesitates, and tells him he doesn't need to know yet.
 Serious discussion will have to wait in any case, given that the enemy are
 right in front of the team.

 Watching the battle, Tsubasa decides that her men can no longer sit idly
 by.  She sets her plans in motion, but before lifting a finger herself
 opts to see just how far Kouji can get on his own.  Meanwhile, Dr. Hell
 thinks this battle is already decided, and offers Juuzou a chance to join
 him once more, even sending Ashura to politely request Juuzou's cooperation.
 Ashura reminds Juuzou that it's his fault that Ashura is the way (s)he is
 today, though Juuzou scoffs that all he did was open the Doorway to Hell.

 But, since he seemingly can't run away, he'll at least hear Ashura out.
 The proposition is this: use Photon Power to enhance the Mecha-Beasts and
 thereby improve Dr. Hell's chances at world domination.  An interesting idea,
 and Juuzou calls Ashura aside to hear more about it.  Ashura thinks he's
 actually consented to returning to the vacant fifth seat among Dr. Hell's
 generals, but of course it's a trap.

 Juuzou gleefully detonates a load of explosives, but Ashura manages to at
 least survive the blast.  Before (s)he can do anything else, Yasu asks the
 Teacher to intervene, and with nothing but a katana he's able to actually
 slice Ashura open.  Yasu warns that she's equally cunning with explosives,
 and tells Juuzou to get his butt elsewhere for now: she'll wash his back
 again tomorrow!

 Kouji picks his grandfather up and into the safety(?) of the cockpit,
 somehow bringing Ankokuji along for the ride.  Juuzou can only show Kouji
 how to properly use Mazinger in battle once, and Ashura doesn't plan to give
 him that much time.  Crow figures he'll have to hold Ashura's forces off
 by himself, but just then Allelujah and Tielia show up.  Sumeragi was right
 on the money with her guess that terrorists would show up at the Photon
 Power lab... and what terrorists too!  Even Veda doesn't know much about
 Dr. Hell, and that makes him especially dangerous.

 Tielia sounds far from sure that Photon Power is a good thing in the long
 run, but since its initial application is peaceful he says that it's worth
 defending.  And in the process, they can gauge just how peaceful it really
 is.  The two won't answer Crow's query whether they can be trusted, but at
 the very least their arrival has bought Juuzou the precious seconds he
 needed to educate Kouji.

 Destroy either of the two principal bad guys and Ashura will flee in fear,
 sure now that Mazinger-Z is the reincarnation of the hated Zeus.  Allelujah
 is very impressed with Mazinger-Z, but Tielia reminds her that they'll have
 to destroy it if it's ever used as a (offensive?) weapon.  Allelujah prays
 that that won't happen, and with their mission over the CB pilots head off
 to join up with the other Meisters.

 Juuzou reminds Kouji that this is his power, to become a god or a devil as
 he sees fit.  Giving it to him is the best he can do to apologize for costing
 the lives of Kouji's parents, a mighty gift that will serve both boys when
 Juuzou himself is gone.  Juuzou has the satisfaction of knowing that his
 masterwork is indeed the mightiest robot in the world, and when Shirou says
 he wants one too promises to make one for him next time.

Unfortunately, there won't be a next time: the blast that failed to claim
Ashura did irreparable damage to him as well, and as Shirou wails beside him
Kouji prepares to dash off after Ashura and take vengeance immediately.  It
takes Sayaka going and standing in his way, her mech a sibling of his through
its use of Alloy-Z if nothing else, to partially bring him to his senses.  He
tells him that he's not mastered piloting yet, and if he were to pursue he'd
just get repulsed quickly.  Ankokuji also has a lot of questions for him about
the state of the town, and will use his sidearm to subdue Kouji if forced...

Ashura expects to be severely scolded by Dr. Hell, but the scientist is in a
pretty good mood, all things considered.  For starters, Juuzou has been
confirmed dead by the remaining Iron Mask soldiers, a bittersweet moment for
Dr. Hell given that, once upon a time, he and Juuzou were the best of friends.
All that remain in his way are "that woman" and Mazinger-Z, and he orders
Ashura to use the remaining forces to strike Mazinger down and acquire Photon
Power for his plans.


CHAPTER 3C. The Comet that Ignited a War

These CB guys are proving mighty hard to find, even for the principal nations
of the world.  Conveniently for the CBs and irritatingly for everyone else, the
very engines that propel their mecha seem to emit particles that interfere
with electronic means of tracking them down.  That would seem to make it a
waste of time for Crow to be buzzing around aimlessly in his transport plane,
but Traia takes a different view.  The CBs have declared war on companies who
support war, right?  Who's the largest war-mongering company out there (hint:
Axion)?  What's one of the most volatile regions in the world (hint: North
Africa, where Crow happens to be now)?  Doesn't that sound like a good way to
attract some action (hint: Yikes!)?  Crow recalls an old proverb that "a dog
who walks gets hit with a stick", and hopes he's dog enough to come out on top.

Traia tells Crow that the grim reaper Gundam he fought beside seems to be of
Space Colonial origin ("Gundam" due to its Gundanium alloy armor), and its
presumptive goal is liberating the colonies from the CMC.  The CMC, dominated
by the Three Great Nations, has proved ruthless in suppressing anyone who dared
agitate for Colonial freedom -- even leaders advocating non-violent, non-armed
conflict like the iconic Hiiro Yui.  His death served to make the Colonial
resistance _more_ violent, causing the CMC to send in full-scale military
forces.  While it seemed that Yui's assassination handed CMC victory over the
Colonies, this new development shows that the chess match is far from over.

Just then a proximity alarm goes off: looks like Crow has successfully
attracted some fish to his lure.  Traia wasn't joking at all about using him
as bait, though she waxes cutesy when she says she's _sure_ he can win.  Crow
smirks and informs her that her cute voice won't work on him.  It's his
policy never to trust women... _especially_ beautiful ones.  Turns out that
the approaching forces are AEU, which should mean Crow's safe thanks to Axion's
negotiations.  Sadly, "should" doesn't always pan out, and when the AEU forces
open fire Traia realizes to her horror that these aren't the regular AEU army:
they belong to Oz!

Crow recalls that Oz amounts to AEU's special forces, reporting to a different
chain of command and backed by the powerful Romfeller conglomerate.  Apparently
Romfeller is pissed that Axion went behind their back to the AEU government,
and plans to confiscate the Blaster as part of their search for those new
Gundams.  They've got Armored Troopers (ATs) on their side, which means they've
got the Gilgamesh mercs on the payroll.  Crow doesn't at all mind indulging in
a little "self-defense" at their expense.

 Reinforcements for the bad guys arrive quickly, headed by Zechs himself.
 Zechs suspects that the new Axion mech might be connected to the enemy
 Gundam, and in any case wants to test Axion mech's power with his own hands.
 Just from Zechs' movements, Crow guesses that he's facing the famed Lighting
 Baron, and that's not a pleasant prospect.  Just then something shoots in
 from overhead: a variable-geometry mech that converts into another Gundam.
 Ats controls is Hiiro, whose mission involves trashing AEU's mobile suits.
 Zechs hastily reorganizes his battle lines, and Crow will be more than happy
 to use the chaos to his advantage.  Zechs finds out very quickly that his
 vintage mech is no match for Hiiro, even with _him_ at the controls.

 Things get more chaotic yet when Britannia Union forces show up, apparently
 ready to renew their longstanding skirmish with the AEU.  Before anyone can
 fire a shot, a barrage of artillery rains down on them: it's four of the CB
 mecha, including the ones who repulsed the terrorists in space!  Tielia tells
 his forces to focus on the AEU and Britannia combatants, and to leave the
 Colonial mecha alone since the Colonies' warlike intentions are still being
 investigated.  The Axion mech is a lower-priority target.

 Unfortunately, this sort of orderly strategy requires a set of disciplined
 principles... which the CBs are most definitely _not_.  Allelujah doesn't
 seem to have his heart fully in the battle, whereas Tielia is eager to kick
 somebody's ass thoroughly.  And Setsuna seems to be in some sort of
 delusional state, growling that he _is_ his Gundam!  Lockon has his work
 cut out for him babysitting it seems.  For his part, Graham is very curious
 about his bold adversaries, and orders his men to ignore the AEU in favor of
 the Colony and CB mecha -- he's counting on the AEU commander to reach the
 same conclusion if he's got half a brain.  Zechs does indeed decide likewise,
 and Crow is left scratching his head trying to figure out who is and is not
 on his side.

 Even Zechs can't make up for the vast difference in technology levels, and
 is forced to eject and flee.  Graham on the other hand finds himself
 infatuated with Setsuna and/or his Gundam, proclaiming himself to be a
 stereotypically sentimental Virgo.  He wants a memento of this day, and
 he'll settle for a piece of Setsuna's mech!  Setsuna does _not_ want this
 dude touching him, but even in defeat Graham vows to spend lots more time
 with this fascinating new foe from now on.

After the AEU and Britannia forces are defeated, Tielia still has stuff to
check.  He orders Hiiro to surrender his mech, but Hiiro ignores him
completely and simply flies off, rapidly vanishing from sight.  Even Allelujah
can't follow something that fast, which leaves the CBs to turn their attention
to Crow.  Crow manages to dodge Lockon's first shot, but he isn't likely to be
so lucky next time.  Tielia is the sort who would normally decide to simply
destroy the thing, but Veda has told him it wants to find out more about the
unknown tech used in the Blaster.  Lockon tells Crow to heave to, and with a
4-to-1 disadvantage, Crow isn't in much position to refuse.  Apparently the
dog took a critical hit from the stick this time...

Liumei, a support agent for the CBs, arrives quickly on the scene.  She says
that the main effect of the CB's declaration was to clarify relations between
the world's nations.  The Three Great Nations will presumably see the CBs as a
threat and move to eliminate them; if not, the Meisters would be mostly wasting
their time.  Liumei says that the CBs ideals can be realized only through
action, and says that their next mission is already waiting: vanquishing the
local AEU forces now that Britannia has elected to withdraw.  While that will
end the regional conflict plaguing this area, Setsuna finds it hard to
understand why Britannia would unilaterally leave.  That would be thanks to two
of the Colonial Gundams, which just demolished Britannia's main forward base.

From combined intelligence reports, it seems that the Colonies are fielding a
grand total of five Gundams, and although they could prove a useful tool in the
fight against the AEU, Tielia at least figures they need to be taken out now
that their true identity is coming into focus.  The fine details of the plan
are taking Sumeragi and Veda some time to concoct, thanks to the meddling of
Dancougar in this region.  Dancougar, entirely mysterious in origin, has a
fondness for jumping into battle on the side of the underdogs... almost as
iconoclastic as the CBs themselves, really.  For now, Lockon settles for three
coffees and one milk (for Setsuna).  That is meant as a little pointed humor,
and Lockon nicely asks Setsuna to try to not charge on ahead in future battles.
Setsuna mutters assent and wanders off alone to think, leaving an exasperated
Tielia fuming about why the unpredictable kid was made a Gundam Meister in the
first place.  And as for Crow, Liumei will help question him in good time...

Graham has returned to what remains of the Britannia base, pleased to find
that Billy is still in one piece.  Harry got a good look at the culprits: a
heavily armored combat monster and a firepower-intensive model.  Their
capability is obvious from how it took just to of them to reduce this
installation to rubble, and between them and the CBs it seems Britannia has a
real fight on its hands.  Graham comments that the CB pilot he faced was very
young -- not from talking to him of course, but from the degree of emotion
that showed through his mech's movements.

As for the decision to withdraw so easily, Graham tells Billy a little
something he's heard whispered around: the Emperor seems to have not had his
heart in the decision to send troops here in the first place.  That's a
surprise, as most would assume that Charles Zi Britannia would naturally want
to unite the whole world.  Graham thinks back to the Great Spacetime Quake,
when the United States of America and the Holy Britannia Empire found
themselves together on North America and elected to merge, where the hard-core
Imperial nature of Britannia held more sway than the nominal "constitutional
monarchy" system would indicate.

What Billy can't figure is why the same man who tolerates no dissent with his
military strategies would give up on such a strategically significant area as
this.  Graham notes that neither of them, as front-line soldiers, have enough
information to understand what their commanders are up to... nor should they
try.  Instead, they have a new assignment together: they've been transferred
to the new Anti-Gundam task force, whose chief engineer will be noted
scientist and instructor Raef Eifmann.  Britannia is placing a lot of value on
this showdown with the CBs and the Colonial Gundams, and Graham for one can
hardly wait...


CHAPTER 4J. Catastrophe Arrived

After the battle, Sayaka and her father are both pondering Juuzou's beast of an
invention, every inch a "super-robot".  Juuzou's death is both a blow to the
Photon Power research community, and of course a personal loss to Kouji and his
brother.  As such, it seems like adding insult to injury that Kouji got hauled
in by the cops... but also unavoidable given how his grandfather _personally_
possessed a robot super-weapon.  Even in Japan, famed for its robot know-how,
only licensed companies and laboratories are permitted to build something like
Mazinger-Z... and even if Kouji is of little value for questioning, the
world's governments are on edge after the CB's proclamation... and after the
Dancougar incident.

Ah, Dancougar, mysterious interloper in world events, always taking the side of
the underdog and making a royal mess of things as far as the government is
concerned.  Nobody knows who pilots it, or why, and that has the intelligence
community up in arms.  Yumi personally doubts that it's another of Dr. Hell's
gambits, but until Dancougar's intentions are clear, he plans to treat it
with due caution.  For now, Yumi has taken custody of Mazinger-Z, and pulled
a few strings to get Kouji released sooner rather than later.

Kouji isn't the only one in the slammer: Crow is interned there too, and
apparently holding out quite well against Ankokuji's questioning.  Ankokuji
is convinced Crow's a terrorist, but Crow continues to maintain the truth: that
he is an Axion test pilot.  Ankokuji eventually agrees to contact the Scott
Lab and check out his story, but only after a good night's sleep and breakfast;
until then, Crow is stuck in the joint, with the possibility of a little
arm-twisting looming when Ankokuji gets back.

For now, he and the Kabuto boys get to hang out.  Kouji's rage has cooled to
near-depression, and Crow does the best he can to offer his condolences.
Kouji is obviously so shocked that even Ankokuji couldn't muster much
enthusiasm for questioning him, and Crow suggests that if Kouji stays this
far down in the dumps, even Shirou will likely follow suit.  That puts a bit
of light back in Kouji's eyes, and he apologizes for being so self-centered.
No problemo, says Crow: Kouji and he are now comrades in arms, and anyone who
cares deeply for their family is someone Crow figures he can trust.

Crow reckoned Juuzou was serious business ever since hot-springing with him
(sans clothing, as is normal for Japan), but wouldn't have guessed the old guy
was capable of building something as kick-ass as Mazinger-Z.  And a damn sight
better than Crow's own father, whose only legacy to his son was a mountain of
debt.  Anyway, Kouji doesn't know much more than Crow about this "Dr. Hell"
character, other than the bit about world domination.  Crow smirks ironically
and says that in this world where some genius came up with the idea of
destroying war _with_ war, it's not so improbable for some other genius to try
their hand at the world domination thing.  Which raises interesting questions
about Juuzou's past, since he seemed to know Dr. Hell and Ashura, but those
are questions that can't be answered now.

The question for now is, what is Kouji going to do with Mazinger-Z once he
gets out of here?  Yeah yeah, revenge for his grandfather... but how?  What's
the plan for tracking Dr. Hell down?  Crow may not be one to talk much, but
he tells Kouji anyway that he's got to figure out the right way to use his
newfound power, or nothing good will ever come of it.  Ankokuji returns at
that point, figuring that someone who's lived through a battle or several
_would_ say something like that.  He hasn't checked up on Crow yet, but maybe
he won't have to: a higher-up from the Federation is here to see him.

Meanwhile, at the 21st Century Security Insurance headquarters, yesterday's
fracas in Atami is on everybody's lips.  Akagi in particular is thrilled at how
Mazinger-Z saved the city (though not without extensive damage), though he
hastens to insist he isn't planning to run off and do the same.  Conversation
is cut short by today's special event, a Security Show highlighting the latest
in security products that 21st Century offers.  Not the most glorious of
assignments for the ladies of Info Section 2, but that's business.

The centerpiece of the expo is the Dai Guard, some 20m tall and designed for
Anti-Heterodyne action.  What's a Heterodyne, you ask?  A type of
interdimensional beastie that shows up every time there's a spacetime quake,
which there hasn't been for some twelve years.  Some of the kids in the crowd
have heard tales from their parents about how monstrous they can be, and the
whole point of the Dai Guards is to fend them off the next time they show up.
Now, even the kids are asking why the Dai Guard weren't sent to help out with
the mess in Atami, and those directly involved with the Dai Guard program
don't have a good answer.  The answer, which is not so good, turns out to be
that the Dai Guard are restricted to dealing with Heterodyne matters only;
anything else falls to the Security Insurance Army.

Akagi in particular would really love to actually boot up the Dai Guard and
prove to everyone (including the doubting little kids) that they're more than
just giant worthless statues.  Oh, his section chief wouldn't mind letting
him... so long as he's prepared to forfeit his entire month's salary: does
he have any idea how much these things cost to operate??  Basically, there's
no chance of running one unless the Heterodynes show up, and no one including
Akagi wants _that_.  Maybe it'll cool Akagi's head to be stuck in the mascot
suit starting at 1500h, while Aoyama wanders around chatting up the ladies in
the audience?  Le sigh.

Meanwhile, sparks are flying in the boardroom.  It seems the Mt. Fuji
observatory has declares a Level 1 emergency after detecting a series of
spacetime quakes in the vicinity of Tokyo Bay, and some on the board feel it's
one more false alarm.  But a sudden phone call puts the lie to that: the
energy readings at Uragasuidou are at 8.6 hectobless and rising, the highest
in recorded history!  The observatory wants permission to declare a Level 2
emergency.

At the unveiling, the crowds catch sight of something resembling a seagull... a
REALLY MUGE ONE!  This is a Heterodyne, the object of everyone's deepest
fears for a dozen years running.  HQ orders the event disbanded and all
participants led to safety, which if not done gingerly could lead to a mass
riot.  Akagi has made a bee-line for the Dai Guard, planning to fire it up and
fight the Heterodyne, or at least slow it down so everyone can be evacuated.
The other staffers barely persuade him to wait for word from HQ, but that
doesn't last long as the Heterodyne advances on the city.  Demanding to know
what the Dai Guard was built for if not for a moment like this, Akagi is
about to board it anyway, even at the cost of his job, when a car screeches
onto the scene.

Out of it steps Shiroda from the Self-Defense Forces Staff HQ, clearly not a
fan of the useless Dai Guard project.  He wants everyone to evacuate at once,
but that might be hard with the Heterodyne freezing the city and blocking all
the roads.  Akagi is definitely not one to listen to the (self-proclaimed)
voice of reason, and is able to persuade Ibuki and Aoyama to go along with
his reckless plan.  Boy is he going to get it afterwards...

Aoyama stresses that their mission is saving human life, _not_ fighting the
Heterodyne per se.  Akagi heads right over to where the rubble lies blocking
the street, but the Heterodyne seems determined to press its attack and keep
the people from fleeing.  With no real choice, Akagi has to fight back, despite
his lack of any real combat training.  It doesn't help that the Dai Guard
doesn't have any real weaponry to speak of at present.

 Even doubting Thomas Saitou sees the wisdom of Dai Guard fighting when it's
 explained to him that, should it withdraw, the Heterodyne might head their
 way next.  He yells for someone to bring him some paperwork to sign, and
 has the order sent out to beat down the Heterodyne.  He finishes right around
 the time the Heterodyne is defeated, but it's not all wine and roses yet.
 More of the robots that assailed Atami show up, led once again by Ashura.
 Ashura had hoped to find Mazinger-Z, but contents h(im/er)self with taking
 this one down before it causes trouble for Dr. Hell's forces.

 Things look grim until, of all robots, Dancougar shows up!  Will it side with
 Dai Guard, since they're the underdogs?  It certainly doesn't answer to
 hailing frequencies, and as there are still people trying to evacuate Akagi
 sees no choice but to keep up the fight.  Ashura will be more than happy
 to pulverize this interloper and burn everything in sight to ash.

 Before any burninating can occur though, the Mazinger squad plus Crow show
 up, under the watchful eyes of Ankokuji.  They're on special furlough, as it
 were, and Crow welcomes the chance to help clear his name.  Dancougar
 is a threatening presence, but since it seems to be willing to battle the
 Mecha-Beasts, Ankokuji elects not to attack it.  Kouji tells Crow that he
 hasn't decided what to do with his power in general, but in this particular
 case he intends to exact full revenge for Juuzou.  That direct, heartfelt
 approach suits Crow just fine!

 The combined force is too much for Ashura's little band, and (s)he is forced
 to withdraw.  Kouji is ready to follow until Ankokuji reminds him that he's
 still working on the police's time, not his own.  The good news is that
 between he and Dai Guard (and Crow), the townspeople have been saved... and
 _that_ is something worth smiling about.  Mercifully, Dancougar vanishes
 without a word, just in time for the four CB mecha to appear.  They reckon
 Mazinger-Z will provide an ample counter to Dr. Hell for a while, and also
 elect to leave the Axion mech alone... for now anyway.  That said, they fly
 off in pursuit of Dancougar.

 Crow doesn't like how someone from the Federation freed him, fearing he'll be
 made into one of their chesspieces if he's not very careful.  What he needs
 is a pretext to get back to following the CBs...

 [If you join Kouji, go to Chapter 5K.  If you want to follow the CBs, go to
 Chapter 5D.]

 If you elect to stay with Kouji, it's because Crow doesn't like making an
 exit while still under suspicion as a terrorist.  Ankokuji yells for Crow and
 Kouji to get their asses offstage already, and Crow tells the reprobate cop
 he's hardly one to talk.  Crow tells Kouji that it's time to go home: neither
 of them knows what they want to do long-term, so the best they can do is try
 to ride their current wave out.  Crow bids farewell to the gutsy members of
 Dai Guard.

 If you elect to go after the CBs, Ankokuji yells for Crow and Kouji to get
 their asses offstage already, and Crow tells the reprobate cop he's hardly
 one to talk.  He flees the scene, leaving a grateful Kouji vowing to hold up
 his end here.

In the control room of the Dragons' Hive, Commander Tanaka reports that
Dancougar Nova has returned, with mixed results -- he thinks they still need
more samples.  His mysterious collaborator (boss?) reckons that another pilot
will need to be designated, and fast: things are moving far quicker than
expected.  And she doesn't mean the CBs, which she's already set about
dealing with...  The lifeforms of this planet have but moments left, and
Dancougar Nova must be completed first...

Back at 21st Century HQ, Akagi finds a towering mountain of paperwork awaiting
him -- including numerous copies of basically the same form.  The good news is
tha this little stunt didn't result in anyone getting fired, but this _is_ a
major company after all, and companies have this thing called "bureaucracy".
Never mind the fact that there was no real choice _but_ to take on the
Heterodynes...  In any case, Akagi has to hand it to the pilot of Mazinger-Z
for being such a cool dude.  Nobody really knows who Mazinger-Z is affiliated
with, but at least it's clear he's one of the good guys.  Yokozawa tells
everyone to cut the chitchat and fill out their paperwork; after all, their
section chief has been summoned before the board to explain today's
unauthorized activity.  The question is, what additional punishment might be
handed down...

Taigauchi is one skilled operator, and has parlayed today's throwdown into a
new business opportunity with the UN.  This new project will be led by Section
Chief Oosugi, and its first mech (the Dai Guard) will have as its lead pilot
Kamimura's cousin.  Other board members aren't as easily convinced, but them's
the breaks.


CHAPTER 5K prologue:

Crow and the others are back in jail temporarily, left to the "tender" mercies
of Ankokuji.  Not for long fortunately: they've got a heavy patron in Ootsuka,
the commander of a special battalion reporting directly to the UN Security
Council.  He wants to offer Crow a suitable apology for how he's been treated,
and though Crow can expect no apology from the hard-ass Ankokuji, he tells him
that the cop's little katsudon has bought him Crow's forgiveness this time.
Crow can guess Ootsuka's request: participating in that special battalion of
his.  And he will too, if Ootsuka will help him out with his little debt issue.

CHAPTER 5D prologue:

Crow has made it back to his hidden transport, and is back on the trail of the
CBs.  Traia has no way of tracking them on radar, so she sends him her best
guess based on their last known course.  Any info Crow can find out about the
CBs is surely worth a fortune to the press, and Traia doesn't mind any side
business he might concoct so long as he piles up lots of combat data.  As he
heads offshore, he's confident that Kouji and the Dai Guard folks will do good
work in keeping Japan safe.  The Mecha-Beast data already looks very useful,
but its extra worth to Crow's debt gets cancelled out by the fact that he
went incommunicado for a while -- he only gets his baseline 50k G, plus an
extra 5k G for getting thrown in the slammer...  or so he thought, until some
sort of long range blast hits his transport plane.  The damn thing is a wreck,
and it's coming out of his bonus!

That kind of long-range gunnery could come from only a few places, and the
most likely is... those damn CBs!  They know that they can still be tracked
visually even if their GN Drive makes radar useless, and have been lying in
wait for anyone trying to track them.  Tielia decides that this new Axion mech
should be captured, rather than destroyed -- Veda is interested in the many
mysteries it contains.  Crow knows he likely can't win a 4-on-1 fight, and
mumbles to himself that he might have been better off busting ass for the
Federation...

The CBs have Crow close his eyes and do the usual hands behind his head thing.
They don't want him to see their faces, regardless of how they've already
fought on the same side of battles before.  They ask why he's following them,
and Crow comes up with an answer that they _didn't_ expect: he says he wants to
_join_ them!


CHAPTER 4C. Battlefield of Chaos

Crow, blindfolded, introduces himself as an Axion test pilot to Liumei, who in
turn tells Crow she's a CB agent, doing whatever is necessary to support the
pilots' operations.  After a bit of mild joking around, Crow explains that his
mission for Axion is accumulating combat data for his mech.  That explains
why he was at the AEU unveiling, and why he was supposed to be the one to
wreck the new Inact until the CBs got there first.  Lockon lets it slip that
the pilot who did the damage is here, but Tielia won't let Crow deviate from
the questions he's asked, firing a warning pilot shot and telling him that the
next one won't miss.  See, the CBs aren't bound by any of the international
treaties for the treatment of prisoners...

Crow answers Liumei's query: the CBs have twice showed up independently at the
very places Crow was trying to go.  Though he has to admit that that was good
for him the second time...  Tielia frowns and figures that Crow really was
trying to hunt them down, but Crow tells him to get a grip: her whole
organization have made themselves the biggest celebrities going.  And where
there are celebrities, there are paparazzi.  Is Crow saying, asks Lockon, that
he followed them out of curiosity?  That's right: it means money for Crow, and
money is what he needs right about now.  He freely owns up to the strange
tastes of the person holding his leash: she's less interested in the CBs as an
organization, and more interested in what makes their Gundams tick.

Lockon notes drily that curiosity has killed many a cat, and Crow has been
prepared for as much: he's known in his gut that the CBs are serious about
taking on the whole world.  He also reckons that Liumei introducing herself to
him implies that they don't intend to let him go alive.  Liumei leaves that up
to his imagination, her youthful voice belying a frightening resolve.  Crow's
instinctive distrust of women just got worse, that's for sure, and on a
personal level Liumei sympathizes.

As a little souvenir to take to the afterlife, Crow asks whether the CBs really
think they can put an end to all war.  Liumei hesitates, but Setsuna answers a
very definitive "yes".  Liumei announces that the Q&A session is over, and
that she's going to need Crow to remain their prisoner for a while longer while
they check out his Axion mech.  And after that, they will confiscate both his
mech and his memory of his time with them.  Well heck, short-term memory
erasure is better than permanent life erasure.  They'll leave him enough food
and water to hold out until they get back from their latest mission: the best
they can do under their limited circumstances.

The good news is that their interest in the Blaster has kept him alive.  The
bad news is that losing the Blaster will only make his debt load increase, and
he can't abide that.  The only hope is a rather dangerous gamble, involving a
little joint dislocation to free himself.  Frankly, he's more used to that than
he is to being a pilot.

Tielia tells the others that Veda is interested in the Axion mech's power
source, something mysterious but clearly different from Axion's normal Plasma
Batteries.  It's certainly not GM Drive, but what it _is_ will require some
investigation.  Their first task is taking down the AEU base though, and that
base has some PMC mercs helping guard it.  And among _those_ are the "Red
Shoulders", the strongest squadron in the Gilgamesh army and a remnant of the
fracturing of the Astrageus forces.  Facing them is going to be a real gut check
for the CBs...  There's also a good possibility that the two Colonial MSs that
took out the Britannia base are still around, and that they'll take advantage
of the CBs operation to attack the AEU as well.  And when they do, part of the
mission is taking them out -- Lockon figures that they're the only ones who
need Gundams.

This is the point where Crow escapes, triggering the CBs to chase after him.
He knows that Traia would love for him to fight them, but he also doubts he
can win 4-on-1.  Hell, even 1-on-1 looks to be a challenge with these guys.
Gunfire erupts around Crow just then, coming from the last two Colonial mecha.
They had mistaken Crow for an AEU recon plane, but whatever he is, they can't
let him go now.  Trois offers to help Quatre immobilize the Blaster, and Quatre
for his part is extremely glad the two met.  2-on-1 is better than 4-on-1 for
this stick-beaten dog, and the thought of turning more combat data into money
has Crow's blood boiling.  The trick will be getting that data back with him
alive.

 After trading a single blow, the CBs catch up.  They naturally want Crow to
 dismount, and just as naturally they can't guarantee his safety if he does.
 Crow asks what they intend to do about the Colonial mecha, and Tielia
 furiously snaps that that's none of his concern.  Getting a bit too emotional
 there, smirks Crow, divining correctly that the CBs mean to attack them.
 Crow then does something random, hailing the Colonial Gundams and offering
 to join forces against the CBs who mean them all harm.  Hell, 4-on-3 ain't
 such bad odds, right?

 Explosions erupt all around, and Crow yells for the CBs to wait until his
 little strategy session is over.  But they weren't the ones that fired: it's
 the AEU forces, led by the aforementioned Red Shoulders.  Patrick is informed
 of orders to not touch the Axion mech, but the hot-headed pilot is determined
 to trash _all_ the forces facing him regardless of origin.  Gregor and
 Beimann aren't impressed, figuring that Riemann sent them to keep Patrick
 from running completely amok.  This operation certainly has no real semblance
 of strategy or planning otherwise.  Gregor tells his lieutenants to fuck the
 "Red Shoulder" name and just do their job by the book.

 Crow guesses that there's no hope of the Axion name shielding him now, and
 any plans the CBs had for a surprise attack have gone totally out the window.
 The same goes for the Colonial mecha, and Crow addresses both factions with a
 proposal to join forces.  After all, if the AEU intend to take them all on
 anyway, why not show them a united front?  Tielia is fit to be tied, but
 Lockon sees the wisdom of the suggestion and accepts the temporary
 cease-fire, as does Quatre and Trois.  Interestingly, two more Colonial
 Gundams were independently planning to raid the AEU base, and pop out to
 join in the fun: Duo and Hiiro.

 Dancougar shows up in short order, siding with Crow and company on the
 apparent theory that they're the underdogs here.  Patrick is of course
 furious, but there's little to do but just accept Dancougar's help.

 The Red Shoulder heavies know better than to lay down their lives here.
 Patrick manages to escape too, confused as hell as to why he, some top ace
 d00d, is getting smacked around so severely by these Gundams and their damn
 dog.  No AEU forces arrive to take his place, so Lockon concludes that the
 AEU military is completely tapped out in this region.  The CBs mission isn't
 over yet though...

 Dancougar abruptly withdraws, leaving the CBs to deal with the Colonial
 Gundams... who it would appear are _not_ all from the same organization.
 Duo would rather avoid unnecessary complications if possible, and Hiiro just
 flies off without saying another word.  Duo follows suit, his next mission
 taking him to Area 11.  Quatre wisely does likewise, keeping Trois with him
 for now.  Tielia wants to pursue, but Lockon points out that they've spent
 more fuel and ammo than they originally planned: they need to keep at least
 something in reserve for emergencies.  As it is, they've met their minimum
 mission parameters, and they all need to try to adapt to their constantly-
 changing situation.

 That still leaves Crow, who really needs to improve in the timely-exit
 category.  If you surrender to the CBs, go to Chapter 5E.  If you want to
 follow the Colonial Gundams, go to Chapter 5J.

 If you chose to surrender, Crow comes up with a very unusual proposition:
 would the CBs be interested in hiring him?  Now _that_ is unexpected...

 If you opt for following the Colonials, Crow dodges Lockon's shooting,
 telling him that he doesn't fall for the same trick twice.  Neither his
 memory nor his mech are theirs to keep!  Lockon keeps his charges from trying
 to follow, not worried about the small amount of info Crow has gained and
 sure that they can settle the score when they eventually battle Axion.

[See 4J for the conversation at the Dragons' Hive.]

Quatre thanks Trois for furnishing the help he needed to complete his mission.
Both seem to share a similar mission, and figure that the two other Colonial
Gundams they've seen must too.  Trois then tells Quatre he's going his separate
way, giving "Trois Burton" in lieu of a real name (which he claims not to
have).  Never mind that Trois now knows the location of Quatre's private army's
hideout: Quatre assures his right-hand man Rasheed that Trois is a comrade,
and wouldn't betray them.  Quatre is just glad to know they're not alone in
their struggle.  Rasheed tells him that the other two Colonial Gundams have
headed toward Area 11, a place that -- like the Colonies -- is held in thrall
against its will.  Their target would seem to be Britannia, and Quatre smiles
and says that the CBs aren't the only ones with the power to improve the
world.

Patrick is furious with the Red Shoulders, especially when they insinuate that
it was _his_ tactical error that led to the battle being lost.  He even calls
them "Votoms", apparently a dire insult, and they reply that their lives aren't
for free, even if all they are capable of is fighting.  The Red Shoulders have
no plans to die because of Patrick's reckless operations, and before the
argument can escalate further, Sarchez intervenes.  He and Riemann represent
the PMC, and tell Patrick in no uncertain terms that it was _his_ blunder in
using the Red Shoulders that's at fault here.  Patrick stalks off in fury, but
the Red Shoulders needn't worry: their skills are certainly still needed in
battle, and very soon at that.  They're to be scattered in several different
directions, perhaps an indication of how much hates them.  The sergeant, for
instance, is being sent to...

Asteroid Reed, subject of an extended flashback!  In the past, a base on Reed
was being protected by rank and file Gilgamesh troops.  Kiriko was on the
scene, wanting to know what the point of this mission is, and Konin refused to
tell him until later.  As he pressed farther into the base, he found some sort
of cold sleep capsule, inside of which was a woman.  What the hell?!  His
commanders shouted out that that's what they've been looking for, and ordered
Kiriko to withdraw and leave her to them.  They wouldn't say why, and when he
tried to rejoin them, they promptly opened fire and demolished his mech.

He came to on Earth, having been discovered drifting around Reed by the
Gilgamesh Army.  He told his captors what he knows, which isn't much: his
age, his immediate commander, etc.  He admitted to having seen the capsule, but
claims to have not seen what's inside.  Rotchina didn't buy that, and
electrically shocked him till he passes out, nearly dead of cardiac arrest.
Rotchina planned to resume the questioning once Kiriko wakes up, and orders
his subordinates to keep a close eye on their captive.  Kiriko, not
unconscious after all, escaped the first chance he got, setting in motion his
endless personal struggle amidst the larger backdrop of the Astrageus and then
Multidimensional World wars.


CHAPTER 5K. Jack of All Space Trades Calling!

There are two Japans in this world.  One has become part of the Britannia Union
after the Far East Uprising 7 years ago, being renamed Area 11.  The other
Japan had not been involved in any major conflicts until the Great Spacetime
Quake, and in the new world is a place of relative peace.

This peace was shattered by the reappearance of Dr. Hell's Mecha Beasts, and
the return after twelve years of the Heterodynes.  To combat these threats, the
UN Security council elected to send in the special Crusher Squadron, thus
setting in motion the battle to restore peace to the people...

Yes, the "Crusher Squad" is what they're calling Ootsuka's new command,
comprised of the Mazinger Folks, the Dai Guard folks, and Crow.  Clearly,
they've got a long list of menaces to combat, and they have the luxury of a
separate chain of command to the UN, via a Mr. Elgan Roddick.  Mr. Roddick is,
from what Crow's gathered, one of the last honest men in the UN, given all the
politicking the Three Great Nations have been indulging in.  21st Century will
officially be helping out, though a problem crops up almost immediately: Aoyama
and Ibuki aren't at all sure they want to be charging into battle against
terrorists and whatnot, and request time to discuss it back at the company.
Kouji hasn't really given thought to the whole "world peace" thing either, and
wants a bit of time to mull it over too.

Crow tells Sayaka to give him that time, adding that he's totally on board with
the Crushers so long as he gets paid.  And by "paid" he means the full 980k G,
since his creditor will surely penalize him for being incommunicado so long.
He does ask his amazed teammates to give him credit for coming up with the
19.999k he's paid so far all on his own.  Instead of a lump sum, he offers
Ootsuka a deal: 200 G every time he sorties.  SOLD!  Ibuki is impressed at
the crispness of the transaction, and Crow tells her he's glad just to have a
job in this day and age.  He cautions her lightly that if she's too picky
about her own career, she may find herself in the unemployment line.  Aoyama
suggests he mind his own business, saying he's not prepared to risk his behind
for something like this.  Well, _someone's_ got to risk _some_ part of their
anatomy, or nothing will ever improve in the world...

Since Akagi can't pilot Dai Guard alone, he and the others will have to head
back to 21st Century for some serious pow-wowing.  That effectively leaves
Crow and Sayaka as the only committed members here -- Ootsuka says that his
other pilots are currently tied up in the asteroid belt outside the Earth
sphere, investigating something.  Akagi is fascinated by the changes wrought
in the solar system by the Great Spacetime Quake, like that second moon, and
Ootsuka seems momentarily disturbed before waving it off.  For now, it seems
the Crashers will have to rely on a certain company, known for doing anything
and everything in the world...

That would be Takeo General Company, whose member Watta just returned to the
main office.  He's been busy hauling Space Colony materials up to orbit, a
rather trivial task for Trider.  Kaoru fills him in on the mess Dr. Hell has
been making in Japan during his absence, not to mention the return of the
Heterodynes.  This has disrupted Watta's mom's preschool fieldtrip, and means
he's on his own for dinner tonight.  Kaoru invites him over to her place for
a meal and stories about space, and Watta is all over it!

..Well, he would be except that he's got a prior appointment for his teacher
Mijuko to give him some make-up instruction to compensate for all the time
he's been absent.  He is, after all, an elementary school student as well as
an interplanetary hero.  Kaoru's house can wait until later, and to his credit
Watta proves to be a willing pupil.  Daimon elects to act as "hall monitor",
though really he just wants to spend time around Mijuko.  Plans change abruptly
though when Watta's butler shows up and informs the kid -- also a CEO despite
his tender years -- that they've gotten a job request that is too pivotal to
company expenses to be ignored.  Watta can't leave his employees in the lurch,
and promises Mijuko that he'll study as soon as he gets the time.

Watta blasts off with much fanfare, though he finds himself having difficulty
eating at the regularly-scheduled time.  He's so into the whole saving the
world business that the thought of chowing down while others tremble in
misery saps his appetite.  Fortunately there are cookies, which he's happy to
munch on so long as he leaves room for dinner at Kaoru's later.  Today's
job is more work for Ootsuka, a friend of Watta's dad and a frequent source
of business for the Trider team.

The job du jour is transporting a Photon Power Dynamo from the Photon Power
Lab on Mt. Fuji to Atami.  This is a portable generator powered by Photon
Power, and comparable in output to a whole power plant.  That's just what Atami
needs to help recover from its recent string of calamities until its own
power station is back online, and given that that's where Watta's mom has gone
on her field trip, there's all the more reason to hurry the job along.

On the way home, Akagi pulls aside his copilots, and the hairsplitting begins.
What's the difference between the Heterodynes and a terrorist like Dr. Hell?
Sure, one's a human and the other isn't, but both threaten the peace.  Ibuki
asks why Akagi hasn't joined the army if he wants to fight so much, and he
says that he doesn't want to fight a nation-vs-nation war: he wants to fight
specifically for peace.  The guy really, truly wants to be an Ally of Justice,
and Aoyama for one isn't having any of it: let the actual combatants do the
actual combat, seems to be his policy.

Crow them comes over to interrupt their tete-a-tete with a little news: the
Crushers are rolling out again for Atami.  If they like talking so much, why
not get a little exercise in the process?

Watta finishes emplacing the Dynamo in record time, but no sooner does he
finish than a bunch of WLF thugs show up.  The announce that they're
appropriating the Dynamo for use in world liberation (or something), and the
people of Atami can just suffer if that's what it takes.  No child is going to
tell _them_ how to run a revolution!  As they lock on weapons, Watta decides
to fight back and protect the generator he just finished installing: maybe
having their robots trashed will bring them to their senses!

 Watta quickly finds out that he's very low on missiles, another victim of
 tight budgets.  Better get up close and personal...

 The terrorists still don't stand a chance, but a much bigger menace
 appears shortly: Ashura and his Mecha-Beasts.  They are of course after any
 source of Photon Power they can get their hands on, and Ashura brought along
 a Nonacargo H2 to fend off Trider.  There's plenty of Iron Mask troopers to
 do the actual stealing, and no passel of schoolkids is going to deter them
 from their dirty work...

 ...that is, until Atami's shady characters get involved, thoroughly
 stymying the Iron Mask folks and even giving Ashura pause.  Ashura's Mecha-
 Beasts won't fare any better as the Crushers arrive.  Kouji needs no urging
 to fight the Mecha-Beasts, and even Akagi's coworkers have reluctantly
 joined him... for now at least.

This battle ends quickly, but the war is just beginning for Kouji.  He spies
Ashura and rushes over, to where Ashura is still facing off against Tsubasa.
Ashura can't comprehend how anyone besides Dr. Hell could harm his/her body,
and Tsubasa smirks and says that Ashura must not remember her.  Every attempt
Ashura makes to touch Tsubasa deals him/her intense pain, and Ashura demands
to know why.  Is (s)he _sure_ about that, asks Tsubasa -- there are some things
in this world one is better off not knowing...  Ashura insists, and so Tsubasa
says that she made some "adjustments" to his/her body so that Ashura's
unreasoning hatred of anything and everything couldn't be used against her!

Kouji runs up at this point, finding Ashura immobilized and Tsubasa offering
him the chance to finish Ashura off for good.  Kouji hesitates to attack a
defenseless foe, and Tsubasa spits that that's why he can't even use half of
Mazinger's power yet.  Say what?!  Just then, a bolt of lightning strikes, and
from it emerges Pigman to help Ashura out.  This is another of Dr. Hell's
five generals, the greatest witchdoctor in all Perdition, who uses not Mecha-
Beasts in battle, but rather all of Creation: Lord Pigman!  Pigman greats
"Lady Nishikori" in turn, and like Ashura there's no way he can attack her
without becoming immobilized.

At least, that's what Nishikori Tsubasa thought, but Pigman abruptly blinds
himself so his body won't recognize who he's fighting.  Saying this is all
Dr. Hell's will, he prepares to retrieve Ashura, and Tsubasa yells for Kouji
to run.  Pigman vows to take Tsubasa's life the next time they meet, and
disappears again in a bolt of lightning.  Kouji demands to know who the hell
Tsubasa is and how she knows Juuzou and Ashura, but before she answers with
more than a dangerous smirk, Crow shows up to check that Kouji's okay.  Tsubasa
takes that as her cue to leave, and Kouji pleads with her to wait.  Smiling
dangerously, she tells Kouji to come visit her at Kurogane-Ya hot springs if
he has business with her -- there, she will show him Hell.  And if he can't
stand that, she doubts he'll ever beat Dr. Hell...

Back at the Battle Camp base, Ootsuka apologizes to Watta for the bit about
the Mecha-Beasts: no one expected them to show up.  Ootsuka agrees to give
Watta and friends a bonus for their little "overtime" activity, and asks them
if they'd like to work for the Crashers on long-term retainer.  Guaranteed
moolah = hell yes he replied!  Watta understands the dangers, but would rather
risk his own life if it means protecting the multitudes as he did today.
Going on retainer means both defending peace on earth, and assuring his
company's fortunes -- nothing more to dither over after that, is there?  Plus,
he'll have stout allies like Crow on the scene, who even share the same kind
of financial concerns.

Watta is a beacon of do-goodingness, and that's helped Kouji make up his mind.
There are a lot of bad guys out there besides Dr. Hell, and all of them need
an ass-whuping so the good people of the Earth can live in peace.  Ootsuka
sets about preparations for housing Mazinger, Kouji and Shirou at Battle
Camp, but Kouji has one little "selfish" request first...

Kouji's decided to live _at_ Kurogane-Ya, betting that Tsubasa's challenge to
him is the best way forward.  Crow is tagging along too, both as Kouji's
official guardian, and because he loves the hot springs here.  To say that the
staff are a motley-looking crue would be an insult to hair metal bands
everywhere, but they're damn good at what they do.  Tsubasa greets Kouji, and
he asks her if he can really get stronger here.  She tells him that depends
entirely on him, adding with a feral smile that she's counting on the answer
being "yes".


CHAPTER 5D. Super Beast Fusion

The arrival of the Celestial Beings has slowly but surely shifted the balance
of world power.  And the five Gundams, sent from the Colonies almost
simultaneously, have sprung into action.  The tensions caused by these two
groups has moved the world closer to revolution.

Also appearing on the battlefield is Dancougar Nova, which appears to side with
whoever is disadvantaged in any conflict.  Its motives shrouded in mystery, the
fruit of Dancougar's actions has been the prolonging of warfare.

The Celestial Beings seek to root out the causes of war, the Dancougar Nova
seems bent on expanding that war.  These two inimical forces seen destined to
meet on the fields of the battles that even now are engulfing the world.

---

Lockon and the others question Crow about his reasons for trying to join up
with their group.  He's kept blindfolded at first, and the CBs degree of
caution in handling him is pretty understandable given the state of the world.
Allelujah is the first to admit that they need as many comrades as they can
get, and Lockon says that he's been given the authority to add to his forces
as circumstances dictate.  It all depends on Crow.

Crow then tells them the truth, or at least a version of it.  He relates his
mission as an Axion test pilot, sent to gather as much combat data as he can.
While that could be done in the PMC, his boss wanted him with the CBs instead.
As for what _Crow_ wants... well, he's tried being a soldier, and has a lot to
say about the forces that have twisted this world.  Presumably so do most of
the world's people, given a certain lack of truly peaceful nations on the map.
Crow finds himself intensely curious about anyone with the stones to declare
war on the whole world, and wants to watch what they intend to do from close
range.  Crow knows very well that this isn't any sort of game, and is prepared
to stain his own hands with blood once more when need be.

He asks if the CBs think they can truly put an end to war, and it's Setsuna's
definitive "yes" that finally decides Crow: he wants to see the world change,
or rather, wants to have a hand in doing the changing.  The CBs think a long
moment, and Tielia is the first to voice approval for Crow joining up... though
he does it by warning that any treachery will be repaid with death.  Lockon
agrees with taking Crow in, saying that their ever-changing circumstances
demand he accept a little risk.  Allelujah agrees with the two of them, and
Setsuna lets his silence equal consent.

Crow's blindfold is removed, and he gets to see the faces of the CBs for the
first time.  He expected someone like Setsuna thanks to that "yes", and
Setsuna proclaims that Crow is "not a Gundam" before stalking off.  In Setsuna-
speak, that means Crow is not to be trusted, and frankly Lockon doesn't fully
trust Crow either.  But after all, Crow can be disposed of at any time -- it
makes good sense to get whatever use out of him the group can.  And during that
time, Tielia plans to collect as much data about the Axion mech as possible:
this is the main reason he agreed to let Crow join.  Lockon tells Tielia to
shoot Crow dead if he tries any funny business, and then moves on to the
lighter topic of their next mission: raising hell with the Human Reform League.
Best prepare for Dancougar to intervene again...

Back at the Dragons' Hive, the new pilots for Dancougar have arrived, and to
say they're disoriented is a gross understatement.  Rue Riruri (as opposed to
Ruri-Ruri, for those who remember a certain Mobile Battleship...) and
Commander Tanaka greet them in turn: champion F-1 racer and top model Hidaka
Aoi, narcotics investigator Tachibana Kurara, rising advertising agency star
Johnny Burnette, and Kamon Sakuya, a bum off the street [no, really].  The
base they find themselves on is a small volcanic island formed in the Pacific
twenty years ago... and few know of its existence.

Kurara observes that all four of them appear to have been kidnapped, but before
she cuffs Tanaka he tells them why they've been brought here: he wants them
to sign contracts to become pilots of Dancougar Nova.  Yes, _that_ Dancougar,
the one everyone's heard of but nobody seems to have any solid info on.  Tanaka
emphasizes that this is Dancougar _Nova_ he's talking about, which requires
four pilots fulfilling very specific roles.  The previous set of pilots have
completed their contract, and these four were selected as candidates after a
very extensive search.

..None of which excuses the fact that Tanaka has strong-armed everyone into
coming here.  Aoi turns the offer down flat, telling Tanaka to go through her
agent if he's got a proposition.  Secret organizations can't generally do that
sort of thing, but not to worry: Tanaka can offer her a good ten times the
salary she made last year, though her regular career will have to go on hiatus
to achieve that.  And the benefits are great!  Kurara doesn't have time for
this kind of "joke", but before she or anyone can leave Seimy comes in to
report that "they" have begun to move.  Who are "they", exactly?  Never mind
that now: Dancougar Nova is ready to launch, and Tanaka recommends that
everyone give it a try once before reaching a final decision on their
contract.  Oh, and by the way they've all been hypnotically instructed on how
to pilot the thing for the last several days, so no worries!

As the pilots are ferried to their cockpits, Tanaka hears from his mystery
collaborator that "that" organization is ready to talk turkey once this
mission is over...

The WLF are nothing if not persistent, having just taken over a HRL base to use
as their own.  The CBs arrive just in time to see the aftermath of the battle.
Tielia tells Crow that this base is used as part of the HRL's campaign to keep
minorities suppressed, and that the people attacking it are not actually
acting in the interest of said minorities.  The WLF often cook up such
excuses to cover their program of spreading war indiscriminately, and the
strategy here seems to be to use the real resistance fighters to enter into
stalemate with the HRL.  Lockon tells the team to destroy every weapon in the
base, forcing the resistance to negotiate via peaceful means.  Of course, the
HRL will just sent in more weapons eventually... at which point the CBs will
destroy them once again, et cetera.  For now, the mission is striking down the
WLF, who seem to have found someone behind the scenes to fund their rapid
increase in warpower.

Crow isn't exactly in a blameless position himself, but people like the WLF
still make him want to puke.  Setsuna runs ahead again, and Lockon delegates
Crow to be the person tagging along behind.  Tielia reminds Crow that he's
one screw-up away from getting shot, and he promises to fight hard enough
to keep that possibility off the table.

 After a few moments, the four constituent mecha of Dancougar Nova appear.
 Tanaka told them to enjoy themselves, which seems pretty much impossible
 under the circumstances.  It's certainly a little late to go home, what
 with how everyone seems to hate Dancougar's guts by now.  Tanaka radios in
 and tells them that they're at the controls of Variable Beast Machines (VBM).
 Their first task is to get used to them by fighting the WLF (whose evil
 deeds are widely known) and to cooperate with the CBs, with whom Tanaka
 claims to have a rapport.  In fact, Sumeragi radios the CBs just then to
 tell them to cooperate with Dancougar -- must be a major emergency if she
 broke radio silence during an operation.  Veda agrees, so Tielia is okay with
 it.  Setsuna sounds unconvinced, but will follow orders.

 In short order, the enemy send out their trump card: a heavily armored
 mobile suit that even the CBs are wary of.  That can mean only one thing:
 time for Dancougar to combine!  This works out well enough, but the pilots
 need to be wary of a certain time limit.  Thanks to the peculiar generators
 required to run Dancougar, they can't stay combined more than five minutes,
 else the interior temperature will pass 100 degrees (Celsius, one supposes).
 Lest the pilots' blood boils, the thing will auto-separate when the time
 limit arrives, and can't be rejoined again on the same sortie.  All that
 means is that they _must_ defeat the bad guys, which sounds pretty
 thrilling!

 The WLF have no chance, and Lockon declares that Crow's fighting skills are
 every inch worthy of inclusion among the CBs.  Not that Crow should expect a
 bonus or anything, especially since he basically volunteered for the job.
 Sumeragi then sends another strange order to the CBs: they are to follow
 Dancougar back to its base!  Weird, but whatever -- Crow at least thinks
 he's either hugely in luck, or totally up shit creek.

The new Dancougar pilots are still figuring out what to make of the amazing
experience of fighting inside Dancougar.  Sumeragi too seems to be working on
making up her mind about allying herself for good with Dancougar, and has
come to the surface in person to meet with Tanaka.  The CB pilots are very
skeptical, but Sumeragi says that the proposal has plenty of merit.  Tanaka
introduces himself to them, saying that he's basically a mid-level manager in
the grand scheme of things.  The real boss is one hell of an operator, and
unlikely though it might sound, she actually accessed Veda itself to request
this meeting.

Tielia is speechless at that, and Crow asks what this Veda thing is that
Tielia keeps talking about.  Sumeragi and Liumei introduce themselves to Crow,
also pointing out Liumei's bodyguard Kuuryuu.  Crow sighs ruefully at having
more women as his superiors, interesting Liumei a bit.  Veda turns out to be a
quantum computer, with final decision-making authority for the CBs.  Access to
it is sharply limited, and if the Dragons' Hive commander could break its
protections, she must be one formidable woman indeed.  Okay, so Veda = CBs'
brain, got it.  Now, what about the source of the CBs' Gundams' power,
something far above and beyond ordinary mecha out there?  All Sumeragi will
tell Crow is its name: "GN Drive".  It is one of the CBs' top secrets, and
is deeply connected to why they exist in the first place.

Clearly both sides of this deal have their deep dark secrets, and Tanaka
fully expects they can get along as "adults" about it all.  Tielia won't
go against Veda's edit that this alliance proceed, but he does have several
questions left.  The CBs are trying to stop all war, and as such Dancougar's
habit of helping the underdog made it a target that tended to _prolong_ war.
So why the request for alliance?  Did the Dancougar folks have some sort of
change of heart?

Only superficially, answers Tanaka; their ultimate objective remains the same,
and that objective is what the CBs are after too.  So why prolong the fighting
up till now?  Tanaka has to beg off that question, saying only that there were
a variety of reasons behind it.  From now on though, Dragons' Hive and
Dancougar Nova will follow along with the CBs' way of doing things.  The pilots
of said Dancougar Nova are nowhere to be seen, as they've not yet signed their
contracts.  Tanaka apologizes again for all this uncertainty, and tells his
guests to make themselves at home throughout the whole facility -- he will
treat them and their privacy with the utmost respect.  Lockon doubts that an
alliance like this, with so many secrets kept on both sides, can last long...
but at least from Sumeragi's point they've effectively solved their Dancougar
problem.  Crow doesn't much care what becomes of it all so long as he gets
loads of data to take back to Traia.  Go to Chapter 6E.


CHAPTER 5E. Super Beast Fusion

[This is basically the same as Chapter 5D, with trivial dialog changes to
reflect the fact that Crow has _re_joined the CBs.  This is the route I kept of
the two ways to get here.  Go to Chapter 6E.


CHAPTER 5J. Battling

There are two Japans in this world.  One had not been involved in any major
conflicts until the Great Spacetime Quake, and in the new world is a place of
relative peace.  The other Japan Britannia Union after the Far East Uprising 7
years ago, being renamed Area 11.  The Japanese people were renamed "Elevens"
and -- apart from a small number of "honorary Britannians" who had sworn
allegiance to the Britannia Union -- were subject to blatant discrimination.

In response, a number of the Elevens organized themselves as a resistance
movement and began to resist the Britannia Union.  Among them, the Kantou Block
boasted a sizeable number of refugees from Astrageus, and took advantage of the
deteriorating state of lawlessness in Area 11 to spread its influence outward.
Nevertheless, the disparity in power between them and the Britannia Union was
massive, and the Elevens faced a truly desperate situation.

While the flames of conflict crept across the world, Area 11 remained peaceful
under Britannia Union rule... until _that_ day arrived...

---

Rotchina receives a report that Kiriko has infiltrated the Shinjuku Ghetto.
The tracking device implanted in him seems to be alive and well, and Rotchina
is most curious to see what Kiriko is about to do now.

The Student Council are all assembled on time at Ashford Academy, which is
almost a shame since Milly was prepared to "punish" any latecomers by making
them dress up as the opposite gender for a day.  And anyone who refused _that_
would have to wear bunny ears for a week and end every sentence with the word
"boing".  Louise wishes Shoji would have been late so she could see him in
drag, dress up in drag herself, and take him out on a date(!)  Maybe some of
her oddities can be explained by the fact that she's an exchange student from
Spain, but Milly tells her not to sweat it.  The charismatic student council
president is the granddaughter of the Academy's chairman, and is quite
solicitous about all the students despite her impish nature.

..And by "solicitous", we mean detailed knowledge of the council members
three sizes, who they're in love with, and who hasn't gotten up the courage to
ask their love interest out.  Lelouch interrupts Milly's teasing Shirley by
asking why they've all been summoned, and Shirley can't tell if Lelouch is
trying to save her embarrassment, or whether he doesn't want Shirley's crush on
him discussed.  It doesn't take a chess master like Lelouch to guess what the
meeting is about: adding a certain famous new student to the Council.  Nanaly
escorts this new student in: Rilina Dorian, a picture-perfect lady that all
the students are already calling "Princess".  Mill tells Rilina not to sweat
it, adding the perhaps dubious assurances of a Britannian noble in decline
that Rilina is totally worthy of the epithet.

Rilina shouldn't worry about being put onto the Student Council so soon after
transferring either: it's really less of an administrative body and more a
group of playmates, with a few responsibilities for running student morale-
boosting events.  Besides Milly, there is Shirley (also on the swim team),
Rival (a willing courier and escort), Nina (Milly's childhood friend), plus
the aforementioned Louise and Shoji, who are very much an item.  Rounding out
the lineup are Lelouch (Shirley's crush) and his sister Nanaly.  Those two
live in the club house as a special accommodation to Nanaly's condition,
which renders her both blind and paralyzed from the waist down. Lelouch's
family has a few connections with the Ashfords, it would seem.

Rilina is no small potatoes either on the family front: her father is a
Vice-Foreign Minister for the UN.  In fact, it was her father's wish that she
travel the world and learn what's really going on in it firsthand -- and Area
11 is as much an international crossroads as anywhere these days.  Lelouch
suggests that she may not get a thorough education in world affairs just by
staying inside the Britannian residential zone known as the Tokyo Settlement.
If she really wants to see what the Elevens are going through, she'll need to
visit the ghettos as well: dangerous, chaotic places where the Elevens live
side by side with the war-hardened refugees from Astrageus.  Rival figures
that the Astrageus people seem like all thugs and punks, and few can controvert
him.

In any case, the ghetto is where the rulers and rulees meet in a microcosm of
the world as a whole... and it's dangerous enough that Lelouch isn't seriously
recommending Rilina go there.  He thinks to himself that if Rilina doesn't
need to face the godawful truth, she's better off not doing so.  But he can't
afford to turn away from reality, in his quest to build a world where Nanaly
can live in peace...

Crow has made his way to the Shinjuku Ghetto in pursuit of the Colonial
Gundams... which are nowhere to be found at present.  He's hoping to make a
killing selling the data about them, maybe even enough to make up for his
being incommunicado thanks to the CBs.  Axion was able to help him smuggle the
Blaster onto the island, but it running around in it would be suicide at
this point.  His only real option is to play secret agent and pound the street
looking for clues... which is what his original job was anyway.  His aimless
wanderings bring him to Kokona, who figures quickly that he's not from around
these parts.  Normal visitors from Britannia don't come around here often, so
Crow's claim to be a tourist would make him an _abnormal_ Britannian... though
not one of the army, as his shrewdness might lead one to suspect.

Kokona tells him that a bunch of Britannian police have been roaming around
searching for someone.  _Surely_ not a law-abiding citizen like Crow!  Maybe
the Gundam pilots?  Crow decides to enlist Kokona's help with a bit more info
gathering, since she seems to think he's come here to get a look at "the item".
She'll even show him the way for free since he's a good-looking guy, though
Crow is quick to tell her he's not interested in anything "physical".  That
surprises her, since she naturally assumes that any Britannians coming here
are pervs.  If he's not a perv, and he's not a normal tourist, she figures he
must be some kind of pilot... after all, she's seen plenty of people with
oil instead of blood in her homeland in Astrageus.  Say, why not enter "the
tournament"?  It's great money...

Just then Vanilla comes over and tries to recruit Crow instead, accusing Kokona
of stealing his clients.  Pot, meet kettle.  As the two argue about a deal that
Crow hasn't even made yet, Crow suddenly tells them both to get down.  A
gunshot rings out and Crow is hit, though he's able to fire back once before
his assailant disappears.  Kokona and Vanilla argue again about whose place to
take Crow to for treatment, eventually agreeing on a third party: the Goat.
Crow has just received an unexpected chance to learn a lot about the ghetto's
underworld... assuming he doesn't bleed out along the way first.

Rilina has come to Shinjuku too, wandering the ruins of a public park despite
the palpable danger.  The eyes of the Elevens, the Japanese people, she's seen
along the way were filled with anguish, seven year-old wounds that have never
closed.  Her reverie is interrupted when she almost literally runs into a
young man, blood seeping around the hand clasped to his arm.  He gruffly orders
her not to touch him and runs off, but something about his eyes gives Rilina
pause.  Unlike the Japanese, that young man's eyes are the eyes of someone
still fighting something.  She then voices a greeting to the air where he
stood...

Crow gets to Goat's warehouse, where the man himself is just preparing to go
out on a little errand.  Goat's surprised to see Vanilla and Kokona together,
and tells all of them to relax while he's gone.  Vanilla finds this very fishy,
and Kokona recalls seeing a young man at Goat's house yesterday... maybe even
the person the police are looking for?  Whoever it was was wearing a pressure
suit, possibly making him a Votoms pilot.  If so, that might mean that Goat
is...!!

Crow isn't following any of this, so Kokona tells him to forget about the
contract thingie for now: she wants him to come with her and spectate.
Spectate on... "Battling" apparently, and Vanilla is incensed that Goat seems
to have found someone to get into the ring on his behalf.  That someone is
Kiriko, and Battling is sport fighting carried out by ex-military pilots for
the benefit of the crowds.  Of course there's betting, and rumor has it that
even Britannia thrill-seekers come to watch.

Goat knows how to pick his Votoms drivers, but since Kiriko seems a bit...
detached, he gives him the pep-talk anyway.  The pilots of the Gilgamesh and
Balalant armies had to find something new to do after their galaxy was blown
away, and Kiriko should know by now how cheap life can be.  What Goat can offer
him is the closest thing to an actual comfortable life the ghetto can offer,
so long as he keeps winning at Battling.  Tonight, Goat has set up a battle
between Kiriko and the "Red Devil of the Elevens", a mystery figure who fights
not in an AT but a Britannian KMF.  The gimmick is that the pilot is supposed
to be an Eleven who goes berserk in the KMF to vent their fury at the Britannia
Union, which Goat very much doubts is the truth.

If Kiriko can beat this guy, he'll be an instant celebrity, and Goat as his
manager will stand to make a fortune.  The rules of tonight's battle preclude
firearms, so Kiriko will get his pick of various hand-to-hand weapons.  As he
and Goat go to inspect the AT for tonight's battle, a figure from the shadows
scowls: it's Konin, _very_ unhappy to see that Kiriko is still alive.  Konin
figures that Kiriko's become one of the Gilgamesh army's dogs and come here to
sniff around his organization...

Hiiro manages to make it back to the warehouse he and Duo are hiding their
Gundams in, still very much wounded and not in much mood to talk to Duo about
it.  Duo brightly reminds him that they decided to cooperate during their
time together here in Area 11, but Hiiro growls that he's only doing it because
their missions happened to coincide.  They've been saddled with the seemingly
impossible task of liberating Area 11, and at this rate even a minor shock
to the Britannian system would count as a success.  Hiiro is forced to admit
that he didn't kill Crow, vowing to get rid of him next time.  Duo isn't
worried about Crow, and has decided that their job will be _easier_ to do if
Crow is allowed to stir up the hornet's nest on his side.  And if he still
gets in their way after all the dust settles, he can be disposed of then.

Duo's found out some interesting info while Hiiro was out.  It seems the
Britannia Union uses "police" comprised of Astrageus folk to help keep the
peace in the ghetto.  But in reality, most of those forces actually work for
the PMC, which include members of the Red Shoulders.  Duo senses there may be
some hay to be made there, but if Hiiro agrees he certainly doesn't let it show
on his face.

Vanilla and Kokona aren't happy that Goat has found a Battling fighter without
giving them a piece of the action.  Crow says he's willing to give it a shot
if they can pay the 980k G he still owes, and Vanilla and Kokona both hang
their heads in sorrow.  Ahh, sorrow later: Battling spectating now!  Goat
honestly has no idea if Kiriko can beat the Red Demon, but he's bet a
_whopping_ 5 G that he will.  From what Kokona saw of Kiriko, he was pretty
hunky, and much more her speed than the 980 k G man seated next to her.
Vanilla tells Crow to try wiping out some of his debts by betting on Kiriko,
but Crow says nothing doing.  Of of the only things he learned from his shitty
father was to never gamble as a way to pay off debts.  Fortunately, there's
more to attract audiences than just the betting -- combat is pretty thrilling
to watch when you don't do it every day for a living.

As the match starts, it's immediately obvious that something is wrong.  Instead
of the Red Demon, Kiriko gets to face two other ATs.  Konin turns out to be
in charge of the local Battling union despite only recently coming to town, and
he says there's no way an unknown new Battler would get to face the Red Demon
right off the bat.  He'll have to prove himself first!  Goat yells for Kiriko
to withdraw from such an obviously unfair match, but as though drawn by the
roar of the crowd Kiriko advances instead.  Fancy finding the man responsible
for that disastrous mission to Reed, here in this town...

 Kiriko wins easily, and an incensed Konin is about to throw more lackeys at
 him when the Red Demon comes onto the field unannounced.  Its pilot turns
 out to be female, and she is sick of Konin interfering with _her_ battle.
 The crowds seem to agree, and the pilot Karen tells Kiriko that this is
 nothing personal.  She just wants to show everyone how strong Japan is, and
 it's anyone's guess whether Kiriko can carry the day.  One thing is sure:
 Konin is likely to try something underhanded sooner rather than later...

 Karen has a reason she's been Battling: getting more combat data for her KMF.
 And if she can't defeat Kiriko, she certainly won't be of much good against
 the Britannia Union.  She has quite a bit of trouble with Kiriko, and her
 problems only get worse when Konin sends a bunch of _armed_ goons to take
 them both out.  As things are about to devolve into a full-fledged riot, Crow
 strides onto the scene in his mech, ready to even the odds with the people
 to disrupted such a wonderful show.  That buys Goat just enough time to throw
 some real weapons to Karen and Kiriko.

 Kiriko's one thought is to grab Konin and make him explain who that woman in
 the capsule, who so altered his life, really is.  Crow meanwhile has a
 deeper motive for entering this fight: the ruckus will definitely summon
 the police, and where there are police there will likely be those Colonial
 Gundams......

 The police arrive in short order, apparently on Konin's payroll since Konin
 has taken the field himself.  And just as Crow expected, the Colonial
 Gundams are not far behind.  They do the sensible thing and go after the
 Britannian forces: the start of one hell of an uprising here in Area 11.

 Konin won't tell Kiriko what the deal with that girl was, only that Kiriko
 was supposed to have died back then.  But why?!  There will be no answers
 now, and if they don't all look lively they'll have the real Britannian army
 to deal with.  Goat leads all the combatants, Gundams included, back to his
 hideout.  It appears Kiriko's time wandering through hell isn't yet over...

Not long after the crew arrive at Goat's hideout, Karen's friends arrive: a
bunch of Resistance fighters Vanilla has had dealings with before in the arms
business.  Not really surprising Karen would want some backup, since she's only
just met these shady characters.  Crow remembers Duo and Hiiro though, saying
that he came to Area 11 specifically thanks to their "invitation".  And for
the benefit of the tight-lipped Hiiro, Crow says that he is not out to _get_
them.  He hopes for his part that he and Hiiro, having both shot each other
once, can get along.

Oogi Kaname introduces himself as the leader of his Resistance cell, with
Tamaki Shin'ichiro handling logistical support and Karen as the ace pilot.
Crow is, of course, Crow, and Kiriko is one tight-lipped dude.  He shows so
little interest in being a Battler-for-hire that he seems to be asleep as the
three Astrageus folks squabble over rights to his contract.  Duo is used to
the silent treatment from Hiiro, who he's only just come to hang out with since
arriving at Area 11.  Duo doesn't know where all five Colonial Gundams are
from, but he's sure that he and Hiiro came from different Colonies at the
least.

They do have a mission in common though, which is to sow chaos in the
Britannia Union by liberating Area 11.  Karen asks him if he thinks one
mobile suit can really beat the Britannians.  Head-on against the army?  No
chance in hell, but that's not the mission here; the mission is to disrupt the
Britannia Union just enough so the military balance with the other two Great
Nations collapses.  And that the Colonies can definitely use to their
advantage.  Oogi asks Duo and Hiiro to lend their strength to the Resistance,
which is struggling just to keep up with the regular police, and they certainly
see the merit of it.  And with two Gundams signed up, Vanilla is willing to
throw his hat in with the Resistance too.

Shoot, in that case Goat is willing to deal directly with the Resistance too,
getting a good source of business _and_ getting back at the Britannians too.
He's even willing to loan Kiriko to the resistance, and since Kiriko has a
bone to pick with certain members of the police force, he'll go along with it.
And if Kiriko is in, Kokona and her information sources are in too.  Crow has
lived the freedom fighter life before and wouldn't normally return to it, but
under the circumstances it's the best way to achieve his mission.  It also
lets him get back at Britannia for something in the past, though even he is
ambivalent over whether his grudge is justified.  He will settle for 50 G per
mission, which the Resistance can afford.  With all this firepower assembled,
Oogi has to wonder if he'll be able to marshal it effectively...

News of the Colonial Gundams and the mess in the ghetto is all over the news by
morning, and it's clear to everyone what the Gundams are trying to do.  Rilina
dodges the question of where she went yesterday after school, quickly realizing
that the wounded boy she saw must have something to do with the ghetto fracas.
Lelouch shows up and interrupts her thoughts with a light warning that she'll
be late for class.  With a mild smile, he adds that her father seems to have
been right on target: Area 11 looks to be in for some major changes, and none
too far off either.  Lelouch himself feels powerless to affect the rising
tide of world events, and desperately longs for some sort of power to put
his will into action.


CHAPTER 6K.  Awakening Power

A sinister voice calls upon "Mars" to awaken, and the recipient of the
message is Takeru.  The voice tells the confused guy that he's been sent to
Earth for precisely this day, and informs him that his real name is Mars,
son of Zhul, emperor of the planet Gishin.  The voice orders Mars to destroy
the Earth, lest its danger grow any further.  Takeru remembers no father, and
certainly isn't about to carry out an order to destroy the Earth.  The voice
tells him he has no choice, that no Gishinian can run from this destiny.  The
key the Earth's destruction lies in the robot with him, named "Gaia".  Takeru
screams at this demon to leave him alone, and the voice warns him that no one
has defied the emperor of Gishin and lived to tell the tale.  And to make the
point, Takeru gets zapped by something painful...

Taigauchi and Watta move quickly to forge a business partnership between their
two companies, now that they're both part of the Crushers.  For Taigauchi,
that means renewing a relationship dating back twelve years to Watta's father.
It was from Watta's father that Watta inherited Trider itself, his father
having taught him how to pilot the thing.  Watta is a fully-licensed pilot
despite his tender years, having gotten a license on special dispensation.
Quite a disparity between that and what Crow's dad left him...

The Trider and Dai Guard teams get formally introduced to each other, including
several heavyweights that Crow is surprised even fit into the elevator.
Also notable is Tanigawa, who's singlehandedly resurrected the "kogal" look
complete with excessive tanning salon visit and loose socks.  The Dai Guard
subpilots are non-gung-ho about their assignment, but they're willing to stay
around until replacements are found.  The team move out for Battle Camp, where
Kouji will join them after finishing his round of special training...

Over at the Kurogane-Ya, Shirou and Ankokuji are loving every moment spent in
the hot springs.  Ankokuji is nominally here to guard Kouji when he's not
actually in Mazinger-J, but it's unlikely anyone would try to start trouble
here... even the demons of hell.  Ankokuji tells Shirou that the staff are not
your average service industry folk.  Cross, for instance, was an infamous
lone-wolf gangster with over 40 kills to his name -- they say no one who's ever
crossed him is still around today.  Then there's "the Teacher", reputed to be
an unparalleled cook and so fast with his sword that his victims won't even
feel themselves die.  The thing about the entire crew is that they're supposed
to have died like a long time ago.  Yasu the Weasel knows a thing or two about
explosives, and the Mexican Jango makes a suitably formidable doorman that any
unwanted guests are likely to simply turn around and leave.  The main thing
they have in common is their boss-lady, whose charisma even Shirou at his
tender age can sense.

Kouji's got his work cut out for him if he wants Tsubasa to disclose all she
knows about Juuzou and Dr. Hell.  Just being three Mecha-Beasts, and using
Mazinger-Z to do it, doesn't begin to cut it.  She's willing to give Kouji
a chance to cut things short: a duel with Okiku.  If he can even touch her
shoulder, she'll tell him everything he wants to know.  Of course, Kouji can't
even come close to touching the elderly lady, even after an hour straight of
trying.  Even Yasu readily admits that she's nowhere near as fast as the old
lady.

Crow then comes on the scene with a couple of coaches to help Kouji learn how
to pilot Mazinger-Z better, which is the other way Tsubasa will agree to give
him the info.  Akagi and Watta aren't exactly ancient pros, but they're
farther along than Kouji himself.  And like Tsubasa, they tell Kouji that
he's relying too much on Mazinger's power -- he needs to learn to do more
than just flail around in rage.  Kouji accepts their help, and Crow will also
be on hand to supervise -- a little extra part-time work that he's extracted
some salary for.  Aoyama is okay with Akagi doing the instructor thing, but
isn't so sure about tagging along when Akagi starts playing "hero".  Crow
suggests that to Akagi, it's not "playing" at all, and when it comes down to
it, everybody has things they think are worth risking their life.

The rest of the Crushers have gone to the hot springs section already, but
before Ootsuka follows suit, he introduces the Astrocrushers, who've just
returned to the surface.  They are Kenji, Naoto, Akira, Mika and Takeru, the
crew of a large space fighter that's been busy fishing around in the asteroid
zone left behind by the Quake.  All other resources that would go there are
instead being diverted to building more Colonies, so the Astrocrushers have
a pretty big job.  Crow asks jokingly if they found any alien secret bases,
which reminds Takeru of the dream he had.

Before Ootsuka can explain what they _did_ find, an emergency report comes in
of a UFO coming from space toward Japan... just as Ootsuka feared.  UFO reports
are why the Astrocrushers were sent to the asteroid zone in the first place,
and, nobody yet knows if these are _real_ aliens or just another Colony
gambit.  Apparently the answer will be at hand soon.

The UFO is nowhere to be seen on radar at its last known position, and as the
Astrocrushers search for it it seems that Takeru is still fretting over the
dream he had.  Naoto is not impressed by that at all, but the argument gets
cut short by the emergence of the flying saucer_s_, which open fire right
away.  All attempts at broadcasting peaceable intentions fall on deaf ears, and
the squad has no choice but to fight back.  Are Takeru's worst fears about to
be realized??  If they are, and these are truly the UFO's Kenji's been informed
about, it means the Earth is an even bigger target to "them" than Kenji
thought.

 As battle is joined, one thing becomes clear about these UFO's: they're
 _alien_ UFOs.  Takeru gets permission to try and disrupt the enemy's
 formation and buy a little more time for reinforcements to arrive, and almost
 immediately suffers a catastrophic shot to his engine.  As a fiery death
 looms, a mysterious new robot zooms onto the scene and seemingly absorbs
 Takeru in the final moment before the blast.  This robot, which names itself
 Gaia, says that it moves as "Mars"' brainwaves command -- which would mean
 Takeru's little "dream" was nothing of the sort.  The bad guys must be
 Gishinians, which likely spells nothing but trouble.

 Reinforcements arrive, but explanation of what Takeru's robot is all about
 will have to wait.  This time, Akagi's teammates warm more quickly to the
 thought of battle, especially given that a town lies unprotected nearby.
 Never mind that genuine aliens would be the find of the century...

With the last alien shot down, the team pauses to fret over what the hell the
aliens are doing here.  Gaia helpfully tells Takeru that its anti-proton
power source also functions as an anti-proton _bomb_, one capable of destroying
the Earth.  Said bomb will detonate when and where Mars commands it to, and
Gaia asks him to order the Earth's destruction at once.  See, the Earth has
become a threat to Gishin, and better to nip it in the bud before--

Takeru screams for the electronic voice to stop, and the robot abruptly
ejects him and begins to wander off.  Its destination: Myojin Reef, an
unmanned island created in the tectonic upheaval 17 years ago.  Pursuit might
be advised, but first the team return to base to get their commander's take on
everything.  And as for Takeru, he's going to have quite a bit of explaining
to do...

Reports come in that Gaia has indeed reached Myojin, where is' buried itself
under some rocks and gone dormant.  B-O-R-I-N-G.  Note however that those rocks
seem to be surrounded by some kind of unbreakable barrier, making detailed
exploration impossible.  Takeru hesitates to divulge the anti-proton bomb and
the orders to destroy the world, and Ootsuka recommends he go home to clear his
head -- his father just called to see if Takeru could put in an appearance.
Whatever is on the father's mind, it's important enough to override the usual
prohibitions against Crusher members being allowed time off.

As Takeru walks away, Kenji tells the others that Takeru's been acting weird
ever since dream a strange dream in space.  WHAT ARE THE ODDS that that has
anything to do with this robot that just happened to appear out of nowhere and
save him?!  Ootsuka is hoping that Takeru's father, his best friend Professor
Myojin, can shed some light on the matter, and agrees with Kenji that Takeru
needs to be kept under surveillance.  Ootsuka actually knows all about Takeru
already, and thinks that when Takeru learns the secret of his birth, it may
well alter the Earth's fate...


CHAPTER 6E. To Distant Peace

Aoi has a very strange complaint about sleeping in her room in the Dragons'
Hive: it's _too_ much like her room back at home.  The other pilots have
found the same attention to detail, right down to stocking their pantries
with the same ingredients.  In Sakuya's case, they fixed up a nice, cozy shack
made out of cardboard and newspaper such as he might have had on the street...
except that he doesn't really _like_ cardboard.  In any case, all the pilots
have turned up to sign their contracts for reasons of their own... wanting
the thrill, the mystery, and mainly the non-having-part-of-their-memory-erased
factor.  Note: the four pilots are all used to a high level of independence,
and Tanaka had better not forget it.

That settled, Tanaka has the base's main computer WILL explain why the pilots
were selected in the first place.  It tells the pilots that Dancougar Nova has
been constructed specifically to confront those engaged in war, terrorism etc.
and exhaust their resources without creating a victor.  As such, it will
always side with whoever is losing at the moment, regardless of any
considerations of "right" or "wrong".  This echoes the words of Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Isabelle Cronkite, in her article "Does the Battlefield
Need Dancougar?"  Sakuya knows it well, telling a surprised Johnny that
they still let homeless folk into libraries.

None of this answers Kurara's question as to why _they_ were chosen as pilots.
Tanaka says vaguely that it was the result of "lots and lots of tests", and
seems unfazed by Kurara's determination to unearth what those tests are from
within his organization.  As to why Dancougar Nova aided the Celestial Beings
yesterday, Tanaka tells them that it's been decided for the Dragons' Hive to
cooperate with them from now on... making the Dancougar team every bit as
outcast as the CB's themselves.  Tanaka assures them that this base's stealth
systems will keep anyone from barging in in anger, and that their contracts
with the organization will be held in the strictest confidence.

Aoi "hmms" at that, undecided on whether to like the CBs or not... much like
Nova itself.  Her biggest concern is the apparent contradiction between the
stated CB goal of eliminating war, and WILL's little speech about effectively
prolonging war.  WILL says that from a combat strength level, aiding the CBs
goes against his programming... but from a global view of the CBs versus the
whole world, it makes sense.  That makes the Nova pilots a bit more at ease,
and serves as a good prolog to actually going and meeting their new comrades.

Said comrades are hanging out in, where else, the hangar, where Ian Vasty has
just finished patching up the CB Gundams.  Can't have the Dragon's Hive
techs getting their grubby hands on the GN Drive, right?  Seimy sniffs that
she's way too busy working on Dancougar Nova to have time to peek anyway, and
at least Haro seems to agree.  Ian's installed a new GN Blade in Setsuna's
mech, forming a nice pairing with the GN Sword and adding to its already
bewildering variety of bladed weaponry.  Lockon says that the Exia is finally
starting to resemble the original design drawings, and Setsuna walks off
without another word.  Lockon has to be the one to thank Ian for pulling an
all-nighter setting this up, saying that Setsuna has presumably run off to
the Exia itself to check out its new gear.

He tells Crow that Setsuna's attachment to his mech goes far beyond any of
the rest of the CBs, thanks to his hang-ups about the concept of "Gundams".
Crow too is fairly attached to his mech, both as partner in battle and as meal
ticket... and as collateral for his still formidable debts.  Tielia tells
Ian to sneak a peak at Crow's mech when he gets the chance, and Ian offers
Crow an increased stipend in return for helping with the maintenance.  If it
means money, Crow's all over it.

This is when the Nova pilots come in and introduce themselves, and when Crow
finds out what their salary is, he realizes he's totally working for the wrong
people.  He explains to Kurara that he's fighting for the money to buy his
own freedom back... which at last count is still 980kG away.  The Nova pilots
know the CBs won't answer many questions about themselves, and basically don't
even bother asking.  They tell the CBs that their actions are no more good
or bad than the phenomenon of war itself is, and as such their feelings toward
the CBs are strictly neutral.  Crow finds them rather a "dry" lot, though
"wet" emotions aren't often a good thing on the battlefield.

Sumeragi comes over at this point, telling Allelujah that Liumei has left for a
bit of info gathering in Area 11.  Seems some sort of unrest is at work there,
but the CBs won't be heading there just now.  Instead, she's sending the team
to Ezemestan, a small Central Asian nation propped up by the HRL.  The country
has been rocked by radical anti-government protesters for a decade now, and it
appears the conflict is coming to a head: the perfect chance for the CBs to
vanquish both sides.

Now, while it may be necessary in the course of human events to boot one's
government, it doesn't help if you burn down all the cities in the process
(see: Ezemestan rebels).  This appears to be a good time to show both sides
just how dumb they're being, and Tanaka warns "Team D" to be careful of their
time limit.  Err, what happened to Teams A-C, dead or something?  ...No, more
like "D" as in "Dancougar Nova", or "D" as in "DUH".  Or maybe as in
"Dangerous", for those who remember Tekkaman Blade.  Anyways, Team "D" mumbles
assent and zips into battle, leaving Tielia fuming on the sidelines while
Setsuna dashes ahead of his protector Crow.  Lockon tells Crow to go easy on
the kid, who's got that new armament to play with.  Let the three-way dance
begin!

 Neither side can hold a candle to the CBs and Team D, but as it turns out,
 they weren't supposed to.  The real HRL force has been lying in wait, and
 their commander Sergei orders them to trounce the idiot CBs.  The word
 "defeat" isn't in the Gundam Meister dictionary (budget cuts?!?), and the
 Team D folks aren't given to turning tail either.  Crow, of course, smells
 cash.

 Sergei gets a very violent lesson in how not superior his forces are, and
 retreats before his own life is at risk.  In the grand scheme of things,
 this is only a minor victory for the CB+D team, especially in light of the
 fact that the Great Nations are apparently singling them out for special
 beatdown.  Still, this is the only way anyone present knows to eventually
 make all the fighting stop, and none on the CB+D team plan to stop now.

Liumei reports to Alejandro that she's succeeded in forging at least a
superficial alliance with "that" organization, good news for his hopes to
change the world.  He doesn't savor it long though, already thinking ahead to
tomorrow's meeting with the queen of Azadistan.  She expects that when he makes
it further up the UN ranks, there will be a lot of errands and requests for him
regarding the Three Great Nations.  He smiles and tells her he's very much
looking forward to the CB's next exploit.  After Liumei leaves, Alejandro
confirms to his servant Ribbons that she's a CB agent... not what one would
expect from the head of a famous House and a fixture in the business world to
boot.  Then again, the CBs have agents in many walks of life... not to mention
"guardians" like Alejandro himself.  Alejandro's role is to watch the CB's
actions, whatever end they lead to, and his "angel" Ribbons is all to happy
to help.

Back at the Dragons' Hive, Crow is still a ways away from Sumeragi increasing
his salary... though she wouldn't mind drinking with him later.  Tanaka
effusively congratulates everyone on their victory, assuring the doubting
Thomases among the team that he means to report all this to the commander in
the glowingest of terms.  Said commander is still nowhere to be seen, and
even Sumeragi hasn't met him face to face.  Tielia is going nuts trying to
guess who the hell could assemble an organization like this, _and_ hack into
Veda.  The more immediate concern is how quickly the HRL will learn to keep
their hands off this nation -- until they do, the CB+D team will have to keep
up the game of whack-a-mole.  Aoi sighs a bit at that, and Setsuna tells her
she can quit if her heart's not in it.  Allelujah explains that the little
twerp is kind of touchy on certain subjects, and though Aoi doesn't take
offense Setsuna marches out of the control room.  Sumeragi thinks to herself
that being _too_ serious-minded isn't a good thing...

Johnny supposes they can't really avoid Setsuna disliking them, especially
since their backgrounds before going into war are so different.  Japan is,
after all, a comparatively peaceful place where the reality of war doesn't
always sink in.  Speaking of which, what's up with Area 11, that other Japan
so jealously held by the Britannia Union?  Well... stuff!  For starters, the
ruler of the Area, Clovis la Britannia, has been assassinated, and an
honorary Britannian has been held in connection.  Crow knows that conditions
in the Shinjuku ghetto that rings the Tokyo Settlement are pretty complex,
especially with the Astrageus refugees living there.  Sumeragi says that
the Colonial Gundams have turned up in the area too, which suggests just how
pivotal things in Area 11 may be for world events.  She's sending in a secret
agent to gather more direct information, and rejoin the team when the time to
act arrives.  As for who that will be...

In Britannia's Langley Base, the fracas in Ezemestan dominates conversation.
Daril has heard that Sergei Smirnoff was in charge of the HPL forces, and if
the Russian Grizzly couldn't handle the CB Gundams, just about anyone else will
have trouble too, even without their new ally Dancougar Nova.  Graham muses
that the hardest flowers to reach are the most rewarding to pluck, and dearly
wants to pluck one of those Gundams.  Daril is a realist, and doubts openly
that their Flags can hope to beat the Gundams.  Howard takes offense at this,
but Graham cuts short the argument, saying that they simply have to push their
machines as far as they can go.  That's what Professor Eifmann likes to hear,
and he promises to do everything in his power to give the anti-Gundam team the
edge.  Graham tells him to tune up their mecha, and when Eifmann asks about
stress on the pilots, Graham tells him he can ignore it.

Eifmann has deduced already that the Gundams' strength stems from their
unique drive system, several decades ahead of any technology known to him.
Isn't it a shame, he says, for that sort of weaponry to be aimed at other
humans when so many common threats are assailing mankind as a whole?.  From
a grand perspective, Graham agrees entirely... but most humans, and he includes
himself, are awkward creatures who have enough trouble dealing with the foes
right in front of their noses.  Eifmann can only hope that someone with the
perspicacity to look farther ahead arises soon, or humanity will never
change.  The philosophy is abruptly interrupted by a call to Graham, telling
of something going on in Ezemestan...

Things are certainly busy in the Tokyo Settlement, where the death of Clovis
and the actions of the CBs have things in an uproar.  Fortunately, the AEU and
Britannia Union haven't actually resorted to open war with each other, so
Louise figures she's safe to continue her study abroad in Area 11.  Besides,
Shoji's presence is enough to make her reluctant to return to Spain, though she
herself can explain why to Shoji's elder sister Kinue.  Kinue tells them of
some big news she's heard from Ezemestan, where the government and the
resistance have just signed a _peace_treaty_, ending the feud that was even
part of yesterday's history lesson at school.

Apparently the thinking was that continuing the war would be an invitation for
the CB's to level teh entire country, and at least the door is now open for
more peaceful ways for Ezemestan to progress.  It would seem that the CB's
actually achieved their stated objective, at least in this case.  Kinue tells
Louise that she's welcome to have dinner at their house, but that she is not
to stay over night.  As Kinue trots off to work, the two ponder the unrest in
the Ghetto, wondering if the CB's will be showing up in Area 11 next.  There
hardly seems need, with the Colonial Gundams aiding the resistance and
stirring up trouble.  Concerned for Louise's safety, Shoji asks again if she
wouldn't be better off back in Spain... not that he wants to see her go,
of course.  Among other things, she's given him someone to talk to, after years
of being shunned for his Eleven blood.  Louise huffs that it's precisely
due to all the danger in the world that she wants to be by his side.

Just then they meet their new neighbor, who's just moved into the apartment
next door: _Setsuna_ of all people!  The guy's as unsociable as ever, and
Shoji can only hope he'll be able to talk to him eventually...


CHAPTER 6J. The Day the Grim Reaper Was Born

With the new additions to the team, Oogi finds himself in charge of a very
formidable terrorist cell... possibly _too_ formidable.  Tamashiro thinks the
team is ready to oust the Britannian government in one fell swoop, though Crow
(technically a Britannian himself, though he doesn't put much stock in national
alignment) is less sanguine about their prospects.  Karen doesn't immediately
trust the mercenary Crow, though she tells him she'd love it if he made her do
so.  Fortunately Oogi doesn't have to do all the planning himself: Crow, Duo
and Hiiro have a firm grip on the essentials: just smiting the Area 11
governors won't achieve much beyond forcing Britannia to send in a replacement
for the current governor Clovis.

Crow says that any serious liberation effort has to start with showing the
masses a vision of what life will be like after they're free.  Take the WLF,
everyone's _least_ favorite liberation front... they've never articulated a
vision of what lies beyond their violent tactics, and thus it's only natural
that most folk hate their guts.  The team can't just inject positive thinking
into everyone's heads, so the plan will be to start with something they can
do: sew chaos into the Britannian ranks.  And that's where the laconic Kiriko
and friends come in.  Kokona has just found out that the Britannia Union is
about to ship a big load of poison gas from Tokyo to parts unknown.  Maybe
it'd be best to relieve the Britannians of such a troublesome burden?

Back at Ashford Academy, Lelouch isn't in his usual seat at the student council
table.  Rival has hauled him off to help him win some game of chance or other,
typically either chess or poker.  The other council members tell a stunned
Rilina that Lelouch is a frigging _genius_, even though he doesn't show it at
school.  When he gets called in to play on someone's behalf, he plays for
MO-NAY, and Shirley at least thinks he's misusing his talents.  Milly assures
her that he wouldn't do anything stupid: after all, he's got his only blood
relation Nanaly to look after.  In fact, Milly knows more than she's letting
on, that all Lelouch's _other_ blood relations merit nothing but hate from him.

The government hasn't been sitting idly by after the fracas in the ghetto, of
course.  Jeremiah is consulting with Viletta about the mess, and it's her view
that they never should have left ghetto peacekeeping to the "sherrifs".
Jeremiah rather prefers the mad dogs from Astrageus to be the ones tangling with
the Elevens: it keeps his own hands clean.  Of course, if the terrorists prove
to be too much for the Astrageus folks, due perhaps to the addition of those
Gundams, Jeremiah will not hesitate to show everyone what it looks like when the
Knights charge into battle.  Sounds good in principle, but reality doesn't
often cooperate.  To wit: word comes in that the terrorists have stolen a
shipment of poison gas, and Clovis plans to lead the operation to steal it back
_in_person_.  This requires nothing less than a wholehearted show of loyalty
and force, and that means that the Knights are rolling out.

Unaware of the reckoning to come, Rival and Lelouch are heading back to the
homestead for some well-deserved R&R.  Lelouch has just extended his
unbeaten streak at for-money chess to 51 and 0, and he's in no mood to
celebrate.  Pulverizing an incompetent, sheltered noble isn't his idea of a
good time, though he holds out little hope for the Elevens either -- bunch of
defanged beasts that they seem.  Rival asks why Lelouch led with his king in
this latest match, and Lelouch says that if the king doesn't move, His subjects
won't follow.  Lelouch isn't aspiring to be a CEO or anything, is he?  *SURELY
NOT*.

Rival's little shortcut through the ghetto turns out to be a major mistake, as
explosions break out all around them.  In the confusion, a semi trailer
plummets down from a nearby overpass, and despite Rival's warnings Lelouch goes
over to help.  Said trailer is part of the gas-stealing operation, and has
Karen inside it.  Oogi and the others are heading to her rescue now, so it will
fall to Crow and the other heavy fighters to keep the constable as bay in the
meantime.  Rival gets split up from Lelouch in the chaos, and finds himself
seriously wishing he'd never set foot in the ghetto...

The first waive of constables is easily repulsed, but Karen had better hurry:
eventually the official forces will show up in enough numbers to overwhelm
Crow and friends.  Lelouch meanwhile has noticed that the drivers of the semi
have fled once they realized it was too badly damaged to move: the resistance
must have stolen something from the Union.  What was it, and where were the
resistance carrying it to?  As he enters the trailer, he finds a radio the
drivers abandoned in their haste, and a giant capsule of some sort.

As he approaches it, he hears a voice inside his head, saying that it's found
it's...  Before he can open the capsule and figure out what's going on, a
military figure comes on the scene and smacks Lelouch around, figuring him to
be one of the terrorists intending to use the gas.  It turns out to be
Lelouch's old friend Suzaku, who's evidently become an honorary Britannian in
order to join the military.  Suzaku figures that Lelouch is part of the
resistance, but their conversation is cut short by the capsule opening in a
puff of smoke.  Suzaku figures it's the poison gas in question, and hastily
puts his own gas mask over Lelouch's mouth...

..Lo and behold, it isn't poison gas as such.  This almost seems to disappoint
Suzaku, who as much as says that his own life is worth nothing.  When the
smoke clears, the contents of the capsule become clear: a young girl with
green hair.  This is the point when Suzaku's superiors barge in, telling him in
no uncertain terms that he's at the bottom of the totem pole compared to _real_
Britannians.  Whoever this girl is, she appears to be "poison" enough to
imperil Suzaku's masters.  The Knight in charge orders Suzaku to shoot
Lelouch as a terrorist, never mind the Suzaku's claim that Lelouch is a
civilian and had nothing to do with any of this.  When Suzaku refuses, he gets
shot for his noble principles, and Lelouch is next on the hit list once the
girl is secure.

A well-timed explosion disrupts the proceedings, letting Lelouch and the girl
run for their lives.  While trying to catch his breath, Lelouch demands to
know what the girl's role is in all this -- what is it about her that would
spur the Britannians to even greater atrocities, including killing Suzaku?
Before the girl answers, the knights catch up, and decree that this is a
suitably run-down place for this Britannian school kid to meet his end.
The girl takes the first bullet meant for Lelouch, crumpling to the ground at
his feet as the head knight begins concocting a story about how she died to
tell to his superiors.

Lelouch wonders if this is it for him: if he's about to die without
accomplishing anything for himself, or for Nanaly?  The fallen girl suddenly
seizes him by the leg, and a voice in his head asks if he wants to live on.
She intuits that he has a reason, and asks if having power will enable him to
endure.  She offers him a contract: power, in return for granting one wish of
hers.  If he accepts, though he will live in the realm of men, he will be
governed by a different Law than they are: forced to live a different life,
along a different timeline.  Is he prepared to take up the power of the King,
knowing it will leave him isolated and alone?  Yes.  Yes he is.

Back in realtime, a smile comes to Lelouch's lips as he asks the knight how a
Britannian who hates Britannia ought to be born.  He then demands to know why
they haven't shot him, a harmless highschool student, already.  Is it because
they lack the resolve?  He then commands them at Lelouch Vi Britannia, to die.
They hear and obey his command, shooting each other dead en masse after
intoning "Yes, Your Highness".  Surveying the carnage, Lelouch muses about
how his whole life as been a lie since "that" day, a lie that has lacked any
force to change the world.  But now he has power: the power to live on!

Just then Viletta pulls up in her KMF, and demands to know what a Britannian
student is doing here with a pile of Imperial troops.  Lelouch attempts to
order her to follow him, quickly learning that his newfound powers have a
range and require direct eye contact.  He then tricks Viletta into coming
close enough to become vulnerable, and has her give him her KMF, access code
included.  That, plus the resistance radio Lelouch snagged, give him an idea...

The next Britannia wave is not long in coming, and it's armed to the teeth.
Whatever this poison gas is, the Union *definitely* don't want it stolen.  If
Crow only knew the half of it: when word of the girl's recapture fails to
reach Clovis in a timely fashion, he orders his men as third in line to the
throne to destroy the entire ghetto rather than allow the possibility of her
whereabouts to become known.  Jeremiah for one doesn't hesitate to enjoin the
carnage, and that puts the crosshairs of Crow's team squarely on him.

 Near the battle, Lloyd and Cecil are on standby with a new KMF called the
 Lancelot, watching somewhat helplessly due to a lack of a Devicer to
 interface with it.  They definitely aren't bored however, especially when
 Karen shows up in her mech after ensuring that Oogi and the others are okay
 on foot.  The poison gas theft was a total bust, but the good news is that
 there are Britannian troops to attrite now.

 Something unexpected happens just then: a disembodied voice ordering the
 pilot of the red Glasgow (that would be Karen) to quickly open fire on a
 spot at 2 o'clock.  This forestalls an ambush that was hidden there, and
 Crow has to tell the others that it wasn't him who gave the order.  Hiiro
 notices something unusual about the voice, as though there were a cloth over
 the mouth of the speaker, and the voice impatiently orders the two on foot
 to jump into the now pilotless Britannian mecha.  A rapid series of commands
 follow that let Crow and friends utterly destroy all the Britannian ambush
 troops, much to the speaker (okay, it's Lelouch)'s glee.  He figured Clovis
 would try a strategy as pedestrian as this, and is ready when Clovis orders
 forth his reserves.  Karen wants a full explanation for who the speaker is
 after the battle is over, but decides to trust him for now.  And the speaker
 vows to repay that trust with victory!

 As the battle progresses, Suzaku wakes up in Lloyd's trailer, saved from
 the bullet by a pocket-watch inside his suit: a memento from his father.
 Lloyd tells him that the "poison gas" has dissipated, and all the other
 soldiers are dead.  He ebulliently congratulates Suzaku on a unique chance
 lying before him: he can become the world's first Eleven-born Knight, by
 piloting the Knightmare he just happens to have lying around.  If he does,
 Suzaku, and the world around him, will change... whether or not, Cecil adds,
 he wants it to.

 Clovis asks if Lloyd's little toy can beat whoever his mystery antagonist is,
 and Lloyd certainly gives it the old college try.  The new mech, designated
 Lancelot, is the first and only seventh-gen KMF in the world, and it's
 Lloyd's own invention as head of the Special Expeditionary forces.  Suzaku
 wastes no time putting the pedal to the metal, praying that Lelouch got away
 somehow and vowing to strike down the bad guys so the fighting doesn't
 spread any farther.

 It becomes quickly apparent that the Lancelot is a far more dangerous
 opponent than the rest of the Britannian forces.  Lelouch thinks quickly,
 and orders everyone to ignore the Lancelot and concentrating on dividing
 the enemy forces once and for all.  He isn't kidding, as the Lancelot
 seemingly can't be defeated for good.

 Once the enemy's main forces are kaput, the voice tells the party to
 withdraw along the route he indicates.  Sugiyama wants to press his
 advantage, but the voice tells them all that they won't beat the Britannia
 Union with a single victory here today.  Unless they start taking a LONG
 view, they'll never achieve their ultimate goal.  And, while the Britannian
 forces are concentrating on the fleeing resistance fighters, Lelouch has a
 little business of his own to attend to...

 Lloyd is amazed at how quickly Suzaku has mastered the Lancelot, and Suzaku
 shrugs that he only did what felt natural.  He asks if he should pursue the
 resistance forces, but Lloyd tells him to wait for an order he suspects will
 be coming soon.  Clovis' order is for all troops, including his personal
 guard, to remain on armed standby and prepare for a second terrorist
 offensive.  Smiling inscrutably as always, Lloyd observes absently that that
 seems very cautious of the prince.

The order was made at gunpoint, thanks to a mysterious figure who's somehow
managed to invade Clovis' bridge despite the obligatory heavy guard.  Clovis
isn't especially fazed, and asks his captor if he wants to hear him sing, or
maybe to engage in a chess match.  That brings back old memories for the
shadowy figure, recalling when they were both kids... and when the figure would
always win.  Yes, the figure is again Lelouch, 17th in line for the imperial
throne and, therefore, Clovis' younger brother.  He's not surprised Clovis
thinks he's dead: everyone else does too after he and Nanaly were given to
Japan as a sort of hostages to ensure Britannia's good will after the invasion.

Lelouch and Nanaly's life as foreign policy tools began the moment their
mother was killed, likely a victim of the other queens' contempt for her
humble origins.  This was certainly no excuse for covering the whole affair
up as a terrorist plot, especially given that the very sight of it robbed
Nanaly of her sight and her ability to walk.  Clovis, terrified by this point,
pleads that he wasn't responsible, and under the influence of Lelouch's
newfound power says that Second Prince Schneizer and Second Princess
Cornelia know who's responsible.  Does that make them the ringleaders? Lelouch
demands... but Clovis makes no further reply.  He may not have been
responsible, but it's hard to say his hands are clean... and Lelouch knows well
that it will take more than platitudes to change the world.  Action is
needed, and the echo of a gunshot speaks volumes about what form that action
will take.

The rebels have plenty to mull over in the wake of their assault, the first
real defeat the Britannians have ever faced on this soil.  And no mean feat
that was, given the mess with the gas(?) and Clovis' personal forces coming on
the scene.  The two captured KMF's will ease the strain on Karen somewhat,
who already has to balance ass-kicking terrorism with being a high school
student (Crow struggles to picture Karen in a school uniform).  As for that
mysterious voice, the best efforts of the resistance have yet to unmask its
source.  Oogi recalls the iron-clad strategy and unerring aiming, thinking
that _that_ is the sort of man really cut out to lead this crew.

It would certainly be nice to have someone competent to lead, since Tamashiro's
next big plan is to kidnap Ambassador Rilina.  Crow says that that's a very
_bad_ way to drum up sympathy for the cause, especially since Rilina is a
civilian, but Tamashiro is all enthused since he managed to get her picture.
Hiiro recognizes the girl he ran into in the park, though he won't admit it
to the others, saying instead that he's going to infiltrate the school at once.
Duo will tag along too, saying that he wants to do some investigating -- the
kidnapping business can come later if need be.  He reckons that school kids
are a good barometer of how the rebels' actions appear to the public at large,
and wants to listen in on their chatter.  Crow likes that idea, but is a bit
worried about what Hiiro might do (and since Rilina's seen his face, he might
_do_ quite a bit...)

The conversation is interrupted by Kokona running in with some huge news:
Clovis was assassinated right after the fracas yesterday.  It doesn't really
matter who did it at this point: events are going to move very quickly now...
and for good or ill, none can say.


CHAPTER 7K. Miraculous Six Spirits' Combination

In Battle Camp's lounge, the pilots are abuzz with talk of yesterday's mystery
adversaries.  Were they really aliens, or maybe some sort of ultra-secret
weapon from one of the Earth's nations?  Ootsuka is following up on the latter
possibility, though the odds of anyone actually owning up to building such
things are nil.  Naoto is fairly sure they're not of Earth origin, but
whatever they are, they're making a mess out of Japan and need to quit it.
Akagi's copilots still aren't fully sold on this whole hero business, but
Watta's devoted manservant tells them to think of it as a chance to find
purpose in their salaryperson lives.

Crow then comes in, beat after another session of dealing with his boss.  It's
not the incessant rounds of combat data submission and physical testing that
bother him -- those are never boring given all the new adversaries he's faced
since coming to Japan.  The problem is that Crow has been fighting everyone
_but_ the Dimensional Beasts, which if you think waaaay back are the original
target behind the Blaster.  The Dimensional Beasts' habit of turning up only
when they're not wanted is really getting on his nerves, and striking out on
his own wouldn't increase his odds of finding them any.  In any case, these
are dangerous times to go wandering around on one's own, given how sensitive
the world has become to "terrorists" like the CBs and Dancougar.

Nobody's sure why those two forces are working together, but if the rumors are
true they've got even more collaborators of late.  No one can be sure if it's
one assistant or three, but they've been quite a thorn in the Three Great
Nations' side... as have the much less-publicized Colonial Gundams.  Crow only
knows about them thanks to his boss's extensive underworld ties, and to drive
the point home he tells the team that the local ruler of Area 11 has been
assassinated!  This is at minimum a reminder of the tensions simmering in the
ghettos that surround the Britannian settlements, especially with their load
of Astrageus refugees.  Word is that the Colonial Gundams have blended into
the ghettos, further escalating tensions.

Takeru is still off visiting his father, and Naoto fully expects Takeru to be
told that he's not an Earthing.  Like, what's up with that robot Gaia, which
just happened to appear just when the aliens did?  Pretty huge for a
coincidence, don'tchathink?  Kouji digests this, and asks Naoto what he'd do
if it turned out that Takeru _was_ an alien, and further that he was of the
same race as the aliens invading the Earth now.  Naoto says that would make
Takeru akin to the aliens in his eyes, and he'd take "appropriate measures".
Kenji and Crow cut that line of conversation short, since there's not even any
evidence yet of Takeru's origins...

Surprising utterly no one by this point, Myojin tells his "son" that he's
actually nothing of the sort, having decided along with his wife that Takeru is
at last strong enough to handle The Truth(tm).  Some 17 years ago, on a night
much like this one, Takeru literally fell to Earth inside a meteorite that
created a new island where it fell.  Myojin discovered the island first --
hence why it bears his name -- and found a capsule scattered among the debris
after the fifth explosion.  Takeru was the baby inside the capsule, and though
Myojin doesn't know how the capsule came to be there, the implication is quite
clear: Zhul may have been telling the truth.

The conversation is cut short when Takeru notices something, managing to get
out of the way just as Gel unleashes a shockwave towards Takeru and Myojin.
Gel's come to punish "Mars" for disobeying Zhul's orders despite his Gishin
heritage, and is outraged when Takeru refuses to betray his new homeworld.
Myojin falls first to Gel's shockwaves, and Takeru gets a dose too while
shielding his mother.  Gel advances on the helpless woman, determined to
murder her and force Takeru to remember his "duty", but Takeru gets agitated
enough to activate his latent powers and give Gel a taste of his own
shockwaves.  Gel growls that Mars' shockwaves are every bit as strong as
expected, and rather than engage in a losing battle of ESP he flees to get
reinforcements.

Myojin is dying fast, but with his last breath he tells Takeru to live on, as
a crucial link between the Earth and space.  That will be difficult when
facing Gel's full-sized mecha: the same ones that attacked yesterday.  Gel gives
Takeru one more chance to swear fealty to Zhul, which he of course refuses,
and prepares to strike the final blow.  That is, until Takeru summons Gaia and
tells his mother to take this chance to flee to safety.  It's now clear that
Gaia responds to Mars' ESP, though Gel has another piece of news for him:
should he fall in battle, Gaia's anti-proton bomb will detonate.  The whole
point of sending Takeru here 17 years ago was to serve as Gaia's detonator!

Whoever this Emperor Zhul is, he commands enough loyalty from Gel that Gel
is quite prepared to die in the blast.  Takeru's only hope to save his mother
and his new planet is to fight, and win.

 Reinforcements arrive in short order, and Takeru quickly explains that
 the Gishin forces mean to destroy the Earth... which is somewhere above
 "planetary invasion" on the Oh Shit meter.  He hesitates again to explain
 how he knows all this, but Crow wisely tells his teammates to save the
 chitchat for later.  Gel is understandably annoyed by this turn of events,
 and directly strikes Mars with his mighty Gruder.  Takeru rages over his
 apparent inability to protect the Earth or take revenge for his father,
 and the outpouring of psych summons up some new buddies for him: the five
 other pieces to the Six Gods' Combination.

 The result is Mars' protector, God Mars!  The finished form is something
 only a 80's toy maker could love [whoops, did I say that out loud?], but its
 power is hard to deny.  Gel certainly stands no chance, but before Takeru
 can beat a description of Zhul's evil schemes out of him, a bunch of those
 missing Dimensional Beasts appear!  Crow ought to be happy, right?  Gel is
 shocked at this development, deciding that he must report the appearance to
 Zhul even if it costs him his life -- a convenient excuse for turning tail
 and fleeing in the confusion.

 Unfortunately for Takeru, the Dimensional Beasts are a dangerous enough foe
 that he can't afford to pursue Gel.  Gritting his teeth, he stays and
 fights, helping the team take the Dimensional Beasts down before what Sayaka
 calls their "time limit" expires.  Seems the DB's vanish after wreaking a
 certain amount of destruction, possibly because whatever they're made out of
 isn't stable in this dimension.

 Crow meanwhile is scowling at his instruments: it appears that these
 DBs were stronger than any previously encountered in every conceivable
 facet.  Akagi thinks he's imagining stuff -- heck, no two cats are quite
 the same strength for that matter.  Crow says that if Akagi wants a cat
 analogy, the DBs just now were more like panthers... okay, maybe small
 panthers, but still... something far more fearsome than a housecat in any
 event.  Crow will have to leave it up to the folks back at the lab to say
 whether this is evidence that the DBs actually evolve.

 And then there's God Mars, whose constituent components split up now that the
 battle is over.  A mystery voice in Takeru's head informs him that these
 five other robots operate by absorbing Gaia's anti-proton energy.  Their
 names are Uranus, Titan, Shin, Lar, and Sphinx.  Without bothering to
 identify itself, the voice tells Mars to fight for peace in the universe
 and then falls silent.  At least this time Takeru is able to tell his
 teammates honestly that he doesn't know precisely who he is.

Before the team can even get back to base to continue the conversation, Zhul
sends a message to the peoples of Earth.  He informs them that their planet
holds the power to damage the universe, and like all such planets must be
destroyed.  THAT is something the Security Council needs to hear about at
once...

Zhul receives Gel's report about the five helper mecha for Gaia: things he
calls "Ideas".  Just then, Marg wanders in, looking for his lost bird.  Zhul's
ambassadors irritably tell this "pet" of Zhul's to get lost, and that his
bird hasn't been here lately.  That Gel also ran into the DBs is further
proof that the Earth is dangerous, and validates Zhul's decision to send Mars
to Earth 17 years ago.  He is not, however, interested in hearing that Gel
seemingly passed out right after conveying the message: scum like Gel can
always be replaced.  Zhul orders his lieutenants to get busy destroying the
Earth, and in the process showing Mars just what happens to those who say "no"
to him.


CHAPTER 7E. Getter Robo, Sortie!

The UN is getting a dose of high theater in the form of dueling speeches about
the impending invasion of the Earth.  On one side are the dire warnings of Dr.
Saotome, which his detractors hint are merely scare tactics to help secure more
funding.  On the other side are Singer and Corwen, who claim to know all about
the "Invaders" Saotome spoke about.  They claim they are space creatures raised
to unnatural size under the influence of cosmic rays, which came to the Earth
sphere stowed aboard a meteor.  They claim that the Invaders are in fact few in
number, and that any damage they might cause will be _strictly_ local.
Delmeyer -- shady character extraordinaire and power behind the AEU facade --
wants an estimate of when and where the Invaders will strike next, which the
duo can't give.  Schneizer, second in line to the Britannian throne, presumes
that Delmeyer's AEU would prefer if the Invaders struck the Britannia Union or
the HPL, listening in silence as foreign minister Brian Stegmeyer requests
international assistance in the event that the Invaders do strike Britannian
soil.  Delmeyer sneers at this apparent show of weakness from the
self-proclaimed "world's policeman", and Brian cryptically states that his
nation has its hands full with a variety of "internal and external" issues.
That would be the rebellion in Area 11, and Treize knows that Britannia is
closer to full-scale revolt of _all_ its colonies than it would like to admit.

Brian asserts that the Invaders, much like the Dimensional Beasts and
Emerges, are an international problem -- and wants the UN to use the Security
Council's personal military to help combat them.  That puts Security Council
chairman Elgan Roddick on the spot, especially when Delmeyer actually agrees
with Brian.  Elgan does not hesitate: his forces exist for _world_ peace,
regardless of where in the world that peace is being threatened.  A noble, if
naive, sentiment in a world dominated by the Three Great Nations, but one that
may yet stir a mighty wind throughout the globe.

At least one man at UN HQ is not party to the proceedings: Dr. Saotome himself,
relegated to a separate chamber and fit to be tied over the willful ignorance
rampant in the UN.  His ranting is interrupted by Sionny Legis, Limonecia's
youthful female ambassador.  It's little wonder the young woman is intimidated
by the scientist's menacing gaze, especially given the ill treatment he
received from Stinger and Corwen during his speech.  Her presence here means
that the UN session has been adjourned, and Saotome dangerously inquires if
she's come to laugh as this "crazed, egotistical" scientist.  She hastily
says she's come to hear more about the Invaders, but Saotome tells her to go
fill her ears with Stinger and Corwen's optimistic bullshit instead.

To her credit, Sionny holds her ground, asking him directly if the Invaders are
really the threat to mankind Saotome said they were.  Saotome regards her a
moment, and tells her that the Invaders are the arch-enemies of all life on
Earth, if not in the universe as a whole.  Eek.  So... what should be done
about them then?  Obviously mankind needs to band together and face them!
Sionny blanches at that, confirming for Saotome that these imbeciles will never
learn... unless maybe they experience what it's like to have their world
destroyed once before the Invaders arrive in full force.  ...Uh, what?

The news out of Japan sounds pretty dire to the crew at the Dragons' Hive:
Mecha-Beasts, Heterodynes, and now aliens, laying waste to the place.  At
least as regards the instigator of the mecha-beasts, Dr. Hell, Veda has already
issued a standing death warrant to the CBs... though at the time of the
warrant, Veda knew nothing of the mecha-beasts themselves.  Kamon muses that
even this "Veda" thingie has its limits, and tells Tielia not to scowl at him
so: it messes up his perfect complexion.  Tielia snarls that he doesn't trust
the Dancougar organization, and was going to recommend eliminating Nova before
Veda approved this collaboration.  Makes sense, allows Johnny, from the CB
perspective... and Tielia spits that his own personal feelings haven't
changed.

After he stalks off, Aoi observes that this is the second CB that seems to
hate them, after Setsuna.  Allelujah tells her that Tielia and Setsuna can both
be difficult to get along with at times, and Kurara doesn't mind so long as
that emotion doesn't interfere with their work.  Crow says he's sure the two
of them are too professional for that... though he does wonder how Setsuna
intends to carry out infiltration of Area 11 while maintaining his trademark
unsociable facade.  What will his neighbors-to-be say?  Setsuna, sounding as
though that hadn't actually occurred to him before, tells Crow he'll try to be
careful.  Crow likes the fact the CBs seem willing to listen to him for a
change, gradually won over by the fact that he's not actually a squeeb... and
by the fact that Crow makes a study of how to get along with others, as a
survival mechanism over the course of his many travels.

Speaking of Area 11, the topic du jour is the assassination of Clovis.  Hard
info is still scarce, but there are tales of a mysterious masked man and a
honorary Britannian suspect swirling around, not to mention sightings of the
Colonial Gundams.  Apparently this masked man left quite an impression on the
scandalized Knights, naming himself "Zero" and even admitting to being the one
who assassinated Clovis.  The CBs are planning to join the fray in Area 11
at some point, expecting to have to smite both the Britannians, and the
resistance who would rise up against them.  That may be the only way to stop
the cycle of hatred.

To their credit, the CBs are willing to take on the challenge of fending off
Earth's common external enemies (the Heterodynes, etc.) in repayment for
trashing everyone else's military might.  Lockon himself would prefer to see
mankind united and fighting against said enemies as a whole, but he's enough
of a cynic (realist?) to expect that that "common" struggle will actually
allow the various factions to try to emphasize their own power over each other.

The philosophizing is cut short by Seimy's arrival: she's been informed that
Kamon has something to tell her.  He says it's something important enough that
he wants her only to hear it, and runs off to the hangar to wait.  Seimy
blushes furiously as the others (sans clueless Setsuna) immediately jump to
conclusions about what Kamon may be up to.

After all that build up, of COURSE it isn't going to be some kind of
declaration of love -- this ain't no J-drama son!  What's got Kamon so worked
up is the burning desire for Seimy to... outfit his mech Rhinos with some
kind of uber-kickass weapon, so he won't be the weak link among his fellow
pilots.  See, when Dancougar Nova is combined, he doesn't get to do anything
other than twiddle his thumbs in his cockpit, and that's isn't right.  ...Is
that all? Seimy demands.  Uh, yeah, kinda, like what else would there be-
FINE!!  No problemo, one uber-kickass weapons or two!  And Kamon better damn
well "fulfill" Seimy with them, understand?!?  N-O  P-R-I-S-O-N-E-R-S!!!
(yikes!)  Guess Seimy has more of a thing for Kamon than she lets on...

..Some time later, the CB+D team are on a mission to stop a weapons deal with
the WLF, tipped off by their brilliant (and alcoholic) strategist Sumeragi.
The terrorists must be smote before they can drag more civilians into their
mindless "liberation" schemes, especially since they seem to be improving the
quality of their arsenal on a daily basis.  Kamon's really into it today,
saying cryptically that he and Seimy are getting along _just_ fine.

 Take out a few of the terrorists and a new group of mecha will show up, and
 all indications are they're _not_ friendly.  The team have no idea who they
 are or what their capabilities might be, but neither Setsuna nor Lockon
 want to simply pull out... that would be just as bad as the WLF, in terms of
 leaving the nearby townsfolk undefended.  With Team D and even the reluctant
 Tielia on board, the bad guys better say their prayers.  Crow just hopes
 their combat data will sell...

 As though this battle wasn't messy enough, a bunch of Dimensional Beasts
 show up in the middle of anything.  And in their wake come a trio of fighter
 jets, which combine to form... Getter Robo!!!  Its pilots Ryouma, Benkei and
 Hayato survey the battle, noting that the combattants represent the dumping
 ground of the world.  Appropriate, it seems.  Ryouma gets on the horn and
 orders the CBs out of the way: the Invaders are _his_ prey.  The Nova
 bristle at that a bit, but if Getter -- who seemingly knows something about
 these "Invaders" -- want to tangle with them, so much the better.
 Introductions over, Ryouma says it's time for action.  Assuming, of course,
 that he's up to it -- if not, Benkei or Hayato would be more than happy to
 take over for him.

 The Dimensional Beasts don't stick around long after the last Invader is
 beaten back -- they do have a time limit after all, something to do with
 their matter being unstable on this plane or whatnot.  Crow notes grimly that
 these DBs seem to be superior to any previously encountered on basically
 every scale... and it's not just per-individual variability.  These are as
 different from the previous DBs as a (mini-)panther would be from a domestic
 cat.  If this is a sign that the DBs are actually evolving, everyone is in
 for a world of hurting.

 Things nearly take an ugly turn when Tielia's baleful gaze turns to Getter.
 Ryouma would love to see him try to mess with Getter, but his copilots
 remind him what they're here for.  Besides... Saotome would beat them half
 to death if they actually crushed the CBs.  Johnny's heard of the
 eccentric leader of the Saotome laboratory, but Ryouma says that
 "eccentric" isn't the word -- dude is fucking insane in the membrane.
 Saotome's contributions to fields as diverse as energy production and
 robotics put him among the intellectual elite of Japan, but for the last
 several years Saotome has vanished from the conference circuit, immersed in
 some personal research or other.  Said scientist sent Getter here with a
 message: the CBs are to use Getter and its pilots to help destroy the world.

Unexpected much?  Yes, to everyone except Tanaka, whose boss is the one who
requested the loan of the Getter Team from Saotome.  Of course, this also got
Veda approval (much to Tielia's aggravation), and Ryouma is looking forward to
helping out in this fight the CBs picked with the world (or whatever nobler-
sounding name you want to give their declaration).  To explain why the Getter
team was recruited, Tanaka starts by discussing Saotome himself.

First of all, Saotome's research of late concerns Getter Rays, a species of
cosmic radiation bombarding the Earth.  Though many of its components remain
obscure to science, what is clear is that it is a massive source of energy.
This view is not shared by the scientific community at large, and Saotome's
growing unorthodoxy led to his de facto exile from intellectual conferences.
But even the eccentric scientist couldn't stay cloistered in his lab forever...
not after the discovery his research led to.

He forecast the coming of the Invaders, mysterious foes from somewhere in space
bent on the Earth's destruction.  Exactly what they are or what they want is
still under investigation, but one thing is certain: the universe isn't big
enough for both them and mankind.  Unfortunately, Saotome's attempt to warn the
UN was a disaster, with Saotome's opponents using every trick they could to
discredit the aging scientist.  Some of Saotome's old collaborators were even
bought off, providing data that seemingly disagreed with his.  Even the fact
that the Invaders have actually _arrived_ isn't enough to vindicate Saotome:
his foes are claiming the Invaders are just a local menace.

The Three Great Nations have pawned off the Invader problem onto the impotent
Security Council, and Saotome decided to start his own feud with the Invaders
via Getter Robo, a mech of his design powered by Getter Rays.  He also
selected its pilots, basically abducting them away from their daily lives, but
Ryouma isn't complaining: Getter Robo gives him a constructive outlet for his
inherently violent nature.  All the Getter pilots have to be hot-blooded, or
the Getter Ray powerplant won't work.  Crow feels more than a little kinship
with these guys.

Tanaka's boss has been following Saotome's research for a long time, and was
quick to volunteer assistance for Saotome's goals when the chance came.  This
is about more than just fending off the Invaders though: Saotome thinks the
world needs a hard lesson in how selfish everyone is being.  Hence the bit
about "destroying" the world, or at least the elements in the world who
insist on fighting with each other instead of with Earth's common foes.  It
seems like a natural fit to hook up with the CBs, and even Tielia will accept
their assistance given that Veda says it's okay.  Aoi wants to know what the
deal is with Tielia and Veda: why is Veda's view so important to him?  Tielia
sniffs that that's what the CBs are, and Crow clarifies that there's quite a
mixed force gathered here at the base.  Be that as it may, their quarrels are
now Ryouma and friends' quarrels.  Crow just hopes that the volatile Getter
team can focus most of their energy on the Invaders, and not the rest of the
pilots here.


CHAPTER 7J. His Name is Zero

Clovis' death is dominating the news in Area 11, with no official comment
forthcoming from the Britannian government.  Nanaly grieves over her brother's
loss, and Lelouch thinks to himself that nobody in the Britannia Union is
worthy of that kind of gentleness.  He's doing the best he can to muster his
resolve, but the decision to pull the trigger still weighs heavily on his mind.
On the TV, the anchorman reports that Jeremiah will act as Clovis temporary
replacement.  Jeremiah comes from a faction that believes the Britannian
military should only be composed of actual natural-born Britannians, and
Lelouch guesses that all honorary Britannians in the military are in for a
rough time.  Lelouch struggles to comprehend why Suzaku voluntarily became an
honorary Britannian, when the Britannians are quite happy killing someone
like Suzaku off like an unwanted insect.

Well, for starters it turns out Suzaku isn't actually dead!  Lelouch hears in
shock that Suzaku is very much alive and is being held on suspicion of aiding
and abetting the assassin.  Nanaly remembers Suzaku well, and asks Lelouch
if this news story isn't a lie: Suzaku would never do something like this,
right?  Correctamundo!  Lelouch assures Nanaly that the truth will prevail and
bids her good night, while inside his mind is going a mile per second.  The
conclusion can only be that Jeremiah is trying to destroy Area 11's entire
honorary Britannian system by making it look like one of them is the culprit.
And the last thing Lelouch wants to see is Suzaku used as a pawn in such an
underhanded scheme.  In order to do anything about it, he'll have to master his
newfound "Geass" powers, and then...

At least Milly is around to lend a sympathetic ear, knowing how hard Clovis'
death must have been on Nanaly.  It was her grandfather who took Nanaly and
Lelouch in seven years ago, and Milly is fully aware of their royal blood.
Lelouch tells Milly he's quite happy with his current lifestyle, as it gives
him a chance to assure that Nanaly has somewhere safe to live.  Inwardly
though, he knows that the two of them will be used as political tools their
entire lives, so long as Britannia stands.  But enough with the doom and
gloom: there are two new transfer students to introduce!  And if that wasn't
enough, Karen Stadtfeld is actually on campus today, her longstanding "illness"
apparently on the wane for a change.

Lelouch immediately realizes that Karen is the pilot of the red resistance
mech.  Who would have guessed that the well-mannered, frail, academically
brilliant Lady would actually be a terrorist combatant?  In any case, she's
his ticket into influencing the resistance, and he doesn't waste a moment in
excusing himself and going off after her.  That leaves Shirley speechless in
his wake, wondering if Lelouch has somehow fallen for Karen.

Speaking of whom, Karen makes an astounding discovery in the library: the two
new transfer students are Hiiro and Duo!  Hiiro's hacked into the school's
computers and entered all the necessary paperwork, leaving the two boys free
to do their investigating.  They've also brought a message for Karen from
Oogi: seems the mystery man has contacted him again.  Seems the man wants to
meet the resistance, and the crew plan to assemble at their hideout tonight
to discuss it.  Karen agrees, and warns Duo not to make too much fun of her
"retiring lady" facade lest she kick his ass.

Rilina and friends arrive just then with invitations to a welcome party to be
held in the two transfer students' honor.  Stop me if you've heard this one
before: Hiiro deftly shreds the invitation, then wipes away the sudden teardrop
from Rilina's cheek as he walks off.  Duo makes some lighthearted excuse about
the two of them having after-school jobs and traipses off too, telling
Rilina and the others to party hearty without him.  The rest of the Student
Council trot off after him, leaving Lelouch alone to get some information
from Karen.

Using his Geass, Lelouch has Karen explain why she's turned to terrorism.
Turns out she's half-Japanese, and desperately wants to restore the peace of
seven years ago -- a peace that her delusional mother dreams of daily.  In the
process, Lelouch learns two important things about the Geass: its power over
its subject's mind is absolute, and it can only be used once per victim.
Unfortunately he also arouses her suspicions by asking about Shinjuku after the
Geass effect ended, and Karen demands to know why he's interested.  Fortunately
Lelouch has prepared for this eventuality, using a timed, prerecorded phonecall
of his Zero voice to trick Karen into believing it's not him.  Karen hastily
leaves Lelouch be and rushes off, just as he planned.  With no one suspecting
him and a better understanding of how his Geass works, it's time to act!

The meeting with the Oogi group is a fairly unusual one, in that Zero is
represented by voice only, and then only to Oogi directly.  Zero knows full
well that trust will be hard to secure with this setup, so he's told Oogi that
he'll win his group's trust via a demonstration -- of something that should be
impossible.  Zero means to free Suzaku, and says he'll do it in three days'
time as Suzaku is being transported to a different prison.  Oogi tells the
team to get ready, though for what he can only guess, and has all plans to
kidnap Rilina put on hold.

Later that evening, Nanaly and their caretaker Sayoko come visit Lelouch in his
room.  Sayoko has taught Nanaly how to make paper cranes, and it's said that if
you wish on a thousand of them, your wish will come true.  Nanaly wants to wish
for a peaceful world, and Lelouch promises her it will be by the time she can
open her eyes again.  Inside, he knows that there are only a few outcomes he
can choose from, including a short life as a disposable pawn in someone else's
political intrigues if he does nothing.  His friends and the Ashford name
can't shield them forever.  Whatever else happens, he's got to ensure that
Nanaly gets a peaceful world to live in.

Nanaly then has Lelouch do a little ceremony she learned from her Eleven
friends: "yubikiri".  You keep your promise, or you lose that finger.  Lelouch
assures her he never lies (to her), and as Sayoko takes Nanaly away apologizes
mentally to Sayoko for Geassing her into helping with the phonecall to Karen.
He then takes out his new mask, made by a person who too has been Geassed into
never revealing his secret.  He's about to step onto a path from which there's
no turning back, and when he promised to make the impossible possible, he
meant it completely.

As the prisoner transfer arrives, Jeremiah checks with his press liaison
Diethart that everything is in readiness.  Diethart as much as expects some
kind of trouble, but quickly tells Jeremiah to forgive his "journalist's" turn
of phrase.  Diethart politely declines Jeremiah's invitation to join the army's
(dis)information bureau, content to remain civilian and record momentous
events like this.  Jeremiah will be transporting Suzaku in his personal
Sutherland, and Viletta isn't sure she likes any of this.  After all, many
Elevens still see Suzaku as a hero, son of "Japan"'s final prime minister and
all.  Jeremiah smirks and says that should any terrorist cell get the bright
idea to disrupt today's proceedings, the prisoner transport will very quickly
become a public execution.  Of _course_ that's a joke (Diethart isn't
laughing), says Jeremiah, who vows to repulse anything resembling an attack.

Lloyd's having his own problems; namely, the most important part of his
Lancelot is now on death row.  Replacement pilots are very hard to arrange,
and the odds that any of them could match Suzaku's skills are basically nil.
As long as Jeremiah is running the show around here, Suzaku will _not_ be an
option.  Clovis' old second-in-command Bartley isn't faring much better,
under arrest for deserting his post (and professing no memory of the time
during which Clovis was assassinated).

For his part, Suzaku is playing the whole mess cool, telling Lloyd that he'll
make a full statement in a court of law.  In an ideal world, the truth would
set him free.  In this world, as Lloyd pointed out to Suzaku when he saw him
last, the truth seldom carries the day in court.  Suzaku responded then that
if that's truly the way of the world, he will have no regrets leaving it.
Lloyd isn't even sure what to call that: philanthropism?  Humanitarianism?
Whatever it is, Suzaku's doom is likely sealed as Lloyd can't even get a hold
of a certain person who's busy at the UN.

As the procession is about to start, Diethart has nothing but disgust for the
media circus he's helping fuel.  Oogi's group are on standby, but dare not
lift a finger lest Suzaku simply get blown away -- what is their mysterious
benefactor planning, anyway?  They don't have to wait long to find out.  Zero
is aboard one of the Britannian mecha, and parks himself directly in the route
of the parade.  He boldly steps out of his cockpit and names himself, his face
hidden beneath a mask as he vows to pay Suzaku back in full.  This seems
suicidal until he tells Jeremiah that he has what Jeremiah was seeking in the
ghetto the other day -- best to not threaten him.

As far as Jeremiah knows the item in question really is poison gas, and if so
it means that the throngs of spectators for the prisoner transfer just all
became hostages... and without even realizing it!  Jeremiah's paralysis
confirms to Zero that the true contents of the capsule were a tightly held
secret, and he demands that Jeremiah hand over Suzaku at once.  Jeremiah
scoffs at the prospect of handing over Clovis' killer, but Zero tells him
he's got it all wrong.  The one who killed Clovis was Zero himself!  As the
newsmen struggle to keep up with this development, Jeremiah shouts that this
is clearly some sort of ruse, and one that dishonors Clovis' memory to boot.

As Jeremiah threatens to smite him, Zero counters that if he dies, the "Orange"
business will become public... and Jeremiah doesn't want _that_, does he?  As
everyone wonders what the heck he's talking about, Zero gets close enough to
Geass Jeremiah, forcing him to let Zero and Suzaku go unharmed.  Jeremiah
orders everyone else to let the two go free, even firing a warning shot at
Kyuell to keep him at bay.  Zero thanks Jeremiah for his assistance and bugs
out, leaving Jeremiah to wonder what the hell is going on as he regains his
senses.  Kyuell furiously orders his men to pursue...

..but Oogi's team emerge from hiding and get in the way.  Zero actually
returns, having put Suzaku somewhere safe, and tells Oogi that it's time
they showed the people what a Britannian military defeat looks like.  Viletta
hastily gets all the civilians evacuated, and Jeremiah stammers an order to
attack.  Zero has Oogi's troops well in hand, and knows that if he can lead
them to victory here, their trust in him will be helluva solid.

 The Knights' offensive is helluva non-solid, and Zero's newfound army
 routs them with ease.  He tells everyone to rendezvous at point 152 after
 they've dispersed and hidden their mecha.  On the sidelines, Lloyd has
 fallen in love with the masterful show of tactics.  The unfortunate part is
 that Suzaku has been hauled off somewhere, probably to be offered a choice
 of joining the terrorists or dying.  Lloyd seems to have quickly resigned
 himself to never seeing Suzaku again, and sighs that he'll really have to
 find a new core for the Lancelot now...

Opinions are still divided among Oogi's group about whether Zero is for real.
Oogi points out that what Zero orchestrated today is beyond anything anyone's
managed to date, including the infamous Japan Liberation Front.  Certainly
Oogi himself couldn't have pulled it off...  Zero has asked to speak with
Suzaku alone, and in deference to his leadership during the battle Crow
advises the others to give them some space.

Still wearing his helmet, Zero examines Suzaku, noting how roughly he's been
treated by his Britannian captors.  He tells Suzaku to join him if he wants to
fix this broken world and rotten Britannian empire.  Suzaku asks if Zero really
killed Clovis, and Zero points out that this is war: does he need any further
justification to kill the enemy's general?  Suzaku counters by asking about the
poison gas charade and implicit hostage-taking, and Zero says that bluffing is
part of all negotiations: note that nobody actually died as a result.

Unfortunately for Zero, Suzaku is more interested in the means than the result:
he wants to _fix_ Britannia, and to do so in the "right" way.  Suzaku begins
to walk toward the courthouse, intending to stand trial as originally
scheduled even though he knows that the entire thing is a charade set up to
crucify him.  Suzaku tells Zero that if Suzaku doesn't follow the rules, the
assault on all honorary Britannians will begin.  If he goes, his death is
assured, and Suzaku tells a flabbergasted Zero that he doesn't care.  Zero
calls him an idiot, which Suzaku often heard from an old friend of his.  Heck,
if he's going to die, at least he wants to die for everyone else's sake.

Zero lets Suzaku go, telling the enraged Tamashiro that no man can stop another
from going to his own death.  Crow supports Zero, seeing as how Zero was the
one who saved Suzaku's life in the first place.  Zero thanks him for the
kind words, and asks all the pilots what they think of today's battle.  Oogi
says that it felt like a victory of sorts, but Zero tells him it was nothing of
the kind.  This kind of petty terrorism will never allow the resistance to
defeat Britannia, given the yawning chasm between the two sides.  Zero tells
them it's time to put aside childish games, and focus on the real enemy: not
the Britannian people, but Britannia itself!

It means outright war, it means keeping the civilians out of it, and it means
doing whatever it takes for justice to prevail.  These are things all of the
pilots know already, but haven't been able to get much traction on to date.
Oogi asks Zero if he knows how to do it, and Zero reminds him that he's already
done the impossible once.  Oogi asks Zero to lend them that strength, as their
leader: he knew from the moment Zero faced Jeremiah that Zero was worth risking
it all for.  Crow is next to agree, followed by Duo, who knows that Zero's
brains and courage are the real deal.  Zero knows full well that appearing in
his mask will be an impediment to trust, but points out to Karen that it was
precisely because of her trust in him that she won in Shinjuku and again today.
That's good enough for her, and for Hiiro and the others.  Thus begins Zero's
long climb to secure a peaceful world for Nanaly, even if it means using this
group of warriors as his chesspieces...

The following morning, Ashford Academy is as peaceful as usual, testament
enough to the soporific power of the Britannia Union.  Anything not directly
threatening is ignored completely by the common people... even dire events
like the HPL's feud with the CBs, or the Gishin invasion of the other Japan.
Not that peaceful living is an entirely bad thing, but this is ridiculous.
Karen warns Duo not to talk to her at school lest her cover get blown, adding
that she's got no other group of friends to hang out with instead.  As for
Rilina, Duo leaves it up to the new group leader whether or not to kidnap
her... but Hiiro has already made his mind up.  When the trio sees Rilina
across the courtyard, Hiiro splits off and walks past Rilina, telling her
succinctly as he passes that he'll kill her.  No beating around the bush for
this guy!

Back at UN HQ in New York, it's business as usual -- meaning a disturbing lack
of reaction to Minister Dorian's impassioned speech.  Rilina's dad is
advocating, shock and amazement, actually _talking_ to the Space Colonies
instead of simply insisting that the Colony Management Collective's will is
absolute.  Treize tells Lady Une that Dorian is completely in the right... and
also completely going to get ignored by the Great Nations and Colonies alike.
These are hostile times for rational thinkers like him, and more sacrifices are
needed if those times are to change.  Lady Une tells him that all the
warriors of OZ are waiting for his words to begin that process of changing
the world, but he says that the role of leading the change is too heavy for
him alone.  He accompanied Delmeyer here to search for like-minded comrades,
and tells her that he'll know soon if "they" and he see eye to eye or not.
And when that happens, he shall become the Defeated, unto this world...

See Chapter 6E for Kinue's conversation with Shoji and Louise, and Setsuna...


CHAPTER 8K. Tested Resolve

Dr. Hell has a lot on his mind these days, and most of it has to do with all
the different ways he hates Tsubaki's guts.  And innards.  And viscera.  And
other big words for the stuff he wants Ashura to spill all over the floor when
(s)he finds the right moment to strike from the undersea fortress of Salud.
Why so serious?  Well, technically Tsubaki has killed Dr. Hell once already,
along with his whole frigging island of Bardos, but maybe it's time for
bygones to be bygones, eh?  "Brocken, smite that women even if it means
burning all Atami to the ground!!"  ...Maybe not.

As Brocken cackles over some innovative new way of burninating Atami, opinions
are divided at Battle Camp about what should be done with Takeru.  At least two
of his own teammates want him shot for spying for the Gishin... never mind the
fact that he's been fighting by their side all this time _and_ lost his father
while doing it.  The team needn't wait long for Ootsuka to reach a decision.

He's given Gaia a pretty thorough checkup, and now possesses several important
facts.  Number one: Takeru comes from the self-same folks who just declared war
on the Earth.  Number two: Gaia uses anti-proton propulsion and can amplify
Takeru's natural psychic powers (never mind that anti-proton power sources are
still just a theoretical possibility for Earth's scientists).  Number three:
Gaia's anti-proton energy also powers a planet-killing bomb embedded in it... a
bomb set to go off in the event of Takeru's death.

Ootsuka requests that Takeru's teammates not blame him for any of this: Takeru
only found out about any of it over the last few days.  Unfortunately, he
overvalues their capacity for rational thought: even Mika is prepared to see
the guy kicked off the planet.  Ootsuka however has other ideas: Takeru is
going to be kept under guard for a while, on the assumption that killing him
will be the Gishinians' top priority.  At the least, keeping him out of combat
sounds like a smart move, and Takeru reluctantly agrees to Ootsuka's orders
when even Crow says that he can't fight at Takeru's side as things currently
stand.

Of course, Crow's got a reason for putting it that way -- no team can last
long if its members can't trust each other.  And it's far from a ringing
endorsement of this outfit's teamwork if Takeru's own long-standing teammates
are going to suddenly doubt him.  The best they can do for now is focus on
the task at hand, which is preparing for more Gishin attacks.

Taigauchi meanwhile is busy fending off an official demand to place the Dai
Guard under army control.  He makes an interesting procedural argument: the
military has officially abandoned use of the Dai Guard units now that a
later generation of D-equipped mecha are on hand.  Dokujima protests that
an amendment is already on its way through the legislature, but Taigauchi
tells him to drop it: the Dai Guards are already on direct assignment to the
UN Security Council.  But fear not: the Security Council is sure to dispatch
the Dai Guard for anti-Heterodyne duty, as their original design calls for.
Dokujima leaves in a huff, just in time for Kamimura to pass along word from
the lab: "the item" is ready to rock.

Back in Atami, Professor Yumi is paying a visit to the Kurogane-Ya at Tsubaki's
request.  She explains to him how she knew about Mazinger-Z: her old friend
Juuzou told her about it.  He also told her to help out his grandson if things
ever turned pear-shaped, which she's done admirably so far.  One thing she
won't explain yet is her connection to Ashura -- it's too early for Kouji to
handle The Truth(tm).

..Which is why Kouji's busy training out in the courtyard.  Akagi has Kouji
doing some serious strength training, on the dubious theory that all those
buttons and levers in the cockpit get hard to push as combat wears on.
Certainly Akagi can't be counted on for insight into strategy or tactics, as
his repertoire mainly consists of charging in blindly.  Everyone's glad when
breaktime and snacks arrive, especially Crow: he's been skipping breakfast in
a bid to conserve cash.  Watta tells him that's a bad idea, and offers to front
the dough in exchange for Crow helping with his homework.  DEAL!!

Word then arrives about some new equipment for the Dai Guard, accompanied by
a hefty manifest.  Crow is astonished at the total development cost: enough
to make even his debts look small.  This new item should kick some major ass...
if Akagi and friends can master it, that is.  And to be sure they do, the
Crushers have been assigned a new strategic advisor from the UN Security
Forces: Shiroda.  Who, it becomes rapidly apparent, isn't Akagi's biggest fan.
His self-introduction ends quickly, and before stalking off he intimates that
Akagi might not be Dai Guard's pilot for long.

This goes back to the rumors swirling around about the Security Forces trying
to take Dai Guard over for themselves.  Akagi is furious at the thought that
someone other than him might be made the pilot, but the other assure him that
his position is secure for now... if only because the number of people who
actually have a Super Robot pilot's licence is vanishingly small (much like the
number of Super Robots...)  Aoyama would be just as happy to let someone else
pilot in his stead, but Ibuki is (finally!) starting to feel possessive about
her part in fending off the Heterodynes.

That's what Tsubaki wants to hear.  She warns Kouji and friends that they're up
against the serious shit from all sides -- anyone not committed 100% to the
cause will just drag the rest of the team down.  It's a heavy responsibility to
bear, and Aoyama wants no part of it.  Too bad for him a dispatch comes in from
HQ just then: the Heterodynes are attacking!  Sounds like a good time to show
Shiroda what's what!  ...Or look like total morons.

Shiroda wastes no time in making his authority felt, and most of the time is
far from thrilled.  Crow tells them not to sweat it: a flock of sheep led by a
wolf is far better than a flock of wolves led by a sheep (or so Napoleon
had it, anyway).  Crow's interested in seeing what species Shiroda turns out
to be.  Takeru is in fact imprisoned deep within the base, much to Kouji's
discomfort.  The bigger worry is the Dai Guard team, all of whom seem to be
caught up in their own objectives and not focused on the team.

The Heterodynes look different from the last time, which Shiroda ascribes to
the vagaries of the specific circumstances under which they leaked into this
world.  He orders Dai Guard to wait until the second wave of troops, on the
theory that its firepower is "wanting".  Never mind that it was specifically
designed to battle the Heterodynes.  Unexpectedly, Akagi grits his teeth and
heeds Shiroda's command... and _not_ out of mere salaryman-like loyalty, it
seems.

 The Heterodyne may be buff, but very rapidly it becomes the least of the
 team's problems -- another Spacetime Quake occurs, and from it emerge more
 Dimensional Beasts.  Crow shouts to Akagi and friends to take on the
 Heterodyne while Crow resumes his original D.B. fighting mission...
 somewhat to Shiroda's initial annoyance.  However, Shiroda quickly realizes
 how effective the team's freeform cooperation is.

 These Dimensional Beasts are tougher than any on record, and Crow can only
 hope that isn't a harbinger of worse to come.  And as though that wasn't
 bad enough, the Heterodyne proves surprisingly prone to healing its
 spherical self.  Aoyama wants to flee this menace, but even Ibuki has now
 bought into the concept that the Dai Guard is the last bastion of mankind's
 hope!!  ...'Kay so, what's the plan then?  Shiroda yells for Akagi to aim
 for the Heterodyne's original Fractal Knot, the point where it gathers the
 energy that allows it to regenerate.

 As Shiroda sends over the coordinates, based on his on-the-fly analysis of
 the battle, the Dai Guard team get a phone call from their chief mechanic:
 he's got a new weapon for them to try out.  Lo and Behold, it is none other
 than the "Knot Buster", which does pretty much what you'd expect it to do.
 Guess all that money the company's been blowing has gone to some good use
 anyway.

 Celebrations will have to wait however, as a new wave of Mecha-Beasts swarms
 ashore.  Ashura thinks the team pose no threat after blowing their wad on
 the Heterodyne, but Kouji takes a different view: the moment the team pulls
 out, Atami is toast.  Literally.

 As the team labors on in extra innings, Takeru's mother pays him a visit.
 She tells him of the team's struggles, as though urging Takeru to go join
 the fray.  He's not exactly thrilled, especially since she's part of the
 reason he's here, but she reminds him that his telekinesis will let him bust
 out any time he wishes... and Ootsuka knows that quite well.  She tells him
 that his life is his to live however he chooses, and reminds him that his
 parents are she and her husband, here on Earth.

 One. Small. Problem.  If he dies, said Earth goes kablooie, with everyone
 hating his guts no less.  A mystery voice comes into Takeru's head, chiding
 "Mars" to be more honest with his feelings.  Persevere, no matter how much
 it sucks!  Uh, okay, goes Takeru, and charges into the fray in Gaia.

 He tells his disbelieving teammates that he's here to fight for the Earth, and
 immediately starts breaking Mecha-Beast heads.  Crow is a believer that
 "actions speak louder than words", and no one else can gainsay that just at
 this moment.  Certainly not Ashura, whose Stronger-T4 proves just as feeble
 as every previous deathweapon (s)he has brought into battle.  This delights
 Brocken, who triumphantly emerges from the shadows to tell Ashura that (s)he
 is now persona non grata for their boss.

 It's fallen to Brocken to clean Ashura's mess up, and he wastes no time in
 dispatching the Groizer-X10.  This Mecha-Beast is a bomber with no recall
 mechanism, and a primary blast radius fully ten klicks wide!  Brocken sends
 it towards the Kurogane-Ya, intending to obliterate its mistress once and for
 all.  Shiroda sighs, and orders the team to withdraw: all the civilians have
 been evacuated safely out of harm's way.  The Kurogane-Ya's residents didn't
 budge however, and Shiroda says it's "unfortunate" they chose not to comply.
 The team hesitate to withdraw, and Shiroda snaps that the must be broken of
 their bad habit of getting hung up on challenges immediately before their
 eyes, even when they realize there's a bigger picture.

 Akagi snaps back that it's Shiroda who doesn't see the big picture: there's
 more to battle than just defeating enemies and minimizing the collateral
 damage.  Does he have any idea what it's like to have no home to return to,
 to live in a city with no power or running water?  This isn't about keeping
 the team alive, or saving money -- it's about saving a way of life!!  His
 words resonate with the team, and are just what Tsubasa has been waiting to
 hear.

 She yells for Kouji to get off his ass and fire his Photon Power Beam,
 using perhaps the last button he hasn't already pressed in Mazinger's
 cockpit.  As the massive Groizer bears down on the city, Ashura flees in
 terror.  (S)he needn't bother, really -- the flying rust-bucket crumbles
 easily under the team's onslaught.  Tsubasa smirks and tells Kouji that he's
 finally done _something_ right for a change, reminding him that he's got a
 hell of a long way to go before escaping failhood.

Takeru then tells the team he's got something important to discuss.  He has no
knowledge of Gishin, having been raised on Earth since a very early age.  As
far as he's concerned, Earth is his home, and he intends to put his life on
the line to defend it.  The end.  Ootsuka walks over and sticks up for the guy,
saying that he was wrong to regard Takeru's presence as a threat to the Earth.
Given Takeru's resolve, it's better to think of him as part of Earth's
defenses.  Naoto agrees, having seen Takeru's words in action.  All is
seemingly forgiven, and Kenji vows to fight alongside and to protect Takeru.

Next up is Akagi, the current expert in disobeying orders.  Shiroda walks up
and asks him to turn in his report about today's battle by tomorrow.  Shiroda
tells Ibuki and the others that today's mess is partly his fault for not
comprehending the Dai Guard's capabilities in full.  Hence, he won't throw the
book at the pilots this time -- but by the same token that he means to
improve his command skills, he expects the team to follow his orders from now
on.  Aoyama has been hoping the military would send a replacement for him, but
Shiroda says that there are no such plans... guess Aoyama has no choice but to
give in and pilot for all he's worth for now.

In the meantime, Tsubasa tells the team to rinse off and enjoy the hot springs.
of course, Akagi and Watta will be up all night writing reports, and to his
chagrin Crow will be too.  He'll even have to help Watta with his homework in
exchange for some of the finest coffee Takeo General Company can offer.
Meanwhile, back at base, Rika Domeki is overjoyed that her theory of how the
Fractal Knot theory -- and countermeasure -- panned out so well.  She knows
however that she's got a lot more research to do to prepare for whatever
horrendous stunt the Heterodynes will pull next.


CHAPTER 8E. For Whom, The Trigger

Setsuna runs into Shoji in the hall -- Shoji's on his way out the door to
catch a flight to space: he's made it into Space Camp, and will be gone
about a week.  Space, huh?  Oh right, that's that place where most of Setsuna's
comrades are and he isn't.  Sumeragi for instance wastes no time busting out
the booze in honor of the glorious view of Earth from orbit.  It's a good
thing she operates best while tipsy, since she and Veda have a lot of planning
to do in light of the CB's newfound foes.  Allelujah has come along as
Sumeragi's bodyguard, glad of the change of pace that space affords but still
occasionally disconcerted by how _quiet_ space is.  That couldn't _possibly_
have to do with anything in Allelujah's past, now could it?

Meanwhile, Sergei has arrived to help lead the anti-Gundam efforts of the
HPL.  With him is Soma Peries from the Superhuman Research Lab, a project
geared at creating the better soldier by any means necessary.  For example,
Soma didn't volunteer for the project or anything: she was a designer baby
born exclusively for the lab's use.  She'll have a brand-new mech to test pilot
out in space -- from what Sergei's heard it's specially designed to exploit
the supersoldier's reflex speed.  The mech is the MSJ-06II-SP "Tieren Taozi",
and it's anybody's guess if it can actually stand up to a Gundam.

Back at the Dragons' Hive, the bridge bunnies are also acting in another of
their capacities, as counselors for the pilots.  Aoi isn't one to keep her
worries bottled up, so instead she commiserates with Ruriruri on how rough
these sessions must be to listen to.  Ruriruri won't share exactly what was
said, but she admits to being largely helpless to help Crow with his debts.
Allelujah's tale was especially disturbing, whatever it was.  The Getter team
passed on counseling entirely, which doesn't surprise Aoi one bit given their
almost instinctively wild disposition.  Ruriruri asks what's made her take such
an active interest in the welfare of others, and Aoi has to admit that it's a
bit out of character for her.  As she leaves, Ruriruri thinks to herself that
although the D-team didn't actually divulge their own thoughts, they probably
harbor animal instincts stronger even than those of the Getter team.  Next on
the proverbial couch, of all people, is Setsuna.  Um, yikes?

Back in the control room, the Getter team notices that Sumeragi and Allelujah
are elsewhere: space, as it turns out.  Tielia won't confirm or deny whether
the CB's base is in space, and the Getter team grimly agree not to ask too many
questions of their uneasy allies.  Musashi does explain why his team refused
counseling, not out of a desire to keep secrets of their own, but out of
concern for Ruriruri.  A list of what Ryouma's done in his past might well
drive her insane instead!  The same goes for the other two, whose litany of
mayhem and lawlessness might prove instructive to renegade debter Crow... if
he had fewer scruples.

Then again, the biggest illegals here are still the CBs.  Tielia, for instance,
is willing to abandon others to the predations of the Invaders if that will
keep Veda secret and safe.  Ryouma spits on the floor at that -- what fucking
point is there to ending war if not the ultimate welfare of the people?  This
nearly brings him and Tielia to blows before Lockon and Crow separate them.
There'll be plenty of time to settle this debate once and for all later; for
now, there are more immediate problems to attend to.  Still, Aoi seems
uncharacteristically fascinated to know Tielia's ultimate reason for stamping
out warfare, and her interest seems to galvanize the rest of Team D in ways
Tanaka hasn't seen before.  At this rate, Tanaka thinks, these kids might just
manage to open Dancougar Nova's "Door"...

The HPL soldiers are loving the Tieren Taozi and its pilot, but Sergei is
worried about Soma's inexperience.  The tests are interrupted by a civilian
shuttle straying into the exercise area, forced to dodge spacetime distortions
en route to Space Camp.  Sergei tells his jumpy subordinates not to do anything
rash, and to simply escort the shuttle somewhere safe and be sure it erases
its memory banks.  Aboard the shuttle, Shoji is breathing a big sigh of relief,
and hearing it from Louise about not being more manly and protecting her.
Still, now that the danger of the spacetime distortion is past, Earth and its
orbital ring sure look pretty.  Shoji loves how the traces of war aren't
visible from up here, and plans to work in space when he's through school.

Just then, something stabs into Soma's mind, forcing its way into his
consciousness.  The same phenomenon strikes Allelujah, whose personality
seems to change in the blink of an eye into someone far more vicious.  Chris
radios to his quarters to summon him to the bridge, where Sumeragi is planning
to attack a group of Invaders that have materialized near the HPL's military
test site.  The altered Allelujah can't wait to eviscerate them all, and it
turns out that this is actually _Hallelujah_, Allelujah's twin/alter-ego/who
knows what, and Allelujah pleads with him to go easy lest the civilians nearby
get caught in the crossfire.

Back in the test zone, Soma is essentially paralyzed by her headache, and
Sergei orders his men to retrieve her mech.  The Invaders pop out before they
can comply, leaving several of Sergei's men dead and the civilian shuttle's
engines in ruins.  Even Sergei's mothership is disabled, but before all hope is
lost, a Gundam shows up and moves to protect the shuttle.  At its controls is
Allelujah, who seems to have regained control and who sympathizes with the
plight of those adrift in space.  It seems that Allelujah and Soma are
responsible for each others' headaches, which get steadily worse the closer
the two get to each other.  The pain is too much for Allelujah, and Hallelujah
forces his way to the front, vowing to take Soma _and_ the Invaders apart.

Hallelujah cries in something between anguish and triumph that Soma is just
like him, a monstrosity fucked in body and mind by the scientists!!  Sergei
beats the hastiest retreat he can, pleading with Soma not to do anything rash
until help arrives and to try to keep the civilians safe.  That's going to be
dangerous, since Hallelujah is determined not only to kill her, but to
violate AND slaughter her for good measure.

 Sumeragi arrives a turn later, and quickly figures out what's going on.
 "Hallelujah" is a split personality that arose while Allelujah was a subject
 in the HPL's superhuman laboratories.  Sumeragi tells the crew of the
 Ptolemeios that they have no real choice but to back Hallelujah up, which
 might be easier if the ship was actually armed worth a damn.  Well, here
 goes nothing...

 The rest of the team appear in short order -- too short under normal
 circumstances, but they got tipped off to the Ptolemeios' whereabouts by a
 mysterious voice on the other side of a radio transmission, calling himself
 "Boatman".  Not just anyone can track the CB's activities, and not just
 anyone could contact the Dragons' Hive about them.  Even Tanaka has no clue,
 and normally the team would put everything on hold to run this mystery down.
 But with teh Invaders, and Hallelujah, on the loose, priorities have been
 shuffled a bit.  Sumeragi remembers how Allelujah was found adrift in
 space after escaping the HPL's laboratory, and guesses that that memory is
 what brought Hallelujah back.  She's got a lot to answer for in revealing
 the top-secret Ptolemeios to the world, but Ryouma at least appreciates the
 gesture in protecting the civilians.  Since Hallelujah is slobbering all over
 in anticipation of slaughtering Soma, the rest of the team prudently focus
 on the Invaders.

 The preferred plan is to finish the fracas before the HPL reinforcements
 arrive, which is no big deal for the hotshots on the team.  They pull out
 just as Sergei's forces arrive, leaving him to ponder why the Gundams would
 offer humanitarian aid, and what the winged Gundam has to do with Soma's
 prostration.  The supersoldier program supposedly modified its subjects'
 glial cells to enhance their brainwaves, and Sergei has to wonder if the
 CB's have a supersoldier in their ranks too.  Shoji and Louise are mostly
 just happy to be alive...

Back on Earth, Kinue rejoices that her brother and friend are safe.  Isabelle
Cronkite, reporter extraordinaire, overhears this and strikes up a
conversation.  She's learned that Kinue is privately investigating the
Celestial Beings, who just so happen to be hanging out with her favorite
subject: Dancougar (remember that Pulitzer Prize she won?)  She invites Kinue
to join her in a search for the truth, going so far as to quote Kinue's
late father about how the truth lies in the conjunction of the facts.  Kinue
agrees, and one can only hope that they can eventually shed light on what's
really going on in the world.

Back on the Ptolemeios, Tielia tries to take Sumeragi to task for revealing the
flagship to the world.  Not so fast, says Allelujah, who says that Sumeragi was
merely acting to protect him after he sortied against the Invaders.  Ryouma and
Aoi both praise Allelujah, saying they'd have done the same to protect the
innocent from a clear and present danger.  Crow adds that spent money comes
back around, but spent lives go nowhere, but Tielia is fixated on how Sumeragi
deviated so badly from the original plan.  Sumeragi repeats that she did more
than protect Allelujah: she protected his Gundam.  Tielia spits back that
no "defective" person should have ever been allowed to pilot a Gundam, and
while Allelujah says quietly that he thinks Tielia's right, Sumeragi asks
Tielia if his statement applies to himself too.  OH SNAP.

Tielia stalks off, and Lockon tells her that he's with her on this one: though
this outfit is in many ways like the WLF in its tactics, he likes to think
he's a better person than to watch innocents die on his watch.  Sumeragi sighs
and figures it's time to get everyone onto the same page, and for that, she
wants everyone fully moved aboard the Ptolemeios.  She has Lockon show
everyone around, and the Getter team assure her that whatever the four-eyed
freak has to say, they've got her back.  Hayato cautions her on the way out
to keep her drinking to a dull roar though -- only death awaits those who flee
their problems into the bottle.  After the others have left, her level
expression crumbles, and she wonders what she would have done if Allelujah
*hadn't* forced her to intervene on the civilians' behalf.  She knows that
she can't make any mistakes... not after what happened the last time...  Her
reverie is interrupted by an incoming message, from Boatman!


CHAPTER 8J. The Queen and the Witch

Zero's triumph over the Britannia Union forces is the talk of the town, and
that includes those contracted with its safekeeping.  Iskui and Blow of the
peacekeeping forces are grimly amused to see their paymasters humiliated,
and muse over Jeremiah's disgraceful demotion as a suspected Zero collaborator
(Zero referred to him as Agent "Orange").  Iskui is a bit worried about the
Britannians halting payment, but is more worried yet about the Gilgamesh Army's
pursuit of "Proto One", which has the potential to turn this whole rotten
planet on its head.  He favors erasing the Gilgamesh agent, Kiriko, in thanks
to Konin for discovering him among the Resistance fighters.  In fact, Kiriko's
Resistance ties provide the perfect pretext for mobilizing the peacekeepers
without attracting Britannian suspicion.  And heck, since the Britannian
replacement commander seems inclined to burn down the ghetto anyway, who would
notice?  Little does Kiriko know that these guys already have Proto One, and
aren't afraid to use her(?) against him...

Lelouch has a surprise waiting for him at home: C.C.!  She's made herself quite
at home with Nanaly, and hints to her that Lelouch has proposed marriage.  The
flustered guy stammers a denial and hustles C.C. off to his room for a little
chat.  For starters, how is she still alive?  And what's the deal with this
"Geass" power she's given him?  He's managed to find out much in a short time,
including it's 270-meter range, its effectiveness via all direct or reflected
eye contact, its indefinite duration, and the fact that it seems to work by
inducing selective brain damage (and memory loss) in its subjects.  And of
course, the fact that its commands work regardless of its target's will.

Lelouch offers her his thanks for greatly accelerating his "schedule" -- the
planned destruction of the Britannia Union.  She asks if he thinks he can
pull that off using nothing but his newfound power, and he replies that he was
originally planning to do it with no special powers at all!  She smirks drily,
finding him every bit as "interesting" as she first guessed.  He admits that
the whole "Orange" business was simply a ruse, trading on the Britannian
tendencies toward divisiveness and suspicion.

She announces that she's sleeping here from now on, telling him that she'll
be safe from the small subsection of the military that's after him.  She
orders him to sleep on the floor, or out on the front lawn if he's so
inclined, and refuses to answer his questions about how she was saved or what
she wants in return for the Geass.  And when Lelouch thinks about using the
Geass to force her, she informs him that it won't work on her.  Anyway, is he
satisfied with this current chaos in Area 11?  Of course not: it's only the
first step in something much bigger.  And until the aliens and other menaces
to the Earth are cut down to size, Lelouch won't have the leverage he wants
to chart the course of world events.  C.C. likes how Lelouch thinks, and tells
him she'll do what she can to help.  After, mind you, a good night's sleep.
Lelouch can only marvel over the strange girl monopolizing his bed, and
possibly his life from now on...

Lelouch's friend Suzaku is having an interesting evening too, finally released
from the "tender" mercies of Britannia's prison system.  Zero's appearance had
the beneficial effect of defusing the murder rap against Suzaku, though Lloyd
isn't thrilled that the court called Suzaku's release "due to insufficient
evidence" rather than a clean exoneration.  Lloyd's managed to pull a few
strings and got Suzaku posted to his unit as the Lancelot's official Devicer
(i.e. pilot).  Lloyd blithely introduces himself and Cecil, seemingly
oblivious to the rough time Suzaku's had in prison.  Not so much oblivious as
crazy... like a fox, as he shows when he slyly asks if the rough treatment
he's received has shaken Suzaku's faith in Britannia.  Suzaku denies this,
saying that he's still got things to do within the Britannian system.

As he excuses himself, Cecil and Lloyd ponder Suzaku's monumental naivete,
possibly the product of growing up the son of Japan's last prime minister,
Kururugi Genbu.  Genbu preached a policy of minimal resistance right up until
his final broadcast, where he took his own life in a bid to placate the hawks
in the Japanese military.  The irony is how his declaration of surrender,
meant to save the Japanese people, has instead prolonged their warfare up to
today.  Lloyd muses that by _not_ forcing Britannia to pulverize Japan, Genbu
established the perfect conditions for an active Resistance -- who is very
fond of saying "Japan isn't defeated yet!"  Some of the Elevens call Genbu a
traitor for his broadcast of surrender, which definitely puts his son, a
voluntary Honorary Britannian, in a very odd position.  Smirking inscrutably,
Lloyd wonders aloud just what the task Suzaku has to perform "within
Britannia" might be.  In any case, Lloyd figures the Resistance won't be long
for this world, given who Britannia is sending to run the show now...

Amazingly, Suzaku's long day of abuse isn't over yet -- his solitary walk
down the street is interrupted by a beautiful woman abruptly falling out of
a nearby window onto his head.  He manages to catch her with minimal damage
just as Rilina shows up.  She recognizes the woman right away, who tells
Suzaku she's being chased and asks him to protect her.  Rilina guesses that
some sort of assassin must be on her tail, and the girl repeats a request
that everyone present, including Hiiro (lurking in the shadows behind Rilina)
aid her... by taking her to Shinjuku.  Say what?

The quartet make their way to the heart of Shinjuku, where the young woman
introduces herself as Euphy.  She guesses the tight-lipped Hiiro to be
Rilina's boyfriend, though from the way he's following her around it appears
to her to be a one-sided love.  Hiiro grinds his teeth at that, and Euphy
brightly hopes that he and Rilina can get along in the future.  Hiiro at least
doesn't shoot her on the spot, though he also refuses to answer her query
about being the "prince from the stars".  Euphy doesn't need to ask who Suzaku
is though: he's plenty famous in these parts.

Of course, Euphy's story about pursuers is a lie... unless you count the black
cat who's been following her around.  Suzaku tries to coax it over to him, but
like all cats it seems to instinctively hate his guts.  The poor guy loves cats
too, and Euphy thinks that one-sided crushes like that are a sign that the
bearer is actually kind at heart (hint hint, Hiiro!)  Euphy's real reason for
coming here is a desire to see what Area Eleven is really like, since her
student vacation here has been cut short in the wake of last week's events.

The others tell her that the spot she's standing in was once a bustling town,
and that even after the Britannian takeover, people were starting to return
here until the fighting broke out with the resistance.  Britannia's decision
to attack the ghetto has left this place a smouldering ruin.  Hiiro regards
Suzaku as he surveys the devastation, and asks him why the son of Japan's
last prime minister would become an Honorable Britannian.  Suzaku doesn't
flinch from the question, saying that the world seemed like a very sad place
to him at the time of the surrender (when he was all of 10 years old).  The
dread chains of hunger, disease, poverty, war and terrorism are everywhere, and
someone has to take action to sever them.  Someone like the Celestial Beings,
or the Colonial Gundams, for instance.  Suzaku isn't trying to eliminate all
sadness from the world, but he does want to do his part to create a world
without war: a world where those precious to everyone needn't be lost.

Rilina is impressed by this, knowing what resolve it must take to seek power
from the very people who subjugated his countrymen... and how much it must
pain those same countrymen to see him wear their enemy's uniform.  Rilina asks
if he expected all the fighting to stop when Britannia takes over the world,
and then quickly apologizes when her clear eyes see the hesitation in his.
She apologizes and tells him that her questioning is to help her resolve her
own doubts -- she tells Hiiro to ponder, as she will, whether fighting is
really the right way to end war.  Suzaku tells her that he doesn't know the
answer to that, but does know that if he simply gives up his father's
inevitable death will have been in vain.

The philosophy is interrupted by the sound of gunfire nearby: the peacekeepers
have apparently started burning the ghetto down!  Euphy is aghast, and Suzaku
quickly hustles everyone toward safety.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the
Britannian forces are led by Jeremiah, who tells his men to burn the place to
the ground now that the residents have been warned to evacuate.  Not that this
"garbage-incineration" mission is especially glorious in the eyes of the
other Britannian knights, but Jeremiah will take whatever work he can get at
this point.  The Britannians don't seem to care that there are actually
people left in the area, including Suzaku and friends, but their onslaught is
rudely interrupted by the sudden appearance of one of the Colonial Gundams.
Given how Hiiro vanished shortly before, Rilina can pretty much guess he's the
one piloting it.

Rilina has no idea why Hiiro is trying to save her life, and for his part
neither does Hiiro.  Jeremiah sees a potential chance at redemption, and
orders the troops to defeat the Gundam at all costs.  This is probably a bad
move, since Hiiro is driven into a frenzy by his own irrationality...

 As Hiiro tangles with Jeremiah's goons, Suzaku gets the girls to safety.
 He's planning something heroic and likely to get himself killed, but before
 he can spring into action, Zero and his forces show up.  Zero isn't pleased
 that Hiiro sortied without his say-so, but Crow recommends that that debate
 get saved for later.  With the eyes of Japan's people focused on this ghetto,
 it's time to at least act like Allies of Justice.  Zero mulls this over,
 and orders the team to strike down the lawless Britannian dogs.

 First, another mech belonging to the oh-so-peaceful peacekeepers shows up.
 Kiriko seemingly recognizes it, but keeps mum on who might be piloting it.
 Instead, Hiiro indulges in a rare bout of talkativeness and tells the team
 to focus on the task at hand.  Duo guesses that Hiiro has someone or
 something he's trying to protect, but Hiiro certainly isn't saying what.
 That this new mech has come _alone_ has Zero's antenna twitching, and he
 orders Kiriko to be the one to engage it.  In all fairness, even Kiriko
 himself doesn't know what it is about this new A.T. that bothers him, but
 bother him it does anyway...

 The mystery A.T. is highly tuned, but despite its pilot's obvious skill is
 easily driven off.  Kiriko is left wondering if it's anything to do with
 the murderous Nikon...  Jeremiah meanwhile has a bona fide vendetta against
 Zero for ruining his life.  Uh, news flash: the ruination has just begun!
 He attempts to flee when it's clear teh battle is turning against him, but
 several other knights show up to prevent him from getting away with such
 cowardice in the face of the enemy.

 As Zero suspected, Kuell is a suspicious, self-absorbed, self-righteous
 ass, who's resolved to pin all the blame for Clovis' death on the hapless
 "Orange".  His idea of mercy is reporting Jeremiah's death as "fallen in
 battle" after the fact, allowing his family's name to escape further damage.
 Before he can finish intoning "All Hail Britannia" and land the final blow,
 the Lancelot appears.  One thing Suzaku can't do is stand by and watch his
 (adopted) countrymen kill themselves in such a pointless dispute.  Before
 Kuell can strike him for this impudence, Euphy announces herself as none
 other than Euphemia Li Britannia, third-in-line for the throne!!

 Shock and amazement ensues, and Zero has to think very quickly about whether
 to capture the princess (and his childhood friend, to boot) to use as a
 hostage.  He's saved from having to make that call by a Dimensional Quake,
 which deposits a whole load of Dimensional Beasts for everyone to fight.
 Jeremiah rushes to Euphy's aid, and Suzaku implores him to get her to safety
 while he holds the Beasts off.  Suzaku's also thinking about the common
 people still cowering in the burned-out tenements, and Zero rapidly
 reaches the same conclusion: Beasts first, Lancelot second.  Oogi and Karen
 are loving it.  Time for Crow and the team to get PAID.

 The DBs get slaughtered in a hurry, but Crow's a very unhappy camper anyway.
 Turns out all these Beasts are far more studly than anything in his mech's
 data banks.  The difference is way above statistical noise, like the
 difference between a kitty cat and a frigging _panther_, and the thought of
 the DB's actually evolving is a daunting one.

 Meanwhile, Euphy returns with her knights to pick Suzaku up, telling him as
 one loved-one-loser to another that she wants his help to ensure that no more
 precious people have to die.  She tells the knights to withdraw for now,
 showing respect to Zero's men for the work they did in repulsing the DB's.
 Besides, any further fighting here would just harm the civilians.  As Suzaku
 leaves, he mulls the prospect of facing Zero as his enemy...  Zero tells the
 resistance fighters that he's got a new stratagem in mind, far more effective
 than trying to take a princess hostage, and orders them to return to base
 too.

Clovis' replacement has finally arrived: Princess Cornelia, second-in-line
to the throne.  With her are her two personal knights, Dalton and Gilford,
who she apologizes to in advance for the ordeal they're about to face.  She's
more than a little impressed with her little sister for running into the
famous Zero so quickly, though she warns Euphy not to push her legendary good
luck too far.  The two sisters, daughters of the Queen, will have more to
say to each other after official business is concluded, but first Cornelia has
to put up with some of Kuell's idiocy.  He was thinking of a welcome parade
for Cordelia, but she furiously orders him to go arrest Zero's ass instead.
You know, the enemy of all Britannia guy?  The guy who iced Clovis?  Yeah him.

Back at base, Zero receives Kokona's report that the reputedly-beautiful
Cordelia has been named Clovis' successor.  Zero cautions his confederates
that she will be a far bigger menace than the largely-ornamental Clovis was.
While most imperial princesses would be busy with dance lessons, Cordelia has
been practicing swordsmanship instead -- and few or none of Britannia's many
generals are her equal.  Kiriko evidently couldn't care less, since he's busy
fixing up his mech as always.  Whether this has anything to do with the red
A.T. that tried to kill him, God only knows.

Zero then announces his plan to liberate the ghetto: establish themselves as
the side of Justice!  After all: the Resistance aren't actually terrorists
at heart -- better then to get the hearts and minds of the Japanese people
united behind them.  Sure the team will also be nipping at Britannia's heels,
but the main thrust of their actions from now on will be to establish
themselves as Just fighters.  Figuring out exactly how to do that will be
Zero's job, but for starters the plan to kidnap Rilina is cancelled.  That
pretty much ends Hiiro and Duo's need to remain students, leaving Karen to keep
up the info gathering.  That's just as well as far as Hiiro's concerned: he
comments cryptically that he felt like he'd stop being himself if he stayed
there any longer.

The conference is interrupted by a televised speech by none other than Charles
Ji Britannia, sole power atop the Britannian Union throne (and the person
who fucked up Lelouch's life, but it's not like he's vindictive about that
or anything...)  Charles gets right to the point: people exist to be
discriminated among (and/or against).  It is the differences between people
that cause conflict, and it is conflict that causes progress!  Just look at the
dunces in the HPL or the AEU: incompetent and doomed to fail in their attempts
to impose equality on all.  Only Britannia, with its policy of INequality, is
moving forward, as Clovis' death underscores.  Charles orders his subjects to
indulge in further mayhem, chaos and warfare, and by doing so to bring glory
to Britannia now and forever!!  And another !, for good measure.

Think the AEU government likes hearing that?  Of course not, but at least
Treize has to admit that Charles' bombastic speeches always contain a key dose
of truth: fighting is a means to an outcome.  Schneizer El Britannia has to
agree, though he isn't so sure his father is acting in the most kingly fashion
just now.  That's not, however, why he agreed to this secret meeting with
Treize; rather, he's interested in working toward a better world, not in
becoming king of it as such.  Nor does he have the grand ideals that Treize
does -- he wants to do his part, a part that only one of the nobility can play.
That suits Treize just fine, and is certainly worth a toast or two.

The next morning, Rilina is out of sorts as she arrives at school.  This could
be blamed on any number of recent events, including the mess in space that
nearly killed Louise and Shoji.  To think that the CB's and their Gundams would
actually save people in need!  Rilina's friends think her troubles must be
related to those two transfer students who refused to attend her party, both
heavily recruited by every club on campus thanks to their exceptional athletic
skill.  There's no time to give them a talking-to though: they've both just
transferred elsewhere...

..and as their replacement, so to speak, is Suzaku!  This Eleven has a pretty
poor reputation among Britannian students like Nina, but Milly hustles
everyone off too class before too many hurtful things can be said.  Only
Rilina is left behind, aggrieved at Hiiro leaving without answering her
question.  Then again, it seems fairly certain she'll see him again, and
opening her arms wide to the sky, she hollers for Hiiro to come and kill her
soon.


CHAPTER 9K. Dimensional Tremor

Traia is chatting with her mystery boss, informing him that the Number 0 is
up to about 80% capacity (and at that, is doing better than she expected).
Analysis of the "VX" is going a bit slower, and Traia doesn't like him teasing
her about it.  She huffs that once she's done figuring out the damn thing,
she'll toss it right back into his crotch, and he smirks and says he hopes
that'll be before he eventually kicks the bucket.  She growls that she'd be
happy to kick his bucket for him, and it doesn't entirely sound like she's
joking.  Traia says she's always serious, and complains that there's a lot of
static on the line -- that would be due to all the dimensional storms over
the Pacific, most likely.  The mystery boss is in Japan right now in fact,
and plans on watching the Number 0 in action in person.  As he hangs up,
Traia is furious that he, Carlos Axion Jr., has managed to get ahead of her.

Watta's typical account of a day at school consists of what he had for lunch,
and what sport he played for P.E.  Suffice it to say his fellow students don't
stand a chance against his battle-hardened skillz.  Today however he's got a
surprise waiting for him: Takeru's mother has been given a job working the
base's cafeteria.  She seems like a much more placid sort than his own mom, who
always pesters him to do his homework (and has committed the dreadful crime
of actually looking *gasp* middle-aged!).  In any case, the team has had very
little to do the past few weeks, and if Watta's latest math test is the biggest
worry they've got, it must mean the world is a (relatively) peaceful place.

Peace is fleeting, of course.  Tanaka is getting antsy, and takes it out on
Akagi by making his rewrite and clarify his combat reports.  Akagi isn't
pleased, but hops on it right away.  He and Tanaka aren't exactly
dysfunctional, but they certainly don't get along that well.  The good news
is the Knot Buster, which improves just about everybody's mood.  Hats off to
Domeki for inventing the thing, and for her ongoing research into the
relationship between the DBs and the Dimensional Quakes (and, for that matter,
with the Heterodynes too).  Speaking of DBs, Crow's gone to the Kanagawa Axion
branch for some maintenance on the Blaster...

The first person Crow runs into at the lab is Esther Elhas, who apparently
hates his guts at first sight and lets him know it at some length.  Crow
quickly resolves to go about his business and leave her behind, lest his
already famous dislike of women get even worse.  But before he can go, Esther
has a request for him, as the Blaster's pilot: kill each and every last one of
the DBs.  An odd request to hear from a total stranger, but not so surprising
given that that's what the Blaster was built for.

So says Carlos, who strides onto the scene and sniffs out Crow's debt problems
from a mile away.  Crow quickly figures out that this guy is another Axion
dude, and probably out to trip up Traia with his offers of buying out Crow's
contract.  Esther warns Crow not to listen to a word Carlos says, and a
bizarre three-sided argument ensues about how Crow means to both pay off his
debts himself, defeat the DBs, and do right by his erstwhile boss.  The
argument is mercifully cut short by the base's alarm, and Crow tells  Mr.
Moneybagz that all attempts to separate him from teh Blaster are futile: it has
long since become his Partner.

There's no telling exactly what Crow is about to face, but he intends to do so
with gusto to rub Carlos' nose in his piloting ability.  Plus, he imagines
Tielia giving him a fat bonus for showing up her enemies.  The enemy turn out
to be "Emerges", and from the sidelines Carlos wonders aloud if Crow will able
to master the VX...

 After a bit of combat, the UN's anti-Emerge forces appear, led by Holland
 Novak.  The newcomers are piloting KLFs, and profess to be from yet another
 special independent battalion -- just how many pieces is the United Nations
 divided into anyway??  Unbeknownst to Crow, Holland and friends have serious
 doubts about some of the pies Axion has its fingers in -- Holland warns his
 friends that they may have to take over this whole lab depending on how
 things go.  He's playing a complicated game, trying to arrange for the "other
 key" to come to him once "they" detect his little ruse.

 Crow has heard of Holland's mech, the Devilfish, before, and knows that
 anyone who can master flying it like Holland has is one serious pilot.  His
 musings are cut short by the arrival of a boatload of DBs: just what he
 _didn't_ want to see just now, even though they are technically what he's
 getting paid to face.  Holland wants more info on how these critters cross
 dimensions, and plans to fight them to gather it.

 The rest of Crow's friends show up a bit later, done with their cake and tea
 at long last.  Before anyone can reflect on why so many DBs are appearing
 so suddenly, a massive Dimensional Quake breaks out -- large enough to be
 a Dimensional Tremor, a type of Quake bad enough to teleport people and even
 entire chunks of the surroundings along with it.  Holland and friends have
 been through this before, but even they have no time to really react.

 Out of the Quake emerges a new kind of DB, which makes a beeline for Crow...
 and instantly demolishes his mech!  The rest of the team scramble to
 organize a counterattack -- if they can't stop the DBs first, there'll be
 no hope of rescuing him.

 These new DBs are tough as hell, and hopes of victory aren't exactly high...
 until the Celestial Beings show up, accompanied by Dancougar Nova and Getter
 Robo.  Facing these DBs wasn't in the original plan, but now that they're
 here...

 When all the lesser beasties are defeated, the largest DB flees at high
 speed, vanishing from radar before the team can get a good track on it.  Note
 that it's still in this world: it has _not_ been defeated as such!  For the
 time being, the team's attention will have to be devoted to the CBs, who are
 hear to offer their cooperation.  At the command level, word comes in of a
 global emergency that takes precedence over any petty quarrels till now.
 After the latest quake (which was world-wide, by the way), the dimensional
 boundaries around the Dark Continent have stabilized.  If that weren't freaky
 enough, a large fleet of unknown space ships have appeared near Earth.  This
 confirms for Holland that these Quakes are the key, and that the Myth is
 about to unfold again.  He and his ships depart.  Oh, and what about Crow?
 Traia has rescued him and what remains of his mech...

A dour Elgan tells Ootsuka that someone calling himself "Boatman" has set up
this collaboration with the Celestial Beings.  Normally he would have nothing
to do with such an anonymous mystery dude, but under the circumstances the
Celestial Beings provide some much needed surplus firepower.  The UN has
decided to make contact with the alien fleet, and Elgan wants the Crushers
and friends to investigate the Dark Continent in the meantime.  Elgan will be
hard at work trying to figure out more about the CBs (such as: can they be
trusted) and about those new DBs that have just appeared.

Ootsuka tells Shiroda that Elgan is one of the few impartial people in the
UN who has the ear of all three of the Great Nations, and although he's prone
to occasional unorthodox tactics (such as agreeing to the CBs' help), he's
someone whose orders Ootsuka is willing to follow.  Introductions between the
teams commence -- for the full details, check out the other paths in the
split.  There are plenty of dark secrets behind many of the participants, and
it becomes apparent quickly that the pilots should avoid asking too many
questions.  It certainly looks like an _interesting_ partnership to come.

Crow finally regains consciousness, finding himself confronted by the "witch"
and the "ogre", both female.  Esther once again begs him to wipe out the DBs,
and Crow starts to remember how the white, horned one demolished his ass.
Traia admits that that particular type is not quite as unknown as Crow thought.
It's been seen once before, one year ago and only for a few minutes... during
which time it leveled an entire city.  A little town in West Texas, named
Ordis.  The destruction was so complete that the only records are the memories
of the one person that survived: Esther.  Axion is calling that type "MD",
short for "Moby Dick", and Traia smirks and says that killing it might earn
Crow as much as 10 G.  That's more than enough for him, given how much payback
he already owes it.

Unfortunately, all his good work is being offset by the cost of repairing the
Blaster, making him actually farther in debt than he was the last time he
checked in.  Crow accepts this, and cautions that it's going to be pretty risky
taking on the MD again with Blaster.  Traia tells him that he hasn't accessed
its full power yet: it has features that aren't part of the catalog specs.
Unfortunately, she can't explain what those are just yet, and she even admits
that she hasn't fully figured out its "VX" drive system yet.  That's as in the
Roman numeral, so the acronym properly expands to "Quintuple-X".  Presumably
it's going to be worth a hell of a lot of power once she figures out how to
work it fully.  She doesn't even know where Carlos got it from, but he gave it
to her just to watch her squirm over trying to figure it out.  While he may be
annoying, Carlos also deserves the credit for turning Axion into the
world-class outfit it is now -- he seldom does things without some sort of
reason.  And now that he knows Crow is the Blaster's pilot, he's sure to hone
in on him too, probably exploiting Crow's need for money.  In any case, Crow
promises Esther that he'll take down the MD, and figure out VX's secrets in the
process.

Carlos meanwhile has his own confidants, including someone names Sionny.  He
is overjoyed that his secret contact was right about the big DB showing up,
craving the thrill of surprise so often denied to someone as ultra-rich as
him.  Sionny turns out to be in a country called Limonecia, which is locked in
a struggle for survival and willing to do just about anything for help...
including inciting regional conflicts world-wide at Carlos' behest.  He hints
to her that she may not be needed much longer to stir the pot, and says that
only one thing is certain the way the world is going: his Project Vortex will
definitely alter its course.


CHAPTER 9E. (Route Split)

The mysterious Boatman has contacted the CBs, and to get everyone into the same
headspace, Sumeragi plays back for the team the first message he sent.  Boatman
starts by admitting that he's using an alias, then says that he wants their
help and is prepared to deliver a suitable reward.  He then says that he's
sending the same message to Liumei, who he knows is a CB agent, and promises to
chat live next time they're interested.  Just the fact the message reached the
Ptolemeios at all should be proof of how much clout Boatman's got, given that
its existence, much less whereabouts, are secrets known only to a very few.

Whoever this "Boatman" is, he's in the same league as the true ruler of the
Dragons' Hive, and surely not to be dicked around with.  What he told Sumeragi
is that he wants to hire the CBs to assist the UN Security Council's private
army.  Now, the Security Council chairman, Elgan Roddick, is known to
prioritize global threats to man over any nation-vs-nation squabbling -- but
as Crow has seen, there's only so much the UN can do when its three biggest
members are the squabblees.  Boatman claims to be working around that problem,
offering resources and intelligence to the CBs as philosophical fellow
travelers... and come to think of it, the reports the CBs received about the
ailing shuttle now appear to have been a test of their prowess.

It sounds nice.  But the CBs wouldn't be where they are today if they took
everything at face value.  Under normal circumstances the CBs would prefer
to blow the UN off and continue their solo crusade to trash the world's
military hardware and thereby end war.  However, there's no point in ending
war if the entire species dies out first, and Sumeragi has made the call to
aid the UN and suspend the "forced disarmament" activities for now.  As
Lockon puts it: the CBs will use whomever they have to to reach their goals...
including the Getter team and anyone else they've currently got friended.

The Dragons' Hive staffers have already given the thumbs up, and Saotome isn't
likely to object.  Veda has already bought in, and Tielia is characteristically
uninterested in discussing why.  If all goes well, this Boatman's identity
should start becoming clearer the closer the team gets to him.  And if things
go poorly, the CBs are planning a suitably painful (to him) departure.  As
they say, "You can't get a tiger's cub without entering the tiger's den."

All objections cleared, Sumeragi contacts Boatman to convey the team's
conditional agreement.  She reserves the right of refusal over participating in
the UN's operations, if they start running counter to the CB's principles,
and Boatman gravely promises to pass that along.  Tielia suddenly wonders if
this guy, with his extensive underworld ties, is one of the "Guardians"
[likely he's not talking about Vampire Princess Miyu, but you never know...].
Anyways, there are currently two operations available: go to Japan and
rendezvous with the UN private army, or go to Side 11 and rendezvous with
the Colonial Gundams.  Boatman gives the CBs time to decide, and says he'll
send details on the two plans straight to Veda (yow!)

Sumeragi gets the final decision -- Japan, or Area 11?  If Japan, go to Chapter
9F.  If Area 11, go to Chapter 9G.  In either case, the "Ptolemy" will continue
serving as the CB's mothership, so the remaining crew introduce themselves:
operator Christina "Chris" Ciela, helmsman Richtendal "Richty" Tsielly,
gunner/subpilot Lasse Ion, and combat operator Felt Gleois.  Crow then asks
permission to visit an Axion facility at their destination so he can dump his
combat data and get his mech tuned up.  Sumeragi allows it, but has the studly
Lasse tag along just to ensure Crow doesn't get any funny ideas.

Go to Chapter 10A.


CHAPTER 9F. Dimensional Tremor

[This is almost identical to 9K, including Crow getting temporarily
demolished.]

Go to Chapter 10A.


CHAPTER 9G. Dimensional Tremor
[Jeebus Kreist!  All roads lead to the same chapter title and more or less
the same battle, with minor variations in layout.  See 9K for the full lowdown
on the picnicking Ashford Academy students and arrival of Zero's forces.
Except for Liumei acting as go-between for Boatman, everything else ends up
the same.]

Go to Chapter 10B.


CHAPTER 9J. Dimensional Tremor

[See 9K for Traia and Carlos' conversation.]

Suzaku is getting the cold shoulder from most of his classmates, both for
his "Eleven" blood and for the fact that he was briefly accused of Clovis'
murder.  Shoji, who has a bit of Eleven in his veins, urges the other
student council members to show Suzaku more compassion, and they all seem to
listen except Nina.  Milly makes a grand entrance in the middle of this,
towing Karen along behind her in order to introduce her as the council's
newest member.  Karen feebly protests a moment, then accepts lest she be
seen as suspicious.  She idly asks after Lelouch -- who tends to vanish as
soon as school ends these days -- which makes Shirley fret that this is yet
another romantic rival for her [if she only knew...]

The aforementioned Lelouch and Suzaku are chatting in the library: glad to see
each other in one piece after all they've been through.  Suzaku cheerfully
tells Lelouch not to worry about how Suzaku shielded him: it's just returning
the favor from seven years ago.  He then asks what became of the girl in the
capsule, and Lelouch says they got separated in the fighting.  He learns from
Suzaku that only the Special Forces seem to know anything about her, and
tells Suzaku that "Lelouch" is what he's known as now that all official
records list his former self as dead.  He tells Suzaku to come by his house
later, as there's someone he wants him to meet, and then walks off when he
hears someone coming.

That someone is Rilina, who thanks him for saving them all the other day.  She
of course knew who "Euphy" was before Suzaku, thanks to her father's work with
the UN, and wonders what he's doing here.  Euphy tells Suzaku that all 17 year
olds should get to enjoy high school, and arranged for him to enroll here after
making sure his record was cleared of anything relating to Clovis.  Rilina
finds herself torn: on the one hand, her duty should be to inform this member
of the Britannian army that Hiiro is a member of the Resistance.  And yet,
she can't bring herself to do so, nor can she even explain to herself just
why...

Suzaku goes home with Lelouch, where Nanaly is overjoyed to "see" him (recall
that she's blind).  Suzaku describes his new post with the military as an
"engineering" corps, and Lelouch concludes that he'll never be exposed to
fighting with the Resistance.  Suzaku is very glad to see that Nanaly is as
kind-hearted as she used to be, and apologizes in advance for not being able
to hang out at all times due to his work.  As Nanaly goes off to wash up for
dinner, Suzaku proposes to Lelouch that they ignore each other at school --
wouldn't want to invite questions that could lead to Lelouch's true identity
as Britannian prince being divulged.  Lelouch is thunderstruck anew at how
far Suzaku will lower himself for the sake of others, and when Suzaku steps
out a moment to let his superiors know not to make dinner for him, Lelouch's
stoic mask crumbles into near-tears.  C.C. emerges from her room and
remarks on how even Lelouch can feel heartbreak, and he coldly orders her back
to her room.  She asks if it's okay for him to be associating with a
Britannian soldier, and Lelouch assures her Suzaku is okay.  He's a... friend...

Crow is off at the local Axion base getting his mech looked at and dumping
his data about fighting the DB's.  Zero authorized the trip in part out of
hope of getting new information back from Axion about this menacing foe.
Lelouch figures out from Karen's presence here that she's turned down Milly's
invitation to a picnic in her honor... a picnic in Atsugi, where the Axion
installation happens to be.  Presumably the fun-loving council's gone without
her anyway.

The question arises: if the Resistance keep gaining influence, won't the CBs
eventually come down on them?  The CBs have a lot of help these days,
including such odd bedfellows as Dancougar Nova and several other robots large
and small.  They made quite a scene in the other Japan, which in most regards
seems like a brighter place for Japanese opposed to Britannian rule.  Karen
doesn't want to try that: to her, _this_ is Japan.  Maybe just as well, given
the assaults by the Gishin and Dr. Hell the other Japan is weathering.  The
bad guys there are wielding a mixture of advanced tech and "O-Parts", a
peculiar term that includes anachronistic archaeological finds from your
typical hyper-advanced ancestor cultures.  As Duo relates all the fun that's
been going on on the other path, even Zero has to remind himself that both
Japans have aliens already living in them, and on both sides of the conflict.

The UN Security Council is doing its best to fight mankind's common threats
with its own private army of super robots, but sadly there's little chance of
those robots helping liberate Area Eleven from Britannia.  Since Britannia
annexed this Japan fair and square(???), there is no legal recourse... which,
Zero says, is an example in why Justice must sometimes rely on _illegal_
recourse.  He thinks to himself that he's the only one capable of pulling that
off...

[See the other path for Crow's meetings with Esther and Carlos.]

As expected, the picnic is underway even without several of the council.  They
will get a good eyeful of the battle as it unfolds, as will Lloyd and the
crew from their vantage point in Axion's labs.  They recognize the Axion mech
as one that was helping the Resistance, though they're not exactly in a good
position to tell that to their superiors.  Lloyd wishes they'd brought the
Lancelot with them, and Suzaku wonders if Crow will be okay on his own
against all these Emerges.

 This time when Holland emerges, it gives the picnickers a chance to say their
 prayers before the monsters attack in earnest.  When further reinforcements
 come, it's Zero and the resistance.  Seeing his classmates on the scene
 puts Zero in a pickle: he can't be too solicitous about them lest people
 start asking questions about his identity.  The dilemma is resolved when he
 realizes Suzaku is here: he fires near the picnickers to draw attention to
 them, and Suzaku duly rushes off to save them.

 He makes it in time, and convinces them to follow his orders to reach a safe
 shelter -- even Nina, who he has to carry himself on account of her injured
 leg.  As on the other path, the CBs show up to save the day.

After the battle, Boatman has the CBs put him in touch with Zero.  Boatman
is a pretty smart guy, but Zero isn't impressed when he tries to act smarter
than Zero himself.  Boatman then cuts to the chase, and offers Zero the same
terms that currently bind the CBs to him and thus to the UN Security Council:
resources and info.  Zero knows that adding his group to the mix will make the
CBs easier for Boatman to control, but before agreeing to the terms he asks
Boatman why it's the UN he wants cooperation with.

Boatman claims to be interested in "world peace", and there's no one more
neutral than the UN.  Zero finds "world peace" to be that noblest of
hypocritical goals, but Boatman says that pursuing it would give Zero's group
a good reason to waive the banner of "justice".  Zero has to inwardly agree
with this, and figures ties to the CBs and friends could prove extra useful in
his fight to come.  What Boatman wants in return is for Zero's men to aid
the CBs in guarding the UN's expeditionary forces, which soon should be
making contact with that alien fleet that just showed up with the Dimensional
Tremor (remember them?  kinda bit, kinda... hard to miss).  Their role will be
to watch from the shadows... just in case something goes pear-shaped.

Zero agrees to the terms, though for the moment he can only spare his two
Gundams to the war effort.  He wants Boatman to put him in touch with
"Kyoto", a strong corporate conglomerate that predates the occupation.  The
plan is for their resources to fuel Zero's campaign, and Boatman says he can
do it if given a little time.  He seems to be very handy at the tiller of
world events, and tells Zero he's looking forward to seeing Zero's hands on
the tiller too as events progress.

Going to space suits Duo and Hiiro fine, as their mission was going to take them
there anyway.  Zero makes it clear to Sumeragi that he's not helping _her_
out as such; rather, he's helping Boatman.  If the CB's crusade brings them
into the middle of Zero's war, they should consider themselves on the hit list.
That suits her fine.  Cue the endless introductions and back story, which you
can get in fuller form by just reading through the other path.  Crow will also
be part of the expedition, and Zero sounds confident he can replenish his
firepower from the new comrades he expects will join.  He even expects that
the CBs will be among the comrades the next time they meet, despite the fact
that their respective quests should make them natural enemies.  In Zero's view,
it is his stratagems, not the CBs' Gundams, which will change the world.
Sumeragi's gut is telling her she's going to have to fight this man one day,
but for now, the Ptolemeios and its crew of uneasy allies sets sail.

[See the other path for Crow's reawakening and Carlos' conversation with
Sionny.]

The following morning, the student council fills Lelouch in on all the
terror^H^H^H^H^H^Hexcitement he missed.  This time when Suzaku shows up, he's
greeted warmly by everyone except Nina (who still seems scared), and despite
the previous conversation, Lelouch says that Suzaku is his friend.  He gets
Milly to add him to the council, thinking that it's only proper for humans to
join hands (as he has with Boatman).  He wants to spare Suzaku from the fires
of the changes he's planning, as his one true friend.

Go to Chapter 10B.


CHAPTER 10A. Pierce the Heavens with Your Drill!

[I kept Chapter 9F.]

Sumeragi is letting Shiroda have a seat on the bridge, as part of his duties as
forward commander.  The Ptolemeios still has many secrets, and Sumeragi knows
that all the "keep out" signs and masking tape over bits of the control panels
won't work if the tide of battle gets rough enough.  After all, the ship is
going to the DAAAAA~aark Continent!  And it doesn't get much spookier than
that.

---

"The Dark Continent... a region of South Africa created from the Great
Spacetime Quake, cut off from the rest of the world by dimensional walls.  It
is an unexplored place, shrouded in mystery, and now unveiled by the latest
global dimensional tremor.  Elgan Roddick, head of the UN Security Council,
has elected to send a search party into this no-longer-Dark Continent, knowing
full well that it will become a new front in the wars gripping the world."

---

Diary time!  "My job is to dig.  Every hole I dig makes my village bigger.
The village chief gladly lets me eat pig-mole steaks."  Truly gripping stuff,
and worthy of a Pulitzer Prize in one of these alternate universes in which
everyone is moronic.  But don't be fooled: Simon digs for more than just steak.
He digs for TREASURE.  That's important, because by some estimates -- the
village girls', for instance -- he's lame and stinky and good for nothing _but_
digging.

Fortunately he's got a friend in Kamina, an upstanding guy who styles himself
Simon's soul brother.  He tells Simon not to sweat what the pig bitches have
to say, and to focus on what's really in his soul: the almighty Drill(tm).
And speaking of which, Kamina's crew has decided they're finally gonna drill
clear through to the Surface.  Kamina is SO ready to leave this hellhole
behind, and says that Simon's power will be needed too.  And don't forget:
Simon's Drill(tm) isn't something the village chief owns -- it's Simon's own
to do with as he pleases, and will one day pierce the very heavens above!

How's that work again?  Kamina instructs his little bro not to sweat the the
small stuff: the Gurren Gang is invincible!!!  First though, there's the
village chief to deal with, who tries to divert Simon from following in
Kamina's delinquent footsteps.  Kamina claims that his father took the both of
them to the Surface once already, a miraculous place with a clear blue sky in
place of a ceiling, but Shaku the chief claims it's all lies.  He means to
throw Kamina in jail, sans rations, but before he can haul Simon off an
earthquake strikes and all the villages scatter to safety.

This is a very serious, perennial threat in this village: Simon's own parents
were claimed by one.  Kamina for one isn't about to die until he sees the
surface, and neither is Simon if he has anything to say about it.  As they
scramble to avoid falling debris, Simon sees that a giant face has fallen from
above.  Proof of something above, like the Surface maybe?  Or just a monster?

The gibbering Shaku seems to think it's the latter, but Kamina is totally
unfazed as he strides over to give the massive object a talking-to.  It's
actually a machine with a pilot, who turns out to be a Beastman and not very
charitably disposed towards Kamina's braggadocio.  Before he can pay for his
boasting, Kamina's butt gets saved by a barrage of long-rifle fire, courtesy
of an unfamiliar, and very... _well-ventilated_ girl named Youko.  She tells
Kamina to come her way, and Kamina drags the bewildered Simon along too.

Kamina hits it off right way with the rifle-toting babe, thrilled that
someone from the Surface is here.  He offers straight off to aid her throwdown
with the mechanical menace, finding out that she's from the next Hole over,
Littner.  That she was raised underground somehow lowers her in Kamina's eyes,
but before they can argue Simon hauls them over to what he found this
morning: an even bigger face buried in the ground that Youko calls a a Gunmen.
Kamina tells Simon that it's his since he unearthed it, and tells him to go
get rid of the enemy Gunmen before it levels the whole city.  Simon is
severely deficient in the self-confidence department, so Kamina tells Simon
to believe in him, who in turn believes back in Simon.  Youko is confused, but
Simon gets with the program.

The little drill-shaped pendant he unearthed before the Gunmen turns out to
be its key, and the fracas gets started for real with the three humans aboard.
Kamina christens it the Lagann, and orders Simon to finish the evildoer off
with a frontal assault.  Given that it's quite a bit larger than the Lagann,
Youko recommends evasion and sniping, leading to a tiff between her and Kamina
about male-vs-female fighting styles.  Ultimately, how to fight is left up to
Simon himself, who does pretty well for himself.

 As the Beastman tries to flee, Kamina orders his fellow Gurren mate to
 vanquish the fiend with his Drill(tm), piercing all the way to heaven as they
 pursue the thing upwards.  Works like a charm, and Simon gets his first taste
 of the surface, which just as Kamina had said is covered by an endless blue
 sky.  Youko introduces herself properly, then gets surprised by a little
 fuzzy thing that's hiding between her breasts.  It's Simon's pet "Buuta".

 Unfortunately, all the commotion has brought a lot more enemy Gunmen from
 all around, and Simon for one is itching to go hide underground again -- all
 that hero stuff he just did has to be a fluke, right?  An exasperated Kamina
 strides out onto the Lagann's roof, announcing to all commers that once a
 man leaves his homeland, he never loses, never looks back, never regrets a
 goddamn thing and only looks one direction: forward!  The bad guys aren't
 so impressed, but Kamina points out to Simon that there really, literally
 is no turning back now -- if he's ever going to cast off his old self, now's
 the time to do it.

 As the bad guys draw ever closer and Simon's terror level rises, the
 unexpected sight of a flying ship graces the scene.  It's the Ptolemeios, and
 the evil Gunmen seemingly don't like its paintjob by how quickly they open
 fire on it.  _Not_ what the CB's expected first thing into their exploration
 of the Dark Continent.  All attempts to call for a cease-fire are ignored,
 and Sumeragi is forced to sortie the troops.  Simon wonders if they're here
 to save him, but Kamina is adamant that since he and Simon started this
 fight, they must be the ones to finish it.

 The team is more than a little startled when they see the pilots of the
 giant mechanical heads: "beast-men" in every sense of the word.  Crow has to
 marvel at just how far-out that sentence sounds -- what's next, flying pigs?

 After the bad guys are dealt with, the CBs are wondering what to do next
 when Youko's comrades show up: Dayakka and Lee Long.  Youko explains that
 all her fellow villagers were forced to trade their hole for the surface
 when poisonous gasses flooded the place.  It's reassuring to the CBs that
 there are regular humans in this Dark Continent too, but everyone can tell
 that they're in for one surreal ride.

Parlay commences with the Littner folks, and it's confirmed that the marauding
Beastmen are the reason most humans reside underground.  The conflict can't
really be dignified with the name "war" -- the Beastmen mostly just hunt those
humans foolish enough to stick their necks above ground.  Littner was
apparently an armory in the ancient times before the migration underground, so
its residents were better prepared than most when the gas forced them
above ground.  Lee Long is even a skilled mechanic (and androgynous enough that
Sumeragi is afraid to ask after his/her gender) so that their weapons can stay
in reasonable repair.  Lee Long is impressed to see humans piloting a Gunmen,
but doesn't hold out hope for negotiations with the Beastmen -- while they're
capable of speech, their only interest is in killing humans.

The gist is that mankind is living a fragmented existence here, with no
signs of a central government and little idea of the global threat landscape.
The CBs are going to need a lot more information than this, and Dayakka and
Lee Long offer to help out.  Lee Long in particular is itching to get a look at
the newcomers' mecha, capable of standing up to the stalwart Gunmen.  She(?)
is also interested in Simon and his Lagann, telling him to call her(?)
"Beautiful Queen".  (S)he is actively coy about his/her gender, but finds
Kamina's boundless energy interesting and agrees to help him scavenge the
fallen Gunmen for parts.  He wants to finish before more Beastmen arrive, but
between Sumeragi and Shiroda they manage to convince him to "lend them his
strength".  He's especially impressed by Sumeragi, a bona fide woman of the
skies, and soooo much more refined than Youko's outsized personality (and tits,
and ass, and... you get the idea).  Even Shiroda pales at the vehemence of
Kamina's self-introduction, but Kamina and Simon are now on the team for good
or ill.



CHAPTER 10B. Close Encounter

[I kept Chapter 9G.]

"To understand how the mysterious fleet of spaceships came to appear so
suddenly in Earth Sphere, let us rewind the clock a bit.

Among the many parallel worlds in this universe is one whose Earth was
assailed by giant humanoid invaders: the Zentraedi.  Their onslaught brought
mankind to the brink of destruction, but at the end of the conflict the two
sides forged a lasting peace.  Those humans who had eluded death resolved to
preserve their seed throughout space, and set in motion an interplanetary
colonization project.  Over ten million souls ventured out into the stars in
immense starfleets, seeking a new life on the new frontier.

Among them was the 25th Macross-class Ultra Long-Range Colony Fleet "Macross
Frontier", the course of whose voyage was to be drastically altered by
spacetime waves..."

---

A battle is raging near the colony fleet, and the news isn't good: the enemy
has broken through the New Allied Force's lines and is heading for the fleet
proper.  Howard, fearing the worst, has put in a call to Mr. Biller, a course
of last resort.  The enemy are "Code Victor"'s -- aka "Vajra" -- and are far
beyond what the New Allies can handle.  The Skull Squadron is a different
story: led by Ozuma Lee, they've got firepower to burn despite being civilian
military contractors.  Among them is Alto, whose nickname "Princess" (from the
likes of "Michelle", no less) reflects how he's still basically a rookie.  He's
about to gain experience fast.  Alto insists on fighting, so Ozuma orders him
to stick close enough to his ass to smell what he had for dinner last night.
How appetizing!

 The Vajra are responsible for the utter destruction of at least one of the
 colony fleets (the 117th) and the death of Ranka's parents eleven years ago.
 Ozuma couldn't stop them before, but damn if he isn't going to stop them
 this time!

 In the middle of the battle, a gigantic ripple in the fabric of space passes
 through, Folding the entire fleet (and its attackers) to some totally
 unfamiliar part of space.  Several of the Vajra make their way inside Island
 One, and the S.M.S. defenders rush to stop them.  All the shaking isn't
 helping idol singer Sheryl Nome's day any, but her manager Grace tells her
 to hang on while she eavesdrops on military radio to see what the deal is.
 She's been told not to use that little cyber implant, but hey, this is an
 emergency right?  Besides, it's not Grace' fault that this fleet is so
 resistant to cybernetics, RIGHT?

 Anyway, the military is in total disarray, and they don't have to wait long
 to see why: Vajra penetrate the residential area, with the S.M.S. in hot
 pursuit.  Definitely _not_ what Sheryl signed up for when she came here from
 the Galaxy fleet.  As they scramble to evacuate to safety, the S.M.S. get
 busy defending their loved ones.

 Grace finally gets some coherent info on who the S.M.S. are, including the
 fact that Sheryl's friend/love-interest/who-knows? Alto is among the pilots.
 Of course Sheryl's concerned about his safety, but she's sure he'll be okay
 given that he's got her good-luck charm with him.

 The Vajra put up quite a fight but don't last long... all except for one,
 which Ozuma plans to keep at death's door until the scientists can study
 it and learn more about this mystery foe.  Unless he's greatly mistaken,
 they'll be back again.  Unfortunately, he doesn't have very good idea of
 where "death's door" is for the Vajra, and the one survivor springs to life
 enough to endanger Ranka, who's suffering from dissociative amnesia with all
 this fighting going on.  Ozuma manages to save her, and Alto can only clench
 his fists and wonder what will become of the Frontier fleet...

President Howard's administration is working hard on that.  To avoid general
panic, they've managed to squelch all accounts of the battle from the press,
telling the public for now that the ship had to perform and emergency Fold
for unspecified reasons.  That won't hold long though, as this fleet is now
cut off from any communication with its sister fleets, and in an unfamiliar
part of space to boot.  When the results finally come in, the news is grimmer
yet: the Frontier has been tossed to an alternate universe's Earth.  Given
that the Earthlings are likely to try to make contact, Howard will have no
choice but to prepare his own people for the contact.  Fortunately, the Vajra
shouldn't be able to follow here -- or so he hopes...  Mishima, his crafty
aide, will have to alter his own plans in light of this latest development.


CHAPTER 11A. What the Fuck is Up With Having Two Faces?!

Ian and the new mechanics have a lot to discuss about each other's mecha.  Ian
is especially interested in the Gunmen, which despite their comical appearance
are actually quite fearsome in battle.  The million-dollar question is why the
Beastmen are so interested in eradicating the humans, especially since the
Beastman assault is likely to spread with the opening of this continent.  Lee
Long does have a request for his colleagues, from Kamina: he wants a new Gunmen
of his own so he can fight by Simon's side.  The team managed to salvage quite
a few spare parts, so building it will at least be technically feasible.  It's
worth noting that in all Lee Long's years, he's [I'm going on voice here...]
never heard of anyone trying to turn the Beastmen's own strength against them
-- this Kamina kid has _potential_.  Speaking of Kamina, he and Youko have
already started bonding with the team and are currently busy surveying the
area.  Lee Long slyly says that he wants someone to bond with, so long as it's
not someone as young as Watta...

Kamina's way of "bonding" would seem a bit strange to most: he's locked in a
staring contest with Ryouma, and impressively he hasn't lost some ten minutes
in.  Hayato and Musashi tell the others that this is how Ryouma greets
everyone, and warns that trying to break up the staredown could have dire
consequences.  This place, where only the strong survive, has Ryouma's blood
up, and even Takeru with his telepathy might not be safe if Ryouma saw him as
interfering.  Just as well for the volatile Kamina to get any thoughts of
starting static out of the way up front, much though that dismays the meek
Simon.  Youko can only shake her head at Simon's persistent lack of confidence,
supposing that his victory before really was just luck.

As the tension continues to mount, Lockon entices Crow to break them up with
the promise of cash.  He bets 20 G that Crow succeeds, and several others
lay money that Crow gets decked by both Kamina and Ryouma.  Crow isn't into
betting his own money, but he does get Lockon to agree to pay half the
winnings for Crow actually going through with it.  Kamina and Ryouma meanwhile
have escalated to giving their fully gangsta-style self-introductions, and
no one is quite sure what some of Kamina's mighty-sounding words mean.  Johnny
does, thanks to one of his men's magazines devoted specifically to masculine
idiom.

Crow's attempt at diplomacy doesn't start smoothly.  He tries to propose an
_indirect_ competition, but it takes Youko to introduce the idea of hunting.
Kamina thinks that no mecha pilot (i.e. Ryouma) stands a chance at bringing
down game on foot, but Ryouma is the type of guy who can go toe to toe with a
bear.  Kamina chooses the feeble Simon for his second, so Ryouma decides to go
with the far more trustworthy, but still feeble, butler.  The race is on!
Youko shows she's got brains as well as T&A when she asks for ammo and
medicine equal to half Crow's share, since it was her idea that saved the day.
None of this is making Crow's instinctual dislike for women any less.

Simon really likes these newcomers with their flying ship, and asks Kamina if
there isn't some way he can end up friends with Ryouma.  Kamina says that all
depends on how convincingly Ryouma kneels in humiliation after losing to the
almighty Team Gurren.  In fact, Kamina is not a complete squeeb with a bow and
arrow, and hits his prey with the first shot.  However, another arrow hits at
the same time, fired by a weird-looking dude named Viral.  He claims to be the
commander of the Human Subjugation Army's Far-East battalion, whose job is
making mincemeat out of any humans on the surface.  He ALSO claims that Kamina
just appropriated his dinner.

Kamina draws his sword [what is this, D&D?] and meets Viral's first stroke,
but there's no way the amateur Kamina can hold out against a trained soldier.
Fortunately, he won't have to: Youko's sniping and Ryouma's furious entrance
seemingly make Viral think twice about confronting them on foot.  He'd rather
use his mech, which he runs off to get.  Ryouma tells Kamina to leave the
ensuing fracas to him, but Kamina insists that he's going to finish this fight
that he started.  It's time for his own mech, the Gurren, to see some action!

Viral doesn't seem to worried that the humans have a ship from the outside
world: his job is to kill them all, period.  Ryouma orders Kamina to take his
new Gunmen (which Lee Long says has a little problem) and kick Viral's ass,
since Kamina insists on talking so big.  The problem, as it turns out, is that
Kamina has no idea how to pilot a Beastman mech.  Simon only manages it last
time because instructions flooded into his head when he inserted that little
glowing drill.  OH, so it's a matter of POSITIVE THINKING, is it?!  In that
case, Kamina doesn't want anyone lending a hand as he masters the thing.  Note
that Viral isn't the type to just twiddle his thumbs until Kamina figures it
out...

 Apparently Viral's qualifications as general extend beyond archery and
 swordsmanship: he's planned an ambush for the Gurren.  Wouldn't it suck to
 die after only two days on the surface.  Youko tries to get Simon to move
 aside so she can try to help Kamina out, but Kamina shouts at her to stay
 the hell out of Simon's captain's chair.  Now why would he prefer an
 unproven kid's skillz over the battle-hardened (or, inflated, or something)
 young woman?  Again: he believes in Simon because Simon believes in him.
 And vice versa.  Amazingly, this circular logic serves to invigorate the
 hapless kid, who in turn -- plus a good word from Ryouma -- further pumps
 Kamina up.

 Say this for Kamina: he's got morale to spare, enough in fact to actually
 figure out how the hell to drive his Gunmen.  The results are things like
 the "What's My Motherfucking Name?! Kick" or the "Cain't Nobody Fuck With My
 Little Bro! Punch".  Viral is borderline impressed, but still confident that
 the Puny Humans(tm) are going down.  After all, Kamina's still a total noob
 where piloting is concerned.

 He proves it with the first shot he personally fires at Kamina, which totally
 disables his Gunmen.  Youko yells at Simon to not lose hope, and though
 Simon is scared shitless to face Viral, he's even more scared to lose Kamina
 now.  Kamina loves what he's hearing, and after managing to stand up again
 announces to the world that he's about to _combine_ with Simon's mech,
 facing Viral's two-faced "Enki" with two faces of his own.  Note that his
 mech doesn't actually have combination capability, but he seems to think that
 stacking the Gurren and the Lagann is good enough.

 Amazingly, there's more to it than that.  Through a mechanism that nobody
 understands, the two mecha actually _do_ manage to intertwine in response
 to their pilots morale.  The result is the "Gurren Lagann", and Ryouma's
 gut tells him Kamina is now about to kick ass.  Viral is both furious
 and aghast, realizing that he's badly underestimated this human.

 Before the victory over Viral can be complete, a host of Invaders crash the
 party, only attacking the humans.  Viral scurries off to report this turn
 of events to Lord Chimilf, and Sumeragi is quite sure that the Invaders'
 arrival is no coincidence.

Battle over, Kamina and Ryouma get back to hunting up dinner.  It is,
surprise surprise, a draw, with each of them bagging over fifteen animals
apiece.  The mutual animosity has given way to a mutual love fest, and a
truly massive barbecue prepared by the Gundam Meisters (who've done more than
their fair share of camping thanks to their renegade lifestyle).  Sumeragi
even busts out the booze, and Shiroda's objections don't last long.  Even
Setsuna gets lured in by the food and Lockon's kind words, and only Tielia
insists on remaining a loaner.  Does this bunch actually have time to be
dicking around like this?  Yes.  Next question.

Hayato has the better question rolling around in his head: why did the
Invaders ignore the weakened Beastmen, when all data to date shows that the
Invaders will attack anything and everything.  Does this mean the Beastmen
are somehow related to the Invaders?

The Beastmen do have government, and the man atop it is Lowgenome.  He tells
his subordinate Gwarm that the long-awaited apocalypse is at last at hand.
This is only emphasized by the reappearance of the starving Destroyer in the
land, and from the fact that the interlopers from outworld seem likely to head
to the Pole.  It is said that when a billion monkeys cover the land, the moon
shall become the emissary of Hell and destroy the Helical Planet.  Only one
thing to be done: kill all the monkeys in the land!


CHAPTER 11B. On Your Mark

Sumeragi relays news from the UN about the mysterious space fleet, supposedly
a colony detachment from a parallel universe's Earth.  This would certainly be
the largest influx of space people since the Astrageus refugees arrived, and
points to a marked difference in tech level between the two worlds.  There is a
reason for this: their Earth had been embroiled in an interstellar war, and
brought to the very brink of annihilation.  The ball got rolling when the
massive alien spaceship "Macross" crashlanded on Earth -- the "Overtechnology
Of the Macross" (OTM for short) greatly accelerated Earth science.  And good
thing too, since the refurbished Macross became the core of an armed conflict
between the Earthlings and the giantoid Zentraedi.

Despite a minor sacrifice or two (or three, or ten million, but who's counting)
the two sides eventually forged an enduring peace.  Mankind then decided to
spread its seeds to all corners of the galaxy lest another, more successful,
extinction event fell them all.  But what are the odds that one group of Earth
colonists would eventually find... another Earth to try to settle?  Upon
hearing all this, certain warlike elements among the Three Great Nations
recommended a show of force to the new guests, lest those guests get any funny
ideas about becoming invaders instead [o/~ Space Invaders, in the air... o/~]
Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and the Security Council has opted to try
actually talking to the Frontier fleet first.  SHOCKING PLAN, THAT.

The credit/blame goes to Elgan Roddick, a man of iron will and, according to
Veda anyway, little compunction when it comes to doing what he believes is
right.  More than likely he's the one who's contracted with Boatman for the
CB's services, and he who continues feeding information through.  The latest
word is that ambassadors Dorian and Conner will be sent to negotiate.  Hiiro
is shocked to hear that Rilina's dad is involved (she and he have some history
from Hiiro and Duo's stint in Area Eleven).  Hiiro is a little _too_ adamant
that he has no further connection to Rilina after leaving Area Eleven, and Duo
has to wonder what's going on with the usually unflappable guy.

Sumeragi has no way to get realtime updates on the talks, but given that
global thermonuclear war hasn't erupted she can conclude that they aren't
going disastrously yet.  The colony fleet apparently includes at least one
full-sized city, with conditions similar to those on Earth: just the thing for
a multi-decade civilian voyage.  The fleet is, in essence, a brand new country
in the Earth sphere, and one with technology far beyond anything else on the
map...  Think that might cause some friction somewhere?  Crow points out that
these new folks could just as easily become new friends, and Sumeragi figures
that they should simply go over and find out -- after all, the CBs have a
rich tradition of acting outside the law...

Meanwhile aboard Island 1, Alto is keeping himself extremely busy.  Not only is
he a full-time student, he's also (clandestinely) a pilot for the S.M.S...
who have had their hands full tangling with the Vajra.  He's also got friends
to hang out with like Nanase, who's avidly following the unfolding political
drama with this new Earth they've discovered.  Alto is fairly certain that
war can be avoided -- after all, how stupid would it be for a fleet whose
purpose was to preserve human life to instead start trashing it.  Instead, he
figures that the fleet will simply set sail for the galactic center again if
conditions deteriorate.  The better half of the people aboard are already
resolved to never see their own Earth again, so leaving this one behind would
be a relatively minor issue.  That said, he personally would love to at least
visit this Earth first before leaving it.

Before long, Alto's classmates Luka and Mihael (aka "Michelle") show up.
Michelle seems to have a bone to pick with Alto, who turns out to be a famous
kabuki star in addition to everything else(!).  He taunts Alto by saying that
Alto's nowhere near his level in their "other" job, and says solicitously that
he'd better quit before he gets himself or someone else killed.  An infuriated
Alto stalks off rather than take any more of this, and since Michelle seems to
be in an especially vicious mode he also taunts Luka about his lack of romantic
success with Nanase.

The CBs have arrived inside Island 1, finding the city to be a vast upgrade
over the Space Colonies.  They're here to find out what the people on the
street think about being teleported to this Earth, while Veda busily hacks into
the fleet's main databanks.  Setsuna and Hiiro would seem to be an odd choice
for helping infiltrate the totally placid town, but they're both trained agents
and should come in handy in case things go pear-shaped.  The plan is apparently
to pose as a roving survey team, propositioning anyone they run into...

..Or, as in Alto's case, who (literally) runs into them.  Alto's got a lot
on his mind and would normally pass on a survey like this, but Setsuna
unexpectedly portrays a forlorn student about to fail their assignment without
enough responders that Alto relents.  As he starts filling out the survey,
Michelle comes trailing along behind.  Lockon asks him to take the quiz too,
and with a funny look on his face Michelle asks if Lockon has ever studied
firearms... sniping, perhaps?  Lockon regards him for a moment, then smiles and
observes that it takes one to know one.  Michelle tells Alto sharply that he
needs to talk to him, and Alto is forced to abandon the quiz half way.

Lockon sighs, wondering aloud what the odds are of running into a fellow
"tradesman" in the middle of a strange town.  Michelle is no mere student, but
rather a trained sniper -- a _military_ sniper at that.  Rather than throwing
in the towel and going home, Lockon decides to follow Alto and Michelle
instead.  Hiiro wonders if they need to be "neutralized", and Crow manages to
convince him that that would cause more trouble for the mission than it's
worth.  Is this why Sumeragi sent Hiiro along, his ability to kill in cold
blood when circumstances demand?  Yes, Hiiro asserts, even as the doubts about
his inability to kill Rilina grow.  Lockon's reasoning is that these two
unusual students may be connected to the deeper workings of the fleet...

Once alone, Michelle explains to Alto why he pulled him away from the survey:
the surveyors might not be from Frontier.  It seems a strange particulate
discharge was detected by L.A.I. Labs near the fleet this morning: it disrupted
radar for the span of several minutes, during which point an object could have
theoretically made contact with one of the ships.  Michelle figures it would
only be natural for this Earth to try to espy the fleet, and says that it's
not their job to try to figure out who the spies might be.  That's for the
military.  As for the S.M.S., they've been ordered to fly a special patrol at
1200 hours.  Michelle and Luka have been ordered by their commander to keep an
eye on the new recruit, and Michelle tells Alto that that won't fly on the
battlefield.  He reiterates his warning that Alto is going to get himself or
someone else killed, and Alto is about to yell at him to shut the fuck up when
a song wafts by.

The singer is Ranka, who's been hanging out nearby and didn't want to hear any
more fighting.  Her song quells Alto and Michelle's animosity at once, and Alto
recalls how Captain Ozuma raised Ranka like his own sister after the Vajra
killed her parents.  She's a long-term amnesiac, and the song she just sung is
the one thing she's remembered ever since.  Also lurking somewhere nearby is
Sheryl Nome, determined to get her earring back from Alto.  Sheryl is about as
"V" as "VIP"s get in this fleet, and the CB team are astounded that she'd be
roaming around these parts.  Crow desperately wishes he could get her
autograph, so he could turn around and sell it for a small fortune.  Lockon
asks the right question: what are a pretty boy, a sniper, and an idol star
doing together in the same place at the same time?

The answer will have to wait, as air raid sirens blare and orders to head to
the shelters come across the loudspeakers.  The Vajra are back, and Alto vows
to protect the Frontier from them.  Michelle can only glare at that...
Howard explains to the emissaries from Earth that the alarms are about the
Vajra, space monsters that appear to have been pulled to this universe along
with the fleet.  Mishima assures them that once the Frontier military
eliminates them, there will be no further concern for the Earth.

Actually, it's not the official military the Frontier has sent, bur rather the
S.M.S.  The gambit is that the regular military is poorly equipped to deal with
the Vajra, a fact which won't have to be revealed if the S.M.S. win.  And if
they lose, the regular army still won't have directly lost face.  The immediate
concern for the S.M.S. is, assuming these Vajra really were brought along in
the pan-dimensional incident, how many of them there are.  There certainly
aren't that many to start with, but Ozuma warns the team not to screw this one
up, especially given the audience they've got. them, there will be no further
concern for the Earth.

Actually, it's not the official military the Frontier has sent, bur rather the
S.M.S.  The gambit is that the regular military is poorly equipped to deal with
the Vajra, a fact which won't have to be revealed if the S.M.S. win.  And if
they lose, the regular army still won't have directly lost face.  The
immediate concern for the S.M.S. is, assuming these Vajra really were
brought along in the pan-dimensional incident, how many of them there are.
There certainly aren't that many to start with, but Ozuma warns the team not
to screw this one up, especially given the audience they've got.

 It appears that Michelle may have been genuinely worried for Alto's welfare
 with all those warnings -- warnings that appear unnecessary given Alto's
 growing still at the controls.

 A second wave of Vajra show up with the worst possible timing, and the S.M.S.
 fear they're about to be overwhelmed.  At this point the CBs appear, offering
 anonymous aid to the Frontier forces.  Ozuma sees no option but to accept
 under the circumstances, and Sumeragi for one is glad to help out some fellow
 humans.  Subterfuge with the Frontier or not, leaving these new space
 monsters to roam around lose would just endanger the Colonies and the Earth.
 Elgan evidently forecast that the CBs would get involved, and told Dorian
 that he'd arranged for some backup "just in case".

 The battle proceeds pretty smoothly, and the S.M.S. pilots are duly
 impressed with their mystery allies' prowess.  The highly assorted nature
 of the CB's mecha suggests that they're not typical of this Earth's
 defenders though.  Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when a
 passel of Invaders appear.  They start attacking _everyone_, forcing the
 humans into a three-sided fight they'd rather have avoided.

The CBs, at Tielia's recommendation, bug out as soon as the battle is over:
Crow's account of the inside of a real starship will have to satisfy the rest
of the team's curiosity for now.  This leaves the S.M.S. to ponder their
saviors, and the scary new menace that seems to prowl this Earth.  On
everybody's mind is the question of just how many more Vajra came with the
Frontier fleet...

The rest of the team is impressed that Crow and friends scooped a top artist's
secret private meeting.  Everyone knows Crow well enough by now to guess that
he wanted her autograph, and at least Chris seems to be wishing the same:
she's heard quite a bit of Sheryl's music in the process of hacking the
Frontier fleet for information.  While Crow didn't manage to hear Sheryl
sing in person, he did hear another song that... moved him, and the rest of the
team.  He can only wish that it would be able to stop fullscale war as easily
as it did the argument he witnessed.

As for the mentality of the Frontier residents, Lockon estimates them to be
very similar to Earth's own humans: some interested in world events, others
blaise -- a crew that could either become friend or foe depending on how
they're treated.  The team can only wait for the top-level talks to finish, and
pray that the results are peaceable.


CHAPTER 12A. I Got No Fucking Clue!

The Beastmen are certainly wasting no time visiting their pestilence upon the
land, as it were.  The closest parts of Africa come under fire with such
alacrity that Sumeragi suspects the Beastmen somehow know of the collapse of
the dimensional walls that held them in.  The Security Council has to work fast
to come up with a counter-strategy, and the CBs' data and firepower will be
crucial to whatever the plan becomes.  Shiroda promises that the team will
return as soon as investigations on the scene are done.

Word of the imminent departure reaches the group of pilots who are out on
recon, which includes the Gurren crew.  Kamina is bored as hell looking for
Beastmen (who seem to be suspiciously absent) on someone else's say-so, though
his inflated sense of self worth doesn't mesh with the reality that he's
working for a paycheck just like Crow.  Youko doesn't want to hear Kamina's
faux-masculine whining, but any argument is averted when the team spots
something heading their way... something _not_ of Beastman origin.

It turns out to be a group of humans, who initially mistake Crow and friends
for Beastmen.  This pisses Kamina off immensely, but his mood improves when
he grandly introduces himself to the womenfolk.  They are Kiyou, Kinon and
Kiyaru, who with their pugilistic brother Kitan form the Black Siblings,
Beastman hunters extraordinaire.  Kitan can be forgiven for not knowing that
there's at least one human who pilots a Gunmen, or that the wall at the edge
of the world has come down.  Introductions gets cut short however when
a large batch of authentic Beastmen arrive.  Kamina and Simon try to spring
into action and almost immediately fall into a hole in the ground.  Crow and
the Getter team will have to hold the fort until reinforcements arrive, while
Youko enlists the Black Siblings to help seek out where the Gurren and Lagann
ended up.

 As the battle rages overhead, Kamina and Simon have found themselves in
 another underground village.  They meet someone named Roshiu, who implores
 them to take Gimy and Dary with them back to their "country in the ceiling".
 The local priest shows up to explain: the two kids have been blessed, and
 hence must go to the Heavens.  Apparently this is part of a system to keep
 the population of the village from rising past 50 people, though the priest
 phrases is as the kids being freed from the sufferings of the world to go
 dwell with God.  Kamina has no fucking clue what this guy is talking about,
 pointing out that the Surface sure as hell isn't Heaven.  The whole
 ritualistic system of sending kids out to die infuriates him so much that
 he actually agrees to take the kids off the villagers' hands, telling them
 to keep up the fucking ceremonies till Hell freezes over for all he cares.

 Roshiu asks the priest whether they shouldn't tell everyone the truth about
 the Surface, and he replies that the TRUTH(tm) is something most people can't
 handle.  The Truth is that this village literally can't support more than
 fifty people at once, and any attempt to do otherwise would simply result
 in _everyone_ perishing.  He owns up to using God's name as a pure artifice
 to cover the hard decisions he has to make.  In Gimy and Dary's case, they
 were chosen because they have no relatives -- their deaths will cause the
 minimum amount of sadness in the community.

 That means that the priest is the same person who consigned Roshiu's own
 mother to death, and any regrets he might have had about it were buried long
 ago.  Roshiu resolves at that moment to accompany the two kids on their
 journey, and the priest presses him to take the holy book he's always
 carried.  Roshiu reminds the priest that he can't read, but the priest,
 Magin by name, startles him by admitting that he can't read either.  The
 book will be a memento, perhaps, and when he offers Roshiu his blessing,
 it appears that he actually means it for the first time.

 Simona nd Kamina get back on the scene, handing the kids over to Youko while
 they join the Gunmen hunt.  One of the Beastmen tries to take out the two
 kids (since, you know, harmless kids make the best target practice), but
 Youko and Kamina rebuff his ass at once with a little help from Roshiu.
 Roshiu's got enough guts that Kamina lets him into the Gurren Gang, and
 Kamina assures Ryouma that he'll make up for lost time in this battle.
 Ryouma's taking more of a liking to the spunky Kamina than he'll readily
 admit.

 The Beastmen stand little chance against the CBs, but there's no telling what
 mayhem they could wreak on the average inhabitants of the outside world.
 The team wants to head back to the outside world at once, but plans get
 derailed when Dimensional Beasts storm the area.  Their horns suggest that
 these are the industrial-strength version of the DBs, and among them are
 variant-color versions of the dreaded "MD".  Crow is now deadly serious,
 warning Kamina that these are no ordinary opponents and vowing to wipe them
 all out.

 According to reports, these new-and-improved DBs haven't made up a very
 high percentage of the total DB sightings world-wide.  That means that the
 DBs seem to be directing their best and brightest at the CBs: how
 considerate!  Crow admits to the team that he's a bit disappointed "MD"
 didn't show up, but given the caliber of the DBs that _did_, he's confident
 he'll run into "MD" soon.  And when he does, it's tiemz for teh payback.
 When he hears that these kind of beasts are swarming all over the outside
 world, Kamina immediately decides to accompany the team outside to fight
 them.

 As the team flies off, a man in the shadows muses over his first glimpse
 of his target -- and a mighty big target it is.  A bouquet of flowers
 dampened by the rain, and the sighing of the Sun and Moon -- be these aught
 but the mirages of Chaos?

Once again, Kamina impresses by thinking a bit more deeply than it seems he
should be capable of.  He reminds Simon how they once led their lives only to
get to the Surface.  Now that they're here, it turns out that the world is an
even bigger, more interesting place than they thought?  What man worth his salt
wouldn't want to explore all of it?  Anyway it's his duty as the head of the
Gurren Gang to think big, and it's Simon's drill that is destined to pierce the
heavens (ooh, bet you forgot about that part, didn'tcha).  The kids Kamina
adopted will be coming along too, but the Black Siblings part ways amicably and
will presumably keep up hunting the Beastmen.  ...And better believe that the
three sisters can't wait to see more of Kamina again!  Even Lee Long and Youko
go along with the CBs (whose collaboration with the Dancougar team and everyone
seems about to end shortly once they finish their report to the Security
Council), leaving the Littner villagers in Dayakka's capable hands.

Elgan promises Ootsuka that he'll look after all the new hangers-on that the
Crushers have picked up.  He tells Ootsuka to have everyone head to Dragons'
Hive, where he's already fixed things up via Boatman.  He means to link the
Crusher folks up with the Macross Quarter people from the space fleet, making
a new and even more powerful team to confront the innumerable threats facing
mankind.  Elgan privately thinks he has no other choice but to bet on this
motley crew of warriors, hoping they can help him steer mankind away from
disaster.  He seems to be in touch with someone else, via unspoken means,
and he tells that someone that he won't brook any interference.  He believes
that they, and this world they live in, can ride out the current danger.


CHAPTER 12B. First Attack

Alto and Ranka meet again atop their favorite scenic hill, a relatively
unpopulated place where, for instance, a budding-yet-unconfident idol singer
can sing without being overheard.  Ranka's had words with Alto and the
indomitable Sheryl over the past few days, and she's decided that her songs --
among which is her only memory of her past life -- are worth trying to sharing
with others.  Au contraire!  Do, or do not, there is no try!  With that
sorted, Ranka bursts into song, and Alto has the distinct feeling that music,
her music in fact, has been his salvation all along.  It seems only right to
him that he fight and thereby return the favor.

Sending Dorian was definitely the right move for the UN chief.  He's negotiated
the sanest possible treaty with the Frontier fleet, recognizing them as a
sovereign nation in return for equal, unbiased access to their technology.
Mishima also chips in what his people know about the Vajra: beings equipped
with Fold capability, missiles and laser blasters -- all apparently organic!
Even weirder, the brains controlling all that are vestigial to the point of
non-existence.  Either they're so primitive that everything works purely by
reflex action (no, not Reflex action), or else they're somehow being controlled
by someone or some thing.  In any case, Howard reckons there can't have been
too many more brought here with the fleet, and vows that the Frontier will
spearhead efforts to wipe out any that remain.

It looks like the fleet won't be going anywhere for a while, their Fold engines
damaged by the shock of arrival.  Once repairs are complete, they mean to head
towards the center of this universe's Milky Way, realistic (-ally pessimistic)
about their chances of returning to their own universe.

Down in the hangar, Alto is doing some serious pushups as punishment for dying
25 straight times in the simulator.  From the sidelines, the womenfolk are
marveling at the 17-year old hunk... as is Bobby, openly gay _and_ non-
monogamous (though there is someone specific who he's secretly loved for
years).  Alto's simulator woes turn out to be Michelle's doing; he's
deliberately cranked up the difficulty so Alto won't have too easy a time of
it.  The Pixie Squad members walk over (gigantic footfalls echoing everywhere)
and offer to "help" Alto out further with a training regimen of their own
designing.  Given that _they_ are Zentraedi and he isn't, Alto wisely passes
this time around.

Just then, Grace shows up with a letter for Alto from Sheryl.  She assures
Michelle that it's not a love letter, and lightly banters with him to ensure
he doesn't spread word of the missive to the tabloids.  She seems to have
heard of Michelle's surname "Bran", and excuses herself by saying that she's
sorry about his sister.  That seems to disturb Michelle deeply, enough that
he actually demurres when Alto challenges him to serve up more training.
Alto wonders what's gotten into his nemesis, and Klan says that the Jessica
incident must still be hanging over Michelle heavily.  She knows that Michelle
likes Alto much more than he lets on, and fills him in.

When Michelle's parents died, his sister Jessica was the one who raised him.
The siblings were the best of friends, and even shared the same avocation:
sniping.  Jessica's commanding officer was also her clandestine lover, until a
fight right before a mission, on which Jessica actually shot her commander.  It
was widely suspected to be something other than accidental friendly fire, and
during the ensuing court martial Jessica took her own life.  Klan believes that
Michelle is still obsessed with finding out what really happened to this day.

Sheryl's message to Alto was an invitation to a little meeting, hidden in
plain sight in ways that that rock star wouldn't normally do.  Sheryl makes
it clear that Alto is _not_ some romantic interest of hers or anything
(despite the incident where he saved her life, and inadvertently snagged one of
her earrings in the process).  She says she wants that earring back, which
he's more than happy to return.  As for how she knew, her manager's senses are
all recorded by her implants: standard fare for the cybernetically-enhanced
residents of the Galaxy fleet.  Sheryl however has specifically not had any
"work" done, that being one of her selling points.  Alto has to marvel at how
many posters of her are up around town, and she says that she's throwing a
concert tonight to do what she can to alleviate stress over coming to this
new universe.  She gives Alto a ticket for himself and another to pass along to
Ranka, figuring them for a couple.  Alto says they _totally_ aren't dating,
which seems to greatly intrigue the brash idol singer.

Alto ponders the singing to come tonight, and wonders aloud why people do
things like sing, or try to fly.  Sheryl's heard about him entering the S.M.S.,
and asks if he's regretting the decision.  He's not, but maybe a little
guidance would help?  Obviously, she says, people sing, fly and so on because
they can't _not_ do those things.  That's how it is for her and Ranka, and
indeed for him as well.  She smiles and says that while he gets on her nerves
a lot, there's one thing about him she really likes: he doesn't treat her like
CHERYL(tm).

He hands her her earing, which she confides is her only remaining memento of
the mother whose face she can't even remember.  She asks if Alto dislikes
this ship, and after pondering he replies that he hates the entire colony
fleet for its lack of a real sky to soar in.  Maybe he'd be better off on
Earth, which does have a real sky?  He asks Sheryl in turn if she wants to go
back to the Galaxy fleet, and she does in fact feel some degree of
homesickness.  But she also knows that one cannot turn back the clock, and is
more interested in finding a new stage to sing on.  Just then Michelle radios
Alto to say that "they" have turned up again: the Vajra, whose existence the
government won't be able to keep a lid on for long.  Alto promises Sheryl
that he, or rather, he _and_his_comrades_ will make sure to take out the Vajra
so her concert can go on as scheduled.  He _is_ a pilot after all.  Sheryl
purses her lips, then tells Alto he can hang onto that earring for good luck,
so long as he promises to protect the people who call this place home.  Oh,
and to give it back to her one day.

The Macross Quarter braces for the upcoming onslaught, as do the S.M.S.  The
main military have sent Cathy along as an "advisor" (more like observer) to
Ozuma's team.  Not exactly the most pleasant duty Cathy's father Howard has got
her mixed up in, never mind her poorly-kept-secret relationship with Ozuma
himself.  Cathy says that she's been asked to help keep the Frontier fleet safe
and to gather whatever information may help get rid of the Vajra menace once
and for all.  Oh, and to see to it that Sheryl's concert doesn't get disrupted.

The CBs are suitably impressed by the sight of the private S.M.S. forces,
seeing in them kindred spirits on the outs with the regular powers that be.
As the concert starts inside Island 1, Ranka realizes that Alto must at this
very moment be tied up with his S.M.S. duties.

 After the first few Vajra go down in flames, a new batch show up, including
 a gigantic mothership-class one.  The team figure out that the Vajra seem
 to be bred for different complementary roles, like bees or ants.  Take out
 the big bastard, and victory is assured.

 Michelle is upset with himself for having his cool blown so badly at just the
 mention of his sister.  He seeks calm via the discipline of battle, trying
 to regain his sniper's equilibrium.

 When the big Vajra takes enough damage, it beings to flee(?) the battlefield.
 Luka rushes over to try to analyze it while it's still in range, not
 realizing that it's still very much a threat.  Alto is the only one in
 position to rescue the guy, rookie pilot or not, and the going is not easy.

Back aboard Island 1, Sheryl's concert is coming to a close.  She leaves
the crowd with her wish for all of them to figure out how to live the lives
they want to live in this new world.  She dedicates the final song to "him",
or rather "them", who are risking their lives this very moment somewhere far
from here.  Ranka realizes with a start that Sheryl knows what Alto is doing,
and is singing anyway -- no, is singing _because_ of it.  Sheryl looks directly
at Ranka, and her question to the crowd to sing with her is obviously meant
to be personal.

Alto's got at least one of the Vajra clinging to him by this point, and is
about to go down in flames.  Suddenly he hears singing, and asks Michelle to
help him by shooting the Vajra off him.  Michelle is afraid to take the shot
lest he hit Alto by mistake, but Alto reminds the sniper that both he and his
sister are the best damn shots there are.  Michelle fumes that Klan would spill
the beans, but Alto yells at Michelle to _pass_ his sister.  This, of course,
works.

Alto pulls free of the stricken Vajra, and gets ready to head for Luka when
some help appears from an uncertain source, someone calling themself
"Antares 1".  No time to check out who that is now.  Alto grabs Luka, and
the bridge bunnies calculate that Alto can make it to safety if it flies
absolutely flat out.  Jeffry means to pull out the Quarter's biggest weapon:
Trans-Formation.  The Quarter may be only 400 meters long, but it's not called
a Macross-class ship for nothing!  Or more to the point, why is it that a
Macross would be made to that size???  Time to let the enemy find out!

Most of the team hasn't the foggiest inkling that the battleship can
_transform_ into a colossal humanoid mecha, much less one so fearsome.  After
making sure the last Vajra is dead, the Antares-1 pilot "Brela" flies off,
satisfied that the Frontier now has all the data it needs about the Vajra.
But wait, the fun's not over yet!  Cue the arrival of some strong DBs [see
Chapter 12A for the details.]

As with the other side, the new DBs are not to be trifled with but also aren't
infinitely dangerous.  They haven't appeared too many other places in the
world, which gives the team the dubious honor of receiving the DBs' "special
attention".  Crow has to admit that he wanted another crack at M.D., and isn't
too worried about getting another chance at the rate things are going.
Sumeragi makes it clear to Jeremy that the CB's help is a only a temporary
thing, telling him -- a kindred outcast -- that she may never see him again.
Alto meanwhile is left to ponder the song he heard during battle -- a song he
could swear came from Sheryl and Ranka.  He's acquitted himself well -- well
enough that Ozuma and even Michelle don't have too much to complain about.

[Also check out the other path for the mysterious, portentous quote from
the mystery adversary.  Ooh so spooky...]

Mishima and Howard confer about what to do going forward.  Mishima recommends
keeping the regular army close at hand to keep the fleet safe, which would
mean sending the S.M.S. to fulfill the fleet's obligation to the Earth's
forces.  Said S.M.S. are busy deplaning in the hangar, where Alto gets a crash
course in what happens when the Pixie Squad members miclonize.  Due to some
kind of genetic anomaly, the assertive (and _stacked_) Klan turns into an
impatient adolescent, and quite a bit shorter than her good friend Michelle.
Alto finds the odd couple a strangely good match, though Michelle would never
admit to it (he prefers stacked, intellectual women).

In short order, Ozuma returns from a trip to the bridge, accompanied by
Jeffrey himself.  Jeffrey announces the scientists' conclusion that the Vajra
should become much less active now that their mothership-class member is
destroyed... assuming that is that the Vajra in the recent attacks were
teleported here in the same event as the Frontier, as Howard believes.  Jeffrey
makes a point of complementing Alto on his inspired, if rough, flying --
a sight that reminds him of a certain other somebody when they were young.  In
any case, Howard has issued direct orders to the S.M.S. to go to Earth and
aide the UN Security Council.  Alto will get to soar a real sky after all,
and Sheryl's earring may be to thank...

Ozuma breaks the news to Ranka, who makes him promise to come back safely.
The both of them know that he won't be able to play elder brother to her
forever, so the temporary separation isn't that bad a shock.  Ranka suspects
Ozuma won't approve of her dreams to become a singer, but she's already made
up her mind.  She _will_ share her songs with everyone.

[As per the other side, Elgan announces that it's time to put all his
collaborators together into one massive team to combat the Earth's enemies...]


CHAPTER 13. The Black Knights

[I kept Chapter 12B.]

Lelouch has managed to get himself into a literal chess match with Carlos, at
Axion HQ no less.  It may not be "playing chess with Death", but given the
stakes Carlos is said to command, it's pretty close.  Lelouch demurs on
just how he, a schoolboy, got an intimate appointment with one of the richest
men in the world, and perhaps something about the improbability is what made
Carlos take the bet?  To wit: if Carlos loses, Lelouch gets a no-strings-
attached debit card for Carlos' bank account.  And if Lelouch loses... he
offers up his life.  Carlos laments that this would normally be a most unequal
exchange -- NOT because lives are worth more than money, but because _his_
money, down to the last yen, is worth more than anyone else's life.

Carlos is also pretty confident in his chess prowess, seeing as how the only
person to beat him so far is Britannia's #2 prince Schneizer.  Carlos muses
that Britannia's so-called constitutional monarchy is a sham, and that the
king pretty much does as he pleases.  Schneizer appears to be the willing
agent of making the king's words reality, as Lelouch knows all too well.
Lelouch also knows that if Carlos can't beat Schneizer at chess, he surely
can't beat him either.  Ka-CHING!....chung....thud.  "NOT SO FAST", says
Lee Corso in some alternate dimension.

Carlos duly hands over the card, but _not_ the PIN number.  If Lelouch wants
that too, he'll have to play Carlos again.  Lelouch realizes that Carlos has
deliberately staged this charade after hearing of Lelouch's reputation as a
chessmaster, and declines to go along with this farce any longer.  Carlos
"apologizes" for using his rich-person skillz in battle, and Lelouch "accepts"
the apology by Geassing him into giving the PIN and forgetting about him.  C.C.
then walks in, not exactly impressed that Lelouch ended up falling back on his
Geass after all.  She tells him that she's basically his partner in crime after
he accepted her contract, and that he should expect her watching over him.

He doesn't like her implication that he needs her protection, and she presses
him to tell her which is more important to him: destroying Britannia, or
finding his mother's killer.  He replies that the two are one and the same,
thanks to the way those in line for Britannia's throne are constantly fighting
with each other... or rather, he adds with a scowl, _being_made_ to fight with
each other by their father the king.  C.C. observes that that is also what
makes Britannia, and whoever lives to claim its throne, strong.  Indeed -- and
all those weaker than that are made to grovel.  Lelouch is, shall we say, a bit
peeved that the good-old Law of the Jungle has led to his mother's
assassination and his and his sister's expulsion from the royal ranks and use
as diplomatic objects.  He means to return the favor by destroying Britannia
with the Geass C.C. gave him, and make the world a place where Nanaly can
live in peace.

That's all find and dandy with C.C., but she needs him alive if he's to fulfill
his promise to her... whose contents she intends to keep secret till the time
is right.  She adds that the Geass won't work on her, so there's no point in
Lelouch trying to force it out of her.  Lelouch notes that her Geass
immunity, and her apparent immunity to lethal levels of physical harm, would
seem to qualify her as the "witch" some rumor her to be.  This is actually a
sort of gratitude on his part, for giving him the chance to shed his virtual
death and convenient lies, and lead an honest life where he can actually decide
his own fate.  And now he's got a new revenue stream, and new KMFs from
"Kyouto": just the ingredients he needs for his plans to enter their next
phase.  C.C. tells Lelouch to show her just how far he can go, and he replies
that he is Zero, and he'll show her what it looks like to change the world!

The Dragon's Hive is by far the largest building the hole-dwellers have ever
seen, and Lee Long is in heaven.  The rest of the team watches them stumbling
around in awe, pondering what monstrous scheme could lead to generations
immemorial of humankind being forced underground.  As introductions are made,
Lockon compliments Youko on her rifle, glad to have another sniper on the team.
They'll need one, given the hordes of murderous Beastmen that are starting to
spread to the rest of Africa.  They won't spread far if Kamina and the Gurren
Gang (which he now seems to think includes everyone else on the team) have
anything to say about it!

Tielia's greeting of Kouji is far colder, as he makes it clear that Photon
Power could well become a target for the CB's war-ending campaign.  Kouji is so
effusive in his assurances that Photon Power will only be used to fight
villains like Dr. Hell, that even Tielia can't immediately think of a
rejoinder.  Cue the rest of the introductions, which we can imagine proceeding
on fast-forward.  Kenji gets the job of explaining that Takeru is an alien,
and one that people _really_ want to keep alive lest the Earth get obliterated
by his mech.

The Frontier pilots enter next, and unlike Youko Lockon and Michelle quickly
decide they'll have to have a (friendly, we hope) competition to see who's
the #1 sniper in the team.  Alto meanwhile gets mistaken for a girl _again_,
and starts kicking himself when he learns that he fell for Setsuna's acting
back in Island 1.  He, a famous kabuki actor himself, should know better... or
something.  The miclonized Zentraedi explain how their race were created by
the ancestors of mankind as warriors through genetic engineering, and as such
it's possible for the two races to interbreed.  The other pilots can be
forgiven their astonishment at hearing this come out of what appears to be a
elementary-schooler's mouth (Klan is actually 19 and in college), given the
unusual way Klan miclonizes.

Before anyone official can tell this motley assortment of pilots why they're
here, Ru rushes in with news that Area Eleven's Fuji base has been taken over
by the WLF and the Japan Liberation Front.  This bodes very ill for Area
Eleven's largest resistance group's future, especially given how quickly they
are adopting WLF's tactics: they've taken a number of civilians and Sakuradite
miners hostage.

Guess who are among the hostages?  That's right: the Ashford student council!
Guess it had to be them, since we don't have elementary schoolers from
Gaogaigar to imperil.  Niina's beside herself with terror as the WLF operatives
deliver a sermon about how each and every person's lack of self-awareness
brought the world to this rotten state.  The WLF seem genuinely proud that
some innocent blood will be spilt along the course of their crusade to wake
the world up.  Too bad for their rhetoric that Rilina is on hand, pointing out
that brutalizing the innocent isn't exactly the best way to win sympathizers
over to their cause.  One of the terrorists shouts that that's just the kind
of pacifistic horsehockey that Hiiro Yui once used, and Rilina has to wonder
where the boy with that codename is now.  She needs a Hiiro, she's holding out
for a Hiiro till the-- oh never mind.

Niina lets the word "Eleven" slip from her mouth, and then is too terrified to
even correct herself when the terrorists yell at her to do so.  They're about
to drag her off and show her just how tormented their shit is when a new player
intervenes: none other than Princess Euphemia herself!  Why she's here is
a little unclear (perhaps she was participating in the latest round of
Sakuradite allocation talks?), but Niina -- whose life or at least virtue she
just saved -- is an instant fan.

Back in the Shinjuku Ghetto, Zero has procured new uniforms for his
followers, not all of whom are terribly eager to get changed.  The Astrageus
folks in particular are only here to help demolish the governing body of the
ghetto, not follow Zero all the way to the liberation of Japan.  Kiriko tells
Zero that he's content to cooperate for now, since it seems to be to their
mutual advantage; in return for his help, Zero offers him a new AT to pilot.
Zero explains that the uniforms are part of his intent to reveal this group's
existence to the world.

Tamashiro thinks Zero means to go join up with the terrorists currently
occupying Fuji Base, but Zero says that they'll be doing the opposite: the
plan is to strike down those terrorists!  He reminds the troops that they're
not just resistance fighters, but rather Allies of Justice, and there be a
whole lotta IN-justice afoot at Mt. Fuji.

While this is going on, Ootsuka is briefing the heads of the various teams
about Elgan's plan for a new, joint special battalion acting directly in the
best interests of all mankind.  The S.M.S. are already on board, and though
she has concerns about openly working with the UN, Sumeragi says that Veda has
agreed too.  Jeffrey is very interested in the photonic computer, which has
enabled the CBs to take on the whole world, and Tanaka is even more interested
in why Tielia is able to directly access the thing.  She's adamant that her
cooperation is contingent on the current situation, which would only incur
unnecessary chaos if the CBs went back to attacking everybody's armed forces.
Jeffrey isn't sure what to make of the implication that the CB's activities
are "necessary chaos".

In any event, the team is now together and will be based out of the Dragon's
Hive by permission of its ultimate commander.  If things feel rushed, it's
because they are: the team's first mission will be the tricky hostage crisis
at Fuji.  Frontal assault is out of the question, but before any deliberations
can proceed, Tanaka gets a call from Boatman... _Zero_ wants to talk directly
with them!

In fact, Zero is burning through celphone minutes at a hideous rate, his next
contact none other than his sister Cornelia.  Cornelia wants to know why an
enemy of the state, and the killer of her brother, would contact her directly.
Zero asks if she'd rather choose her dead brother Clovis, or her living sister
Euphemia.  Cornelia's momentary surprise tells Zero what he wanted to know:
Cornelia's forces have yet to storm the Fuji Base precisely because Euphy is
still in there.  He knows well that Cornelia has always had a very soft spot
for her sister...  Cornelia tells Zero that she can't see what he's getting at,
and he vows to save Euphemia for her

The media are on the scene, reporting on the unfolding hostage drama.  The
leading newscaster reminds the world of the strategic importance of Sakuradite,
indispensable in the manufacture of high-temperature superconductors and equal
in global influence to the distribution of solar power.  A good 70% of the
world's production comes from Area Eleven, and given that several of the
ministers in charge of divvying up the Sakuradite are among the hostages, the
scene seems extremely grave.  From the sidelines, Lloyd's special forces are
awaiting their chance to strike.  He takes a positive view: if the hostage
crisis can but be solved, Cornelia is more than ready to send in the heavy
artillery to finish the job.  Suzaku has a personal interest in saving his
fellow Ashford students, and like his colleagues is desperate for some kind of
opening.

They get it when Zero appears at the base's gate, which the terrorists open for
him.  Diethart seizes a camera and trains it on Zero, fascinated by what the
charismatic masked man will do next.  Zero knows full well that the terrorists
have to deal directly with him, whether they view him as an ally or a nuisance,
and with the gate opened, all is in readiness.  He is taken to see Major
Kusakabe, leader of the Japan Liberation Front, who's quite curious about
Kyouto's newest collaborator.  Kusakabe tells Zero that he views the WLF as
mere pawns in his plans, recruited for nothing more than their firepower.  Zero
asks if he's interested in joining forces, and Kusakabe demands that Zero
remove his mask before any alliance can be made.  Zero is fine with that, but
first asks what Kusakabe's ultimate goal is.  Kusakabe sniffs that he's intent
on showing the world that the "Japanese" are not yet dead.  This strikes Zero
as irretrievably old-fashioned, and he tells them so.  When they move to strike
him down, he Geasses them into killing themselves, letting him free the
hostages.

Zero has his men rush the hostages to safety, which is harder than it sounds
due to Britannian distrust of the Elevens.  It takes Rilina to point out
that this isn't the time for that, which impresses Zero as good upbringing on
her part.  Zero then meets Euphy, telling her that he's not surprised she
stuck her own neck out for the hostages.  Having greeted Area Eleven's
governor before, he's quite happy to meet its vice-governor now.  He tells her
to her face that he's the one who killed Clovis, the man who begged for his
life with the same mouth used to order the slaughter of Elevens.  But that's
not why Zero killed him -- Zero killed him because he's the Britannian
emperor's child.  So, come to think of it, is Euphy herself -- yet, Zero has
no intention of laying hands on her now.  He tells her to go, as the the
confusion among the WLF ranks grows.

Zero gets on the horn, telling the WLF that Kusakabe has taken his own life.
He muses that Kusakabe may have finally realized the futility of his actions.
What about them?  Well, there's a lot of dying in their future thanks to the
sudden entrance of Britannia's white knight, a player Zero hadn't been
counting on.  He's already deployed his rook to protect his king, by which he
means the UN combined forces.  Commander Ootsuka informs the WLF that the
UN Security Council sees them as terrorists, and asks them to lay down their
arms and surrender.  That neatly short-circuits any chance of the Britannia
army attacking the team at least.  Duo has to hand it to Zero: he's been as
good as his word at freeing the hostages.

Everything is going according to Zero's plan, including the fact that -- with
him in possession of the hostages -- Cornelia can't afford to attack him.
Zero _sternly_ orders his subordinates not to lay a finger on the hostages
while evacuating them, hopping aboard his KMF in order to give further orders
from the front lines.  He tells Kiriko and the others to ignore the white
knight, and he and Karen are glad to see their old comrades-in-arms from the
UN team.  Karen is especially proud of the fact that her Guren Mk.II is
entirely Made in Japan(tm).  Suzaku gets orders to focus on the WLF (and not
Zero) as Britannia's sole representative, and Zero thinks that with _this_
kind of firepower at his fingertips, he really _can_ change the world!
Watching through his camera's viewfinder, Diethart marvels at how perfectly
all this is unfolding for Zero -- could it be that he's the man Diethart has
been seeking?

 Move Crow onto the lower-right part of the radar dish for an event.  Crow
 will run into a mysterious old guy who got so caught up in saving his
 spare parts that he almost neglected to spare his life.  To thank Crow for
 providing cover, he gives him an Auto Repair Machine.  It would seem that the
 old guy is some kind of repairman... and a pretty enthusiastic one to try to
 fix things in the middle of a firefight...

 The terrorists stand less than no chance against the this team, whose
 firepower probably exceeds that of an entire small nation's army.  The
 challenge will be ensuring that said power is used for Good(tm).  With the
 hostages rescued and the cameras still rolling, Zero springs his propaganda
 coup, announcing to the world the existence of the Black Knights.  While
 Lloyd smirks at the irony of terrorists naming themselves "knights", Zero
 proclaims that they are the enemies of all those defenseless people, be
 they Eleven or Britannian!  He describes the actions of the Japan Liberation
 Front as foolish and meaningless, and for the slaughter of Britannian
 civilians, he has brought judgement upon them.  The same policy guided his
 killing of Clovis, who had ordered the obliteration of countless innocent
 Elevens.  He does not shun battle, but utterly rejects the notion that the
 strong should dominate the weak.  Let only those with the courage to take a
 bullet themselves step onto the field of battle, for the Black Knights will
 appear again when the powerful assail the powerless... no matter how large
 the enemy, no matter where in the world.  Let the powerful fear, and the
 powerless seek out the Black Knights!!

Holy smokes: Zero's taken this Allies of Justice(tm) thing to a whole new
level.  After the battle, he contacts Dragons' Hive again, offering the aid
of the Black Knights to the UN Security Council.  Jeffrey is astute enough to
ask about the freeing of Japan part; after all, the Black Knights are a
resistance movement.  Zero says that to truly free Japan, the hearts of its
people must be united, and the Black Knights must become a lofty enough symbol
to serve as the nucleus of that process.  Sumeragi knows how this game works:
Zero is trying to gain legitimacy via the UN while leveraging the underworld
contacts of Boatman, and score himself a fighting force in the process.  Zero
concurs without a moment's hesitation, saying that the time for sugar-coating
is long past.  If this team sees mutual benefit in the relation, they should
welcome his aide... and if they see him as a threat, he will oppose them to
the best of his not-inconsiderable ability.

This is an impressive showing, and Tanaka leaves judgement of this case up to
a higher authority: none other than Elgan himself.  He's shown up to
Dragons' Hive unannounced and unguarded lest certain difficulties arise,
which duly impresses Zero.  Zero's figured out that Elgan is Boatman in the
flesh, ideally placed to keep a lid on the scandalous connections the Security
Council is making between legitimate and illegitimate sources of warpower.
He's also in the best position to facilitate the rapid flow of information
between all interested parties.

Well, the cat's out of the bag now.  Elgan tells Zero that he's put together
this team for the same reason Zero himself stated: Justice.  In Elgan's
dictionary, that means conferring peace and prosperity on all mankind: the
very mission statement of the UN Security Council.  Elgan believes that such
ideals should be backed by real power, and that's where the motley crew comes
in.  Zero doesn't entirely trust this at face value, which Elgan turns around
with a question whether Zero's declaration of Justice isn't actually backed
by faith that mankind can achieve it.  Zero ponders that quickly, and states
that he wouldn't be here if he didn't agree with the principle.  Zero offers
Elgan -- UN rep, or shadowy "Boatman", whatever -- his help in the interest of
Zero's own objectives.

Elgan then puts the question to the Celestial Beings.  Sumeragi allows that
there is some room for interpretation in what Justice means, but so long as
things proceed like this, she can promise him her people's help too.  That
puts the last piece into place, and Elgan christens the new combined force
"Zexis", which awkwardly enough stands for Z EXtra International Savers.  The
"Z" bit is there because it is neither "X" nor "Y", but some third, neutral
power.  Elgan trusts the judgement of this team's members enough to leave
tactical command to them -- besides, he can't be seen hanging out with them
either.  Ootsuka will serve as his main forward commander...

Some time later, the Celestial Beings' Observers gather virtually, Alejandro
among them.  Some of them aren't thrilled that the CBs have shacked up with
some of the very people they're supposed to be erasing, and with Veda's
approval no less.  Maybe Veda isn't all it's cracked up to be in this world?
Well, no matter -- it seems all is going well enough.  Alejandro them asks if
they approve his new plan (which they all do), and thinks that he's got to
start acting too if he's to guide the world in the proper direction.


CHAPTER 14. Trust, and Resolve, and...

Kinue and Isabelle are comparing notes after the mess at Fuji Base, and have
reached the unsettling conclusion that the UN Security Council has joined
forces with Area Eleven's terrorists.   Isabelle tells Kinue that Elgan has
done more or less exactly that, having kept the Three Great Nations pacified
so far.  Keeping folks like the Celestial Beings tied up battling mankind's
common enemies means that they _won't_ be shooting up the Great Nations'
armed forces... which is good enough for them to give Elgan little hassle.
Still, Elgan's private army is strictly illegal, and Isabelle is certain that
someone is going to try to oppose them sooner or later...

Zero breaks news of his deal to act internationally to the other Black
Knights, who are understandably worried about leaving Japan.  He assures them
that while they're widening their sphere of influence, Japan will remain their
main focus.  He then introduces their newest members: Diethart and C.C.,
neither of whom are Japanese.  Zero couldn't give a damn about nationality:
he wants talent, such as Diethart's flare as a documentarian.  As for C.C.
(who tells Karen not to worry: she's _not_ Zero's lover), Zero says she's a
longtime collaborator of his, and trustworthy.  Yes, that means she knows a bit
about Zero's past, and no she isn't planning to spill any beans about it.  In
reality, Zero plans to have C.C. stay here and relay messages from him, while
looking after Nanaly -- whom C.C. knows is his main reason for living.  Among
those he'll take with him is Kiriko, who's main concern is eventually facing
that red A.T. again.  For the first time, he'll actually have this place to
call "home" to return to eventually.  As he leaves, Zero tells the team once
more that their overall objective is freeing Japan.

When the pilots get their first look at Zero's whole mask-and-cloak bit, there
is more than a little apprehension.  The innocent-seeming Watta asks what the
deal is, and while Zero has to admit that such doubts are reasonable, he
isn't planning on showing anyone what's under said mask.  It is his intention
to build the team's trust via his actions, which puts him in the same boat
as any number of other folks in Zexis with checkered pasts.  Zero does welcome
anyone on the team (such as the CBs) to shoot him if they think he's out of
line.  He knows he can fall back on his Geass if need be, but doesn't want to
do so unless there's no other choice.  He suspects that he'd lose the Black
Knights' faith in him if all the miracles he's performed are shown to be the
work of mind-controlling magic.

The other Black Knights introduce themselves, and there's an awkward moment
when the free Japan folks complement the "other Japanese" ace on her skill
in battle.  It takes Hayato to remind everyone that that "other Japan" is
currently occupied, and none too pleased about that fact.  Tamashiro is
emboldened enough to ask why the other Japan never came to Area Eleven's aid
during the invasion, and Hayato says that the two Japans were in fact bound by
a mutual defense treaty, which his Japan was prepared to honor.  The other
Japan surrendered so fast to Britannia that there was no time to intervene:
this is the fruit of Kururugi Genbu's fateful decision as prime minister.
Hayato isn't convinced that his death was really a suicide meant to calm the
military, but what is certain is that Japan rapidly collapsed after the top of
its chain of command was gone.  The other Japan couldn't even begin to help
their stricken brethren, and were forced to withdraw almost immediately.  The
question becomes why the Britannia Union didn't attack the second Japan as
well... and though Oogi figures Britannia had sated its hunger for Sakuradite
with the first, Hayato suspects there's more to Britannia's strange invasion
patterns than that.

The underground dwellers are listening to all of this from the sidelines: the
world is a lot more complicated than they knew.  Kamina isn't happy with
the naming collision between his and Karen's mecha, and knowing him he wants
to settle it by force before recognizing the newcomers as part of the Gurren
Gang.  Karen hears that, and comes over to call him on it.  He doesn't quit
though, and in a sure sign he doesn't know what's good for him, Kamina
proceeds to call Zero out.  Zero realizes that Kamina has somehow instinctively
twigged to the precarious game he's playing -- for all that Kamina can be a
moron, his ubiquitous, brutal honesty doesn't give Zero much to work with.

He cuts short Karen's attempt to stick up for him, and the interest of peace
in the new team, Zero proposes that his people and the Gurren people agree
to ignore each other.  Suits Kamina just fine!  Zero withdraws to ponder what
to do next.  Should he Geass Kamina into submission?  The CBs were willing to
accept the Black Knights for rational reasons, but people like Kamina act on
instinct, not reason...  As he ponders, mask in hand, a cat comes out of
nowhere and starts a replay of the most pointless part of the anime...

Back in the hangar, tensions have _not_ lessened any: Kamina is not budging on
his negative assessment of Zero, and Karen isn't having it.  The repartee
is interrupted by the sight of Zero's mask walking along the hangar floor on
kitty-cat feet.  This galvanizes Kamina, who intends to get a look at Zero
_and_ get Zero in his debt for returning the mask.  He quickly mobilizes
the Gurren Gang (Kouji included), and Karen counters by drafting Hiiro and
Duo to help her get the mask first.  As the teams fan out, they run into
Lelouch himself!

He has to think fast to explain what he's doing here, and the best he can
come up with is that he's come to a supposedly uninhabited area to blow off
stress from his job as vice-student council chairman.  Asking them to keep it
a secret from the others at school, he runs off just as Sumeragi radios in with
a forecast for the cat's location.  Karen finds out that Lelouch was here,
renewing her doubts about the connection between him and Zero.  The cat's
location is quickly narrowed down to a dead-end corridor and the crew charge
in... and stop almost immediately, as Zero walks over from a different
direction and asks what's going on.  Guess Lelouch can't be Zero then, right?

Sumeragi radios Lockon at this point: some Area Eleven Britannia Union forces
are headed their way.  Somehow they've got wind tha the Black Knights are here,
and Sumeragi fears that trouble could result.  The pilots race for their
ships, and Zero tells Karen that he'll be appearing in person too, after he's
done preparing.  Once the pilots are gone, "Zero" reveals herself to be C.C.
with a spare mask.  She isn't exactly thrilled to have to play Zero, especially
after a cat loused things up, but that's the way the ball bounces it seems.
Zero's decided that it's time for these oncoming Britannians to add flavor to
his string of "miracles".

Karen is clearly worried about Zero's well-being, telling him that she
believes in him as her leader.  Zero means to engender similar trust in the
rest of Zexis, and it so happens he's forecast this little Britannian
incursion.  Before joining up with the team, he's been busy Geassing the
workers in the underground portion of this city, setting up one spectacular
"miraculous" demonstration indeed.  The Britannian commander Dalton is vaguely
impressed that Zero isn't attempting to hide behind his new UN friends.  Zero
can tell from the new model of KMF he's facing (the Gloucester) that these
must be troops close to Cornelia.  Zero tells Karen not to fear such seemingly
lopsided odds and follow him into the heart of the city.  Dalton isn't a fan
of urban combat, but he also sees no reason not to try to bag Zero here.
Suzaku thinks he can stop all the fighting if he can defeat Zero, and the
troops advance, just as Zero planned...

..Until a wave of explosions breaks out, courtesy of the same mecha-beasts
that were trashing the other Japan.  Ashura is in command, and seeing that
Kouji isn't immediately in evidence, (s)he decides to burn down the city in a
show of Dr. Hell's force.  All the residents have been evacuated by the
Britannians, but that's still a pretty grim prospect.  Dalton orders the troops
to pull out, not wanting to lose any of the firepower he's borrowed from
Cornelia.  Even Suzaku has no choice but to comply.

The city is now wide open to the tender mercies of Ashura's forces, save for
Zero and Karen.  To make matters worse, a large contingent of Dimensional
Beasts appear, followed closely by Zexis.  They reckon Zero could use a little
help, but Zero says that the enemy are already under his spell.  Ashura isn't
buying it and orders his/her forces to wipe out both Zexis and these
interdimensional interlopers.  Zero sets his plan in motion, which involves
destroying the pillars that support the underground ceiling and thereby
catching the enemy up in one ginormous sinkhole.  Unfortunately one of the
pillars doesn't detonate, thereby holding up the entire parade.  Zero orders
Karen to stay put as he rushes over to finish the job, concerned more than
anything else about losing one of his pawns.  He's bold enough to fix his own
mistakes with his own hands, but unfortunately a barrage from Ashura keeps
him from his destination.  What can he do?!

Kamina then rushes to his side, yelling for Zero to tell him what to do next.
He's sensed Zero's resolve to fight, and in honor of that is _not_ planning to
run from this battle.  Zero is amazed, and quickly says that he needs Kamina's
drill.  With Zero's instructions, Kamina and Simon nail the pillar, ensnaring
all the enemy in an enormous sinkhole.  Zero then has the commanders sortie
their forces, who are totally in awe of this turn of events.  They'll have
about three turns of uninterrupted fragdown before the enemy start to gather
themselves, during which point Kamina and Karen will get to settle their
differences.  Zero commands everyone to charge and smite all who dare
threaten Japan.

 Crow makes an interesting observation during the battle: the DBs almost seem
 to have been lying in wait here, since there's no evidence of a recent
 Quake nearby.

 Refurbishing the mecha-beasts from Atami hasn't helped Ashura much, though
 to be fair (s)he wasn't counting on Zero's plan, or Kamina and Simon's
 help.  (S)he leaves with the usual promises of vengeance on its lips, letting
 Zexis appreciate what they've accomplished here.  Kamina helped Zero, so
 Karen's happy, and Kamina in turn finds the gutsy rebel every inch [...every
 inch?  where are we measuring again?...] worthy to be a "Guren" pilot.

The real trick is Zero, who makes sure the team remembers it was his plan that
led to the hasty victory.  He tells Sumeragi that he's got similar traps in
place for the unwary all over, in recognition of how many enemies the Black
Knights have.  Takeru points out that he destroyed pretty much an entire city
in the process, and Zero says that all the residents had been evacuated
beforehand: no human casualties resulted.  This doesn't quite click with
everyone, but Zero tells them there's a better target for their frustrations:
the aliens, beasties, and other random bad guys who are threatening world
peace.  He's not saying that any sacrifice is worth the cost of restoring that
peace, but there are times where hesitation leads to defeat.  And if Zexis are
the Allies of Justice, defeat is something they must never suffer.

..Sounds reasonable-ish, and under the circumstances Sumeragi and the others
are willing to keep their doubts about his methods in check.  Jeffrey
recommends clearing out before anyone else shows up to fight, and as the team
packs up, C.C. observes from the sidelines that Lelouch managed okay on his
own today.  But will things continue to go his way in the future?  Zero, for
his part, inwardly bids farewell to Nanaly and says he believes firmly that he
can build the kind of future she would want.  From even deeper shadows on the
sidelines, a figure observes that Carlos' little whim seems to have brought
about a fine result.  And so much the better that "he" has so much warpower
gathered to him...

As the pilots unwind, Ibuki observes that the best part about the battle was
not having to directly fight the Britannian army.  That would be a sure way to
get labeled terrorists.  Karen at least is plenty prepared to face the
oppressors of her people, but the other pilots manage to talk her out of her
tension: they're all on the same team now, and are fighting for Justice for
everyone.  In fact, Karen is extremely glad to have comrades she can relax
around -- Area Eleven for her is a constant exercise in guarding against
unseen adversaries.  Now, maybe she can open up more... maybe, she can ask
about what the other Japan is like without jealousy.

Zero is observing this from the sidelines, commenting to Oogi that he's never
seen a genuine smile from Karen before.  Oogi replies that he's not seen it
for a long time either, though it used to be her norm.  He tells Zero that
Karen's older brother was a childhood friend of his, and with even Kamina
warming to Zero, Zero faces an unexpected prospect... that he too could
actually become friends with these people.  He instinctively tells Kamina that
while he doesn't intend to "fraternize"... he's more than happy to indulge in
the bonds of mutual Justice with his comrades-in-arms.  That's semantics, but
good enough for Kamina.  Kamina accepts Zero as a "member" of the Gurren Gang,
and Zero in turn extends to him and Simon special adjunct membership in the
Black Knights.

Observing in turn are Crow and Lockon, both of whom are mildly amazed that
this rag-tag collaboration could actually work for now.  Neither of them are
best suited to this kind of love-fest, but both could get used to it quite
nicely.  It would certainly be nice to believe in that higher thing that
brought everyone together...

Back in the Tokyo Settlement, Isabelle and Kinue continue to compare notes
about the Security Council's private army, "Zexis".  Of course the UN won't
confirm that they've officially joined forces with the Black Knights, but
the camera doesn't lie.  The two journalists see in Zexis a perfect microcosm
of the state of the world: overt and covert elements coming together for the
common good.  It's a story they feel must be told, and a Truth worth chasing.


CHAPTER 15. The Shadow Covering the World

It's a damn good thing that Zexis actually feeds its pilots; otherwise, Crow
was planning on a diet of water for breakfast half the week, and Sleep For
Dinner(tm) the other half.  His money problems seem small compared to his
interpersonal problems though, given that it's Carlos who's running Axion.  And
it's Carlos who sees Crow as an interesting plaything, even though Crow isn't
officially an Axion employee -- this would be related to the VX inside Crow's
mech.  Carlos has tired of trying to detach Crow from the Blaster, and instead
is amusing himself by watching what kind of creative ways to screw up Crow
discovers.  Take that gaffe with the white DB back then, for instance.  He
mockingly tells Crow that he's pulling for him and Zexis, and starts a sort of
cheerleading routine before Crow hangs up.  Yup, that's the richest man in the
world, whose humanity seems inversely proportional to his bank balance.  Lockon
slyly asks if that applies in reverse to Crow, and Crow smirks back that he
isn't going to go that far.  As for why Carlos phoned up in the first place,
Crow reckons he just gets a kick out of watching Zexis' whole Justice crusade.

Off to the side, all these shenanigans are making Alto's brow furrow.  This
Earth is a heck of a lot more complicated than his own, and with all the
obvious threats to mankind, Alto can't comprehend how the humans would make
time to squabble among themselves.  With a glint in his eye, Michelle observes
that this Earth's people might decide to stop fighting too, if pushed to the
brink of extinction.  Yikes.  Guess it's a good thing that there's an
anti-Extinction squad like Zexis around, eh?  Ozuma recommends that Alto try to
go with the flow of his new comrades even more, and Alto points out Kiriko as
someone even more detached than him.  To the untrained eye, Kiriko in fact
appears to be sound asleep.

Klan's eyes, however, are not untrained.  She knows that Kiriko is in fact
deeply aware of everything around him, readiness to strike pervading every
fiber.  And if he strikes, it's to kill.  This is the mark of a hardened
mercenary, and Luka is more than a little impressed that Kiriko's simplistic
A.T. still has all the capabilities needed for battle.  Its "survivability"
is near zero though, which minimizes production cost and lets its makers
crank out a _lot_ of them.  Ozuma's heard them described as walking coffins,
but Duo can attest that they're fearsome in the right hands... and given that
Zero made a point to bring Kiriko along, his hands must be right indeed.  From
what Duo's seen, it's less that Kiriko's A.T. is a dangerous military machine,
and more that Kiriko _himself_ is a dangerous military machine.  Hmm...

Elsewhere in the world, Sarchez has a little job for Riemann: gauging the
strength of the Security Council's new private army.  Sarchez claims that his
masters at the PMC Trust haven't told him who the secretive client is, other
than that he's got his sights set very high.  The world might not have
recognized it yet, but Zexis are _not_ to be fucked with lightly.  Riemann
guesses the client to be a member of one of the Three Great Nations, concerned
with what the UN is up to, but Sarchez doesn't much care so long as the PMC
Trust get paid for waging war.  And Riemann is being given the assignment
because of another request from the client: besides recon, he is to crush the
Zexis if he can.  Sarchez can ask for nothing better, and he's calling upon
the best Astrageus had to offer: the Red Shoulders.  Riemann has his own
reasons for accepting the job, and Sarchez means to accompany him in order
to tangle with the Gundams.  The setup is this: the client has leaked the
location of one of the WLF hideouts to the UN, and when Zexis moves in, Sarchez
will follow like a ravenous beast.  Riemann can sense no principles or sense
of duty in the man, only fondness for battle...

Apparently this is a very well-hidden hideout, as Veda wasn't even aware of it.
Whoever leaked the information seemingly wanted the Zexis to wipe the WLF out,
and with no media watching all the various members can participate freely.
Zero is worried about contingencies though, and recommends a hasty conclusion
to the fight.  Setsuna seems on edge, which Sumeragi ascribes to this being
close to his homeland.

 The WLF forces stand no chance against the Zexis' might.  However, once
 they're dealt with, the PMC Trust forces move in, presumably hired by
 someone who sees Zexis as a threat.  Kiriko snaps out of his habitual
 pseudo-stupor when he sees the PMC commander, Captain Riemann.  If anything
 can be said about the crimson nightmares from Astrageus, it's that they're
 even more dangerous than the rumors claim.  They clearly don't intend to
 let Zexis leave the area intact, and as Zero puts it, anyone who attacks
 the Allies of Justice must be an Ally of Evil(tm).

 Riemann's presence makes it clear to Kiriko that he'll never be able to run
 from his personal nightmare.  Fortunately, this wave of PMC troops is
 easily-enough rebuffed by the combined might of Zexis, with the possible
 exception of Sarchez.  Setsuna in particular is shocked to see the same
 technology that ravaged his home being used against him now.  As Sarchez
 tries to leave, Setsuna recklessly dashes after him, only to get blasted for
 his pains.  He then takes the astounding step of asking Sarchez to step out
 of his cockpit, exiting his cockpit first.

 This fascinates Sarchez, but not enough to derail his plan of killing Setsuna
 and stealing his Gundam.  Lockon can't stop him from this range, and things
 look grim until Quatre and Trois intervene.  With no other choice, Sarchez
 flees.  He remembers kids with swords once before: back from when he helped
 destroy Kurjis...  Setsuna now knows for sure that Ali Al Sarchez is his
 long-lost nemesis, though his getting distracted by it makes Tielia
 predictably figure he's unfit as a Meister.

Cathy is having a bit of a crisis of faith as the battle winds down: can the
Macross folks really afford to stay here, when there are people obviously
gunning for them?  Jeffrey figures they've already integrated entirely into
this world, and for every enemy they find, they also have an ally.  Certainly
that includes Quatre and Trois, who mean to join up with Zexis for the long
haul.  Unfortunately, Setsuna seems driven to distraction by Sarchez -- how is
it that he's ended up with the PMC after Kurjis?  What became of his "god"?
Tielia yells that if he keeps up this stupidity, he'll shoot Setsuna in the
back, in the interest of protecting the Gundams' secrets.

In the royal court of Azadistan, Xielin reports to Queen Marina that the battle
has finished.  Marina isn't much interested in the battle, since she dislikes
settling disputes by force, but Xielin chides her that she needs to develop
that interest if she intends to govern her country.  Marina hasn't mustered
that resolve yet, and Xielin tells her gently but firmly that this nation
has little time left.

Back at Zexis' base, Lockon punches Setsuna in the face, reminding him that
all the Celestial Beings are tasked with protecting their own identities as
jealously as the Solar Reactor: meaning top priority.  He demands to know why
Setsuna revealed himself to the enemy, and Setsuna steadfastly refuses to
speak.  Tielia draws his gun, intending to rid the world of this dangerous
threat to the CB's plan, but Setsuna quickdraws at him, finally stating
in no uncertain terms that he isn't going to relinquish his Gundam.  Lockon
orders them both to lower their guns, and Allelujah observes that all of them
were chosen by Veda: there's got to be a reason why.  Tielia peevishly asks
to see what that reason is in Setsuna's case, and Setsuna spits that his
very existence is reason enough.  Say what?

The rest of the team is of course nearby, watching the drama unfold with
considerable unease.  The drama is particularly poignant for the Dancougar
Nova folks, whose team structure is more ad hoc and less determined by any
a priori bond (that they know of).  As such, Aoi in particular can't bring
herself to intervene with the CBs, and that fact bugs her quite a bit.  The
whole Nova crew opt to go wait outside rather than watch the drama any longer,
even as the new Colonial Gundam pilots make introductions.  They're fighting
for Colonial freedom, and have decided to bet on the Security Council as the
best way to achieve that with the fewest consequences.  There is one more
Colonial Gundam yet to enter the fold, and Crow -- who's had dealings with
him in the past -- is quite curious as to his identity and objective.

Speaking of Gundam pilots, Hiiro has gone to chat with Setsuna after the
showdown ended.  He demands that Setsuna tell him why he did what he did, and
after a moment Setsuna admits that he wasn't thinking at all: his body acted
on its own.  Hiiro muses over this action motivated by emotion, and declares
that he's learned emotion can be a perfectly fine motivation.  It seems that
the two poker-faced pilots are on the cusp of a beautiful friendship.  The
other pilots' spectating is cut short by a summons for Zero to the bridge to
hear Elgan's new orders.  What will the UN chief make of today's battle with
the PMC?

Information from the PMC has reached Zechs and Schneizer: clearly, they weren't
able to crush Zexis.  Schneizer figures there's little to do but honestly admit
the power of Elgan's battalion.  Alejandro's also present, and he wonders aloud
of the other Great Nations deliberately undervalued Elgan long enough to let
him get to this point.  Schneizer certainly did, using fear of the HLF to
distract other eyes in Britannia.  Zechs and Schneizer are quite happy how
things have turned out, and as a sort of Plan "B" intend to have Zexis' power
serve their interests.  They might give them a little prodding every so often,
but fundamentally they want Zexis to act as it pleases for now.  The stakes are
higher than ever for their ambitions to change the world, and at least
Alejandro thinks he can be at the helm of the new order to come.  That means
that Zexis can't be allowed to fail until the new order has arrived...


CHAPTER 16.

Ootsuka has a bold proposal for Zexis: split in two!  This might sound like a
dis-economy of scale, but there's a method to this seemingly mad plan.  He
believes that two targets will prove more tempting to Zexis' enemies than one,
luring them out into the open.  By the same token, two units can swiftly cover
a wider area than one, which would be nice given how the Beastmen have started
acting up all around the Pacific.  Sightings of new types of DBs have also
increased, and Veda is sounding alarms about heightened WLF activity.  The
Macross Quarter and Ptolemeios will make the ideal motherships, for overt and
covert operations respectively.  Crow will get to choose which side to travel
with, presumably favoring the more lucrative course -- Jeffrey at least finds
Crow's dedication to paying off his debts a more trustworthy motivation than
many out there.

Crow meanwhile is being debriefed by Traia.  He's been working nonstop in
accordance with the old adage that "The poor are never bored", though of
course he hadn't originally planning on anything like this.  Traia hasn't
had any luck deciphering the secrets of the VX, nor in tracking down the M.D.
Esther is lurking behind Traia, and openly questions Crow's commitment to
getting her her revenge.  Crow tells her that piloting the Blaster is harder
than it sounds, and that it doesn't take gum-chewing like a baseball player to
be serious.  Traia tells Crow that Esther has been assigned as her assistant,
poring over analysis of the DBs in search of clues.

 To go on the overt route, go to Chapter 16O.  For the Covert route, go to
 Chapter 16C.

For Crow's efforts, his debts are reduced by 200k.


CHAPTER 16O. Bird-Human

The Macross folks are all too happy to share some of the culture of their Earth
with the people of this one: the movie "Do You Remember Love?", dramatizing
the war between Earth and the Zentraedi.  Pretty gripping stuff, as Crow finds
out when he accidentally interrupts it.  Off to the side, the Macross folks
explain to him that "music" played a central part in the drama, epitomizing as
it does the "human" culture that the Zentraedi warrior race had never
encountered before.  The resulting rift in the Zentraedi created the opening
the Macross fleet needed to strike down the leader of the belligerents, while
paving the way for many of the Zentraedi to forge peace with humanity.  The
interstellar war, with Lynn Minmei's songs as its soundtrack, was also Lynn's
personal love story, and Zexis folks of all gender identities seem totally
infatuated with Macross's siren.

All that is some fifty years in the past though, and some suspect that the
time has come for a contemporary singer to take up the mantle of Eternal
Idol(tm).  That would be Sheryl Nome, whose new album has just come out and
is already creating Internet traffic jams like you wouldn't believe.  The
"Galactic Fairy" has vocal superiority, dance moves to burn, and has already
made her self at home on the stages and pop charts of this Earth.  Alto views
all that with mixed feelings as he secretly fingers Sheryl's earring, knowing
that he's not going to be able to return it any time soon...

Suffice it to say that the team are star-struck, and would love it if Alto can
get them an "in" into the behind-the-scenes world of music.  Ozuma shows up
with a mission that should at least temporarily satiate this love of theater:
providing cinematic services for an international movie production: "Bird-
Human".  This is supposedly based on something that happened on Frontier-Earth
some 50 years ago, and what makes the production "international" is the
cooperation between the peoples of the two Earths.  It was going to be filmed
on the resort ship Island-3, but since there's a whole planet on hand, the
producers figured they'd use it instead.

The producers' main interest in the Macross pilots is actually their mecha,
which are similar enough to their prototype -- the VF-0 -- to stand in for it
in the variable-geometry combat sequences.  The rest of the Zexis folks are
mainly on hand to provide "logistical support", meaning hauling crap around
for free.  Crow was hoping for at least union wage for their troubles, and as
if on cue Carlos shows up.  Those Zexis members who haven't run into the
world's richest man are pretty amazed, but Crow treats his nemesis and his
"look at how rich I am" act fairly indifferently.  Carlos, as it turns out,
has not taken time out of his busy schedule specifically to needle Crow: Axion
is involved with the Bird-Human production effort, and he's here to see that
his investment is being well-spent.

Sionny then shows up, feisty as ever and fairly rude when Aoyama tries to
help.  She makes it known in no uncertain terms that she, yes she, is Limonia's
Foreign Minister.  Oosugi has heard the small Pacific nation's name before,
mostly in conjunction with its production of rare metals whose management
Sionny has overseen.  She's also overseeing Limonia's involvement in Bird-
Human, which explains why she's here disrupting the crew's work schedule.  Her
claim is that this movie will determine the very future of her nation, which
sounds just a tad outlandish.  As she stalks off to chat with the producers,
Oosugi tells Crow that this rare metal seems to have something to do with
energy production -- though just what he can't say.

Elsewhere on the set, Ozuma makes a shocking discovery: Ranka is here with new
manager Elmo.  Unbeknownst to Ozuma, Ranka has garnered a substantial
following and several commercial spots after turning in a good showing in the
Miss Macross contest, and she'd originally come for a small part as one of the
village girls.  Ozuma is clearly upset to see her foray into the shady world of
movies, but after a long staring contest he growls that she can do as she damn
well pleases and stalks off.  Ranka confides to Alto that she's actually gotten
a bigger part than planned due to the original actress getting injured: "Mao",
the heroine Sara's older sister.  Alto tells her to give it her all, and Ranka
and Elmo retreat to get some more rehearsing in.

Alto stands around looking concerned, and Sheryl of all people pops out and
tells him to go after her if he's worried.  Turns out she's here to do a photo
shoot for her new calendar, continuing her string of commercial success on
Earth.  Rather than take Alto to task for mooching her earring, she thanks him
for helping to defend the skies over her previous concert on the Frontier, and
tells him he can keep it as a reward.  Just then one of the producers comes
over to offer the beauteous Alto a part in the film, but he angrily tells the
producer that he's got the wrong guy and goes off to check on Ranka, whose
likely whereabouts Sheryl tells him.  She playfully tells Alto that he owes
her for this one.

Ranka, as Alto feared, is fretting over Ozuma's angry rejection; after all,
he's the one she most wanted to be happy for her.  It was hard enough for
her to summon enough courage to come this far...  Alto finds her, and assures
her that Ozuma was not mad at her; rather, he was trying to be protective of
her.  It will take Ozuma some time to see her as something more than a child
in need of protection...  Alto has the knack of saying exactly what she needs
to hear when she needs to hear it, and that even extends to explaining what
the strange sound preceding a Dimensional Quake implies.

It implies, among other things, that the cliff they're walking along is about
to collapse.  Alto manages to grab Ranka's arm with one hand and the remains
of the cliff with the other, leaving them dangling hundreds of feet above the
beach below.  Alto isn't for a moment going along with Ranka's plea to let her
fall so he can save himself, but what can they do instead?  The answer comes
in the form of a mystery man who sprints up along the beach and then _leaps_
high enough to catch Ranka and deposit her safely on terra firma.  He
introduces himself as Brela Starn, and chides Alto that he'd better get going
to join his comrades' sortie.  There are DBs nearby...

Among the DBs is Crow's quarry: the M.D.!  The team will have to act fast if
they want to keep this island in one piece for filming.  On the sidelines, they
have at least one very interested observer, wanting to see if they can prevail
or must be forced to withdraw...

 After observing how readily the DBs are getting trashed, the observer decides
 to take matters into his own hands.  There is a localized Quake at his
 location, and the man emerges in a giant mech.  He tells Crow that he is a
 special sort of DB, and that he's here for Crow's life.  He claims that by
 doing so he will save the world, and Crow has no choice but to meet this
 swift new foe's offensive head-on.  To make matters more complicated yet,
 Antares-1 shows up, piloted by none other than Brela!  He's acting on some
 unseen boss's orders, and tells Ozuma and friends curtly that he wants no
 thanks for his help.

 During the battle, the mysterious new foe tells Crow -- possibly as a bad
 joke -- that he's his "brother".  Crow of course has no time for this.
 Getting rid of the guy is no mean feat, but when the team finally manage it
 the guy seems incredibly pleased at the thought that Crow might offer him a
 challenge.  Crow tells his fellows not to pursue the guy, and instead to
 concentrate on the M.D.

The M.D. does not in fact _perish_ when defeated, but beats a hasty retreat.
For a moment it looks like Crow is determined to rush off after it, but he then
relents in deference to the team's already depleted warpower: this is about as
good a victory as he could hope for... for now.  And just who was Crow's new
opponent, anyway?  The other problem is Antares-1, who informs Alto that he's
unworthy of Ranka before flying off.  Luka thinks he recognizes Antares-1 to be
a VF-27, which would make it of Galaxy origin...

At Ranka's request, Alto does get involved in the filmmaking process, but not,
as some of Zexis had hoped, in front of the camera.  He'll be helping shoot
some of the underwater scenes, keeping him firmly out of the limelight.
Unfortunately, some of the otaku on the team have dredged up pictures of the
time he acted the part of Sakura-hime in a noted kabuki performance three years
ago.  He is, in fact, seriously hot as a guy-playing-a-girl, and apparently had
a _serious_ love scene (colloquially referred to in Japanese as a "damp spot",
which causes serious consternation among the womenfolk when Watta fecklessly
asks for a definition) that has fans screaming to this day.  Apparently Alto
had a massive falling out with his father, which diverted his career path from
the stage to the cockpit.

His friends inform him that the scene he's going to help film is an underwater
love scene where Ranka has to kiss someone (that someone, it turns out, is
him).  First of all, it's a good thing Ozuma isn't around to hear that.  Second
of all, isn't Alto going to try to stop Ranka from going through with it?  He
angrily snaps that he will _not_ try to stop her: after all, it's only a kiss!
Sheryl shows up then, saying that's surprisingly mature of Alto.  She hauls him
off for some private confab while the rest of the team gape at Alto's links to
such celebrity.

She takes him to Ranka, who's been having her hair done by Bobby -- who turns
out to have been a superstar makeup artist before entering the S.M.S.  Ranka
is fretting heavily about whether or not she can act, and whether or not she
can kiss Alto as the scene actually calls for.  She can't seem to get the hang
of Mao as a character, who in the script falls in love with her elder sister's
significant other and goes so far as to kiss him.  Bobby observes that Ranka's
never really been in love, and tells her that in love, you have to consider the
object of that love a lot.  Apparently that's the explanation she needed.

Sheryl meanwhile asks Alto if the Earth's skies are what he hoped.  The skies
themselves, yes.  The selfish humans who try to circumscribe them?  Not so
much.  Mankind seems to insist on trying to divide up the one thing -- the
heavens -- that should instead bind them all together.  If this Earth is a
disappointment to him, it's the same kind he feels toward his own Earth and
the Frontier fleet.  Sheryl wonders aloud whether that's what the birds think
when they're flying aloft.  In her view, the birds live only to fly, period,
and wouldn't stop for any borders in the sky even if they could see them.
Ah ha! thinks Crow, and suddenly sees the title "Bird-Human" in a whole new
light.  What it would be like to live without thinking, only feeling!

That finally brings a smile back to Alto's face, and Sheryl asks if he's
any less nervous.  He claims he wasn't nervous to begin with about a kiss,
and unexpectedly she takes him up on it.  Right as Ranka appears.  She smirks
broadly at his startled reaction, reminding him with a musical laugh that he's
the one who just claimed a kiss was no big deal.  Bobby, who's been walking
with Ranka, can only facepalm at the ultra bad timing...

In the Foreign Ministry, Mishima has finished negotiating with Sionny for
supplies for the movie.  We finally get to learn the real game: among its many
natural resources, Limonia has Fold Quartz (aka "Dimension Energy Crystal" or
DEC).  And in exchange for it, Mishima is prepared to modify the "equal access"
provision regarding the Frontier fleet's technology.  He's promised Sionny and
Carlos nothing short of the plans for the Fold System itself, and used the
Zexis' participation in the Bird-Human filming as cover for making the handoff.
Serious Business(tm), and very bad for all involved if word of it got out.

After Mishima leaves, Carlos tells Sionny that this greatly speeds up their
Project Vortex, at the cost of a little more of their DEC reserves -- which, if
things continue according to plan, won't be necessary to assure Limonia's
future any more.  Sionny seems to be having some second thoughts, but as Carlos
has it it's far too late to turn back now.  He's doing this for fun, and of
course she's doing this for her country.  Now it's time for Carlos to plow a
little cash into the WLF, and for a visit from today's interloper: Eim Reiard,
with orders for the two of them.

It turns out that Mishima's tricky dealings have only just begun.  He next
meets, alone as promised, with Grace.  Just what is it that the assistant
to the president of Macross Frontier would want with Sheryl Nome's manager?
Well, all the data she's got on the Vajra, for one thing.  And in return,
_she_ gets the Fold Quartz!  She promises to keep helping him, and invites him
to watch the filming of Bird-Human... he may just see the birth of a new star.
Mishima is mildly interested in Ranka, but not very much in the film itself.
He excuses himself, and Grace has to wonder where he's getting all this Fold
Quartz from.  The better question is whether she's got enough to breach the
dimensional walls and contact the Galaxy fleet...  Evidently she's the one
holding Brela's leash, and orders him to tail Mishima and see whether there's
anything fishy going on.  She orders him never to violate her orders -- in
this case, to guard Ranka but not contact her directly -- ever again, if he
wants her to give him his past back...

Along the way, Ozuma has come to terms with Ranka's career aspirations, not
needing any prodding from Cathy.  He still finds himself bemused by how Ranka
got to play Dr. Mao as a kid, of all roles.  Is it fate?  Meanwhile Alto and
Ranka are preparing each other for the big scene, and Alto shares with her a
little old-school drama theory from kabuki: "Think not and be a flower, or
think and be not a flower."  Acting with one's head is always doomed, because
something of the self will tug from within.  Acting on instinct, on emotion
itself is the way to an honest performance.

Far from bad timing, the scene Ranka saw has provided her with just the insight
she needed into Mao's character.  And Alto's acting theory lesson has given
her the "how".


CHAPTER 16C. Contact

Treize has decided that the best way to shake up the world is to prod Zexis
with a stick, and his stick of choice is Zechs.  He's of the opinion that
Elgan won't be able to complain if Oz's forces attack Zexis' covert branch,
UN affiliation or not.  He's also smart enough to assume that _Zexis_ is
smart enough to have thought through its division into overt and covert: the
covert branch is clearly being dangled as bait, to lure Zexis' enemies into
clearer view.  However, just because something is a trap doesn't mean it's
always to be avoided, and neither man would be who and where they are today if
they weren't willing to take some risks.

Zexis is a _major_ risk, however, so Treize has called in a little help for
his comrade: Zechs' old trainee Noin!  Noin has been counting the days
(literally) since they saw each other last, and tells Zechs that rumors of his
exploits as "the Lightning Baron" have regularly reached her men.  Zechs
frowns at this, saying that it's seldom a good thing to have one's reputation
precede one that much: it makes one's enemies know where to shoot at, and
one's allies expect more than is feasible.

In fact, Noin is not the warmongering sort, and was preparing for a career as
an astronaut at Victoria Base... until a Colonial Gundam trashed it.  Treize
notes that said Gundam hasn't been spotted as part of Zexis, but is clearly
of Colonial manufacture.  Noin lost a lot of her own trainees in the fracas,
and she feels she owes it to them to pursue the trail of the Gundams.  She
also wants to help Zechs out once more, and he'll gladly accept her aid.
Treize wishes Zechs good hunting, and adds that he'll be getting some
additional collaborators joining up soon.  Just who they are is something he
can look forward to.  After Zechs and Noin leave, Treize wonders aloud just how
well Zexis will do versus his comrade's forces.  If Zexis can't hold their
own against _them_, they certainly won't be able to change the world...

So what exactly is the covert half of Zexis supposed to be doing?  Whatever
they damn well please, is Elgan's exact wording.  The CBs are willing to take
that as reopening hunting season on the Three Great Nations' armed forces,
assuming that Elgan's got something in mind.  Zero opines that they'll have
little time for wayward base-trashing, what with all the anti-Zexis forces
this team is meant to draw away from the overt group.  The team can expect the
Three Great Nations, or other comparably-powerful organizations, to come
calling of their own accord.  Lockon asks Tielia for Veda's assessment, and
the WLF keep showing up at the top of the threat scale.

Duo's been wondering for a while why Tielia, seemingly just one of the
pilots, is routinely part of group strategy discussions.  Sumeragi explains
that the CBs' missions are decided by Veda, a photonic computer whose decisions
the actual executors (that would be Lockon and friends) have the right to
interpret or question.  Only specially-qualified people can access Veda
directly, and Tielia is one of the qualified.  _Why_ is a secret that Zero
agrees rather drily to not pry into: after all, this group of uneasy allies
has plenty of secrets to keep.  Everyone seems fine with accepting Veda's
suggestion to go after the WLF, and Sumeragi is okay granting Zero's request
to make Area Eleven the engagement area.  Zero's got a revolution to
motivate, after all.

Lockon's opinion of the WLF and its hired army of unprincipled terrorist thugs
hasn't improved over the past months, and it's plain that letting such people
stay armed is dangerous.  What Zero wants to know is how such a rag-tag bunch
of goons has gotten the funding to become a world-wide menace.  The
deliberations are interrupted however by Ian, who reports a certain argument in
progress in the main briefing room.  The two sides seem to be Tamashiro and
Setsuna, and the issue is whether armed resistance to Britannia is really the
best way to free Area Eleven.  Tamashiro turns that question around and points
out that the CBs are considered terrorists the whole world over, and as much
as challenges Setsuna to a fistfight.

Crow wonders if someone should intervene, and Allelujah recommends staying out
of it: Setsuna is at "fault" for being the first one to question the motives
behind one of the other Zexis member organizations.  Musashi smirks and tells
Crow to get in between them himself if he's really worried, and Crow says that
he isn't enough of a philanthropist to intervene when there isn't a single G in
it for him.  Let there be even 1G though, and he'll risk his entire life for
it.  His point -- and Ryouma agrees wholeheartedly -- is that the two would-be
pugilists have been building up to this for quite a while: if violence is the
only answer they can find, let them just fight it out.

The Nova team aren't so sure, noting that Setsuna seems to operate under a
sort of personal logic that others seldom grasp.  Aoi describes it as a set of
buttons that, if pushed, will cause Setsuna to launch into a given action
regardless of anything else going on around him.  To be sure, Setsuna's not
the only Zexis member with cryptic motivations, but he is the most cryptic
short of Kiriko.  Kiriko is in a whole other league when it comes to personal
cipher-hood, and even though Karen hung with him for weeks and months, she
can't really pinpoint anything of note about him.  He doesn't seem to be
fighting to repay a debt like the much-maligned Crow, and Aoi has to wonder
what he _is_ fighting for.  Maybe it would shed some light on what her team,
none of whom have a particular reason to charge into battle, ought to do.
She's not interested enough to try asking Kiriko's nominal master, the arms
merchant who's been contracting with the Black Knights, and that may be part of
her problem.

Oogi comes in at this point to tell the team to prepare for battle.  The team
is going to be hunting wabbits^WWLF terrorists in Japan, and it's known that
they've got the dreaded Red Shoulders among their ranks.  Mention of the
Red Shoulders in Area Eleven brings Kiriko out of powersave move: the thread
between the mercs and the occupied country is a slender one, but he believes
inwardly that he could follow it to the eventual Truth about that woman who
altered the course of his life on Lid...

Time to Justly kick some WLF ass, which they're sure to hate all the more for
their own habit of claiming that Justice is on their side.  Kiriko is keeping
mum on what's motivated him to sortie today, and nobody wants the fracas to
drag on any longer than necessary.

 To no one's real surprise, there's more to this battle than meets the eye.
 The same A.T. that Kiriko fought in Shinjuku shows up again briefly, and
 when it runs off Kiriko dashes off after it.  Before anyone can follow, a
 detachment of Oz, the AEU special forces, show up.  Even odder, a batch
 of Britannian soldiers show up from a different direction -- is this a
 coincidence, or...?  I'll pick "or", even though any public accounting of
 the battle would claim "coincidence".  Who knew that the covert Zexis would
 hook two fish this big, this quickly?  Only one thing to do: kick _all_
 their asses!

 I suppose it felt like a good plan to Treize to send all these folks to
 battle Zexis.  Unfortunately for him, the only result is a vast amount of
 busted hardware and seriously bruised egos.  Zechs, Noin, Graham and all
 their forces don't begin to stand a chance.  Zechs wisely has any survivors
 pull out before things get even worse, but Zero's sharp mind has already
 noted the most damning fact: AEU special forces have been _allowed_ into
 Britannian territory.  This points to the existence of a puppeteer with
 enough moxie to affect international military politics.  Zero actually
 thinks this is a good thing: proof that their street cred in the underworld
 is rising.  Whatever the case, Ryouma likes the fact that he won't have to
 hold himself back when battling whoever is responsible.

The team then go to where Kiriko's A.T.'s beacon shows, in part so Zero can
find out why Kiriko disobeyed his orders.  Kiriko meanwhile is beginning to
see this enemy A.T., which is singling him out, as part of the pattern he's
caught in.  Maybe if he beats it he'll learn something new?  Aw hell, it's
worth a shot (or several).

 The enemy A.T. seems to harbor hidden reserves if kick-assfulness,
 pulverizing Kiriko's mech long after it should have been out for the count.
 Its pilot opts not to finish Kiriko off though, opening her hatch and
 stepping out for a moment.  Just then the Zexis arrive, seemingly startling
 the pilot and driving her away.  As Kiriko's consciousness fades, he seems
 to find the woman he saw on Lid and the pilot just now to be the same
 person.  Somehow the thought that the woman who changed his life is now out
 to take it, is strangely satisfying to him.

Back at Oz HQ, Zechs is chatting with Graham.  Both know this isn't much of a
time for pleasantries, and Zechs laments that he simply doesn't have mecha of
a caliber that can stand up to Zexis.  Graham causally asks if the new Oz
mecha, "Torres" or whatever they're called, will be available soon, having
heard all about them from his genius (and world-renowned) engineer Leif
Eifmann.  He's confident that Leif will use today's combat data to somehow
overthrow the Gundams next time, and as a bit of a consolation prize offers
Zechs some information Leif told him.  It seems there's a certain mech in Oz's
past, one with fearsome combat abilities and a nasty habit of exceeding its
pilots' limits.  It lives on in substantially detuned form in the Leo... and
possibly in the ancestry of the Colonial Gundams too.  Its name: the Tallgeese.
Graham tells Zechs that he reckons they'll be fighting more joint battles from
here on out, and whatever else the government may do, he intends personally
to lay his life on the line to defeat the Gundams.  Zechs feels the same, and
vows not to waste the information his new international friend has told him.
Whatever this "Tallgeese" is, he means to master it, and thus the Gundams.

Kiriko regains consciousness in the Ptolemeios' sick bay, watched over
anxiously by Karen and... Kokona, who's come along with the Goat to drop off
some new weapons.  Kiriko's POS Scope Dog is a total loss, but Kokona promises
him she and the others will fix something up out of spare parts in no time
flat.  Kiriko gets up and makes to leave sickbay, despite the fact that he's
in no way healed.  Zero asks why he disobeyed orders, and Kiriko says that
he had... no reason at all.  He makes no further reply to Zero's demand for
a better answer than that, and Zero is left with the unpleasant realization
that Kiriko is even more dangerous than he thought.  Kiriko possesses something
inside, some resource with which he can confront any political menace or
physical threat.  The thought seems at once terrifying and thrilling to him,
but his reverie is cut short by Crow, who says that Kiriko was merely
_re_acting to what the enemy unit did.

Zero then asks if Kiriko knows why the other mech attacked him, and has no
choice but to believe him when Kiriko says he doesn't know.  However, he tells
Kiriko that he'd better be prepared for consequences if any of his personally-
motivated acts put Zexis at risk.  Kiriko is glad to have the third degree
over, and leaves at once to see to his A.T... the only home, and the only
coffin, someone like him knows.

Kiriko's fellow pilots are certainly glad to see that he's not dead when he
gets to the hangar.  Kiriko asks Goat if he's brought any weapons (yeah,
boatloads), and plans to incorporate _all_ of them into the next incarnation
of his A.T.  Ian protests that that would toss maneuverability right out the
window, but Kiriko doesn't care one bit.  His friends have the mainframe
ready to go, and Vanilla has even attempted to paint it in colors matching
the famous Red Shoulders (he got the wrong shade, and on the wrong side).
Duo is surprised when Kiriko actually answers a question about the Red
Shoulder commander who targeted him in the previous battle: that is Kiriko's
former commander.  That makes Kiriko a former Red Shoulder, or more
specifically the "X-1 Special Operations Battalion, Melkian Strategic Armor
Division", aka "The Vampires".

Kiriko's determination to sortie now makes sense: he craves a showdown with
his former comrades-in-arms.  It also makes sense why he's such a tough
S.O.B., and presumably why he was in no hurry to volunteer the information.
One presumably does not simply _resign_ from such an outfit.  As the others
revel in Kiriko's newfound celebrity, Kiriko thinks to himself that none of
them could understand how much being a Red Shoulder pains him now.  Nor would
any of them understand the sliver of joy in his heart that he can go on
fighting, as fighting is the only way he can forget.  And if he goes on
fighting long enough...


CHAPTER 17O. The Battle of Shinjuku, By Night

Esther takes the news of Crow's failure to finish off the M.D. surprisingly
well, all things considered.  She remains pissed off at herself for not being
able to exact revenge for her family with her own hands, and at least on the
surface at the fact that she has to count on a doofus like Crow to do it for
her.  We all know that she wants his love.  But for now, Crow asks her to have
Traia look into the mysterious interlopers in the previous battle: some rich
bastard probably bought their help to mess up Zexis' day.

Bird-Human has wrapped shooting and entered post-production, and none other
than Ranka has been tapped to sing its theme song.  Said theme will be that one
song from her past life that Ranka remembers, natch.  Alto's teammates warn him
to watch his step as Ranka's stardom grows: they've seen Ozuma watching Alto
with some strong but inscrutable emotion that could easily turn ugly if Alto
steps out of line.  Then again, can anything associated with Alto be _that_
ugly, wonders Bobby.  Yipe!

The Dai Guard find themselves a bit jealous at the ease with which the S.M.S.
folks have integrated themselves with their Earth comrades: that sort of
adaptability befits galaxy-scale colonists.  Aoyama and Ibuki seem to be rather
out of sorts, and when (nicely) pressed, Aoyama admits that he's got a personal
problem to work out... one that might result in him quitting the company.
Ibuki isn't in any mood to quit her role with the Dai Guard, but she's having
reservations about fighting as part of Zexis.  She signed up to battle the
Heterodynes, and that's far from all Zexis is battling.

As if on cue, Shiroda materializes and points out to her that Dai Guard isn't
the only thing battling the Heterodynes.  If she wants to transfer, she should
just up and do so.  Akagi lightly doubts that anyone else is up to the task,
which is a longstanding bad habit of his.  His former instructor at the
Defense Academy, Iidzuka, chides him about that before informing him that
he's retired from the university in order to pilot Dai Guard's "sibling", a
refined version built by the Security Insurance Army named the "Kokubouger".
...The _what_???  "Kokubou" is "National Defense", and apparently "-ger" is
compulsory for any self-respecting super robot (or "-on", or "-der" or
whatnot).

Shiroda tells Ibuki that the Kokubouger is assigned to Japan's Self-Defense
Force, and that most of its missions will most likely be Heterodyne
interdiction.  If her goal is throwing down with the big H, she would be well
served to apply there.  Then again, it's his personal view that she shouldn't
strain to join the army -- in fact, if Ibuki would prefer, 21st Century could
try to fill her seat with a military man.  Akagi (who his former prof insists
on calling "Akaten" in deference to all the red pen required to grade his
assignments) protests that even salarymen should be able to fight for peace,
and Iidzuka tells him that the time has come to prove it.  The military has
basically sent him to test, and fail, Akagi out of his pilot's seat, and maybe
Kouji and Watta too if they aren't careful.  Now why the hell did Shiroda
stage something like this?  Well, it is the duty of the military to keep
civilians safe...

On the battlefield, the Dai Guard team's unity seems in serious jeopardy.
When Ibuki said "Heterodynes", Akagi didn't know she had so much reason to
hate them.  None of his beeswax!  Aoyama's problems seem to be family-related
(an ailing mother, perhaps?) from what Kouji saw of him talking into his
celphone.  But all of that will have to wait till the Kokubouger is pounded
into (repairable, hopefully) scrap.  Crow is so (not) worried that he's busted
out the hot dogs and beer to help him spectate, and calls on guest analyst
Kamina for some color commentary.  CLEARLY this is all about who's the bigger
man, since the Dai Guard and Kokubouger are basically the same machine beneath
their paintjobs.

Shiroda thinks he's about to demonstrate the difference between salarymen and
hardened combat professionals, which draws a snort from Ozuma.  He knows far
better than Shiroda that victory isn't about pro-vs-amateur, and that even the
mighty eagle must first begin life as a chick.  He wouldn't be surprised if
today was the day these chicks fledge, much as he's seeing Alto do.  Certainly
they're going to need some teamwork if they're going to prevail here...

 As the battle begins, Nishijima demands to know why Taiganai greenlighted
 this mock combat.  A defeat for Dai Guard would reflect very poorly on his
 company, after all.  Taiganai isn't expecting a defeat, but he assures
 Nishijima that he's got contingency plans just in case.

 Iidzuka certainly makes it clear that he means to show the youngsters how
 inadequate they are, though he finds himself impressed by Kouji's mettle
 in particular.  He, like Tsubasa, recognizes that Kouji isn't accessing all
 of his mech's power, and when Kouji yells that he'll make up the deficit
 with guts, opines that Kouji's mentor must be very old school indeed.

 Iidzuka does his level best to school his opponents, even having the bad
 manners to come back from the dead in the event you're a good enough player
 to defeat him.  Shiroda stops the fight before things get totally out of
 hand: his objective wasn't to determine a victor, but rather to force Akagi
 and the others to understand fully what their situation is.  What Akagi
 knows is that he's busting his ass this much not for any company, but for
 the sake of peace on Earth.  Is that so wrong for a wage-slave to wish for?

The posturing gets interrupted by an alarm klaxon, telling of nefarious doings
in Shinjuku.  The result of the latest Quake is a truly massive Heterodyne
that... does utterly _nothing_ for three days in a row.  This is long enough
for the jittery residents to go back to their businesses and homes, and apart
from whatever hapless folks got mashed flat by the thing, all seems well.
Everyone is waiting for the folks in labcoats to figure out where its Fractal
Knot is, and praying that nothing screws up in the meantime.  The maintenance
squad have taken this opportunity to overhaul Dai Guard, finally swapping out
its theatrical "armor" for something that actually offers some protection.
Doesn't that remove the all-important Knot Buster from the arsenal?  Nope:
Kokubouger has one too!  ...Joyous (in quotation marks) if you're one of the
Dai Guard's crew.

Watta's family show up with snacks to help the team pass the time, and the
thought of "mothers" sends Aoyama off to make another clandestine phone call.
It's also got Ibuki thinking about her father, gone these past twelve years.
Once she and Akagi are away from the crowd, she tells Akagi her father's date
of death, and A little math confirms to Akagi that it was the Heterodynes what
done him, he a researcher in the Quakes who was tragically close to the
epicenter when all Hell broke loose.  Her mother remarried and changed their
surname, but Ibuki's never forgotten about her father, and has quietly
cherished dreams of revenge all along.  Akagi's innocent curiosity is what
convinced her to tell him, and with a smile she guesses that Aoyama must have
something equally as profound tugging at him now.  Shiroda then shows up and
tells Akagi to come grab a meal with him, leaving Ibuki to eat her store-bought
sandwich in peace.

Aoyama is on the phone with his mother some distance away, who is having some
unspecified medical problems that her doctors aren't entirely leveling with
her on.  Aoyama knows her situation is far more dire than she admits, and
when Crow happens by and overhears, he admits to him that his mother's got a
weak heart.  Crow certainly isn't the kind to blame Aoyama if he wants to
step down from Dai Guard to help care for his mom, nor is he the type to spill
this candid moment to the rest of the team.  Aoyama asks Crow to cover for him
while he goes and visits his mom's hospital (not like Dai Guard is ready to
sortie anyway).  As Aoyama heads off, Crow looks up at the moon above and
muses that all this talk of mothers is making his own eyes misty.

As Crow walks, Eim steps out of the shadows, saying that Aoyama has made the
right decision to return to his mom.  He introduces himself as her attending
physician, and says that that the woman isn't likely to last the night.  In
fact, Aoyama might not even make it in time to see her die.  Crow is aghast,
wondering why Aoyama would keep something that crucial to himself.  Eim finds
Crow's furor hilarious, and re-introduces himself properly as the dude who
Crow fought back in Limonecia.

So uh, wtf is he doing here now?  Eim claims that Crow was his lover in a past
life, who pledged to spend eternity together with him.  This is of course more
horse-hockey, but once again Crow can't entirely contain the shock of hearing
it.  That, it turns out, is Eim's assignment: disrupting Crow in any way
possible.  On whose orders is something Eim won't easily divulge, and Crow
quickly knows to distrust Eim's claim that he's a good friend of Carlos.
Crow would love to beat some truth out of the guy, but unfortunately Eim is
not entirely without weapons.  In this case, Dimensional Beasts!

Blocks away, Shiroda has brought Akagi to a part of town he used to frequent.
It's got plenty of good restaurants, and Akagi could see himself becoming a
regular too if the Dai Guard team parts ways with Zexis.  That's got Akagi's
enjoyment of the food at a nadir, and Shiroda tries to explain his own
reservations about this Zexis gig.  What they're doing now is far outside the
bounds of a "civilian collaborator", at least one that's got shareholders and a
balance sheet to worry about.  That's the main thing that separates Akagi from
Kouji or Watta: he's not in a position to decide his fate by himself, or
confront his enemies alone.  They overhear Watta's assistant berating some
of his underlings for the exact same things, and Shiroda does manage to say
one thing on his own: it's the job of the military to keep civilians safe.
That's his main reason for wanting Dai Guard's civilian pilots to step down.

The conversation is cut short by the distinctive whine of a Quake.  The team
rush to their posts, and Crow has to work hard to not let Eim's words disrupt
his concentration.  Iidzuka sorties in the Kokubouger, determined to make up
for the hole in the lineup left by Dai Guard's absence.  As this is a
residential area (and not fully evacuated yet), the team had better finish
this up as quickly as possible.

 That won't be so quickly, since Eim is determined to keep experimenting with
 Crow to see how far he can push him.  He's got the power to commingle
 spacetime and matter, and he merrily whips up... a Heterodyne!  Iidzuka's
 superior Dokujima orders him to charge straight in and defeat the thing, lest
 the military somehow be shown as inferior, and Iidzuka grumbles to himself
 that this will hardly constitute the kind of education he wanted to give
 Akaji.

 Sure enough, this new Heterodyne _eats_ the Kokubouger, attempting to combine
 with it and absorb its power.  This presents the team quite a dilemma:
 simply blowing it away would kill Iidzuka... and _failing_ to do so will let
 the whole city be wasted.  WHAT TO DO?!?!?

On the sidelines, the civilian evacuation is proceeding at (terrified) full
tilt.  Akagi is cheerfully pitching in, assuring one and all that Zexis will
see that the monsters are defeated.  Shiroda seems to be having a crisis of
his own, observing a helpful, constructive side of Akagi that isn't often
apparent when he's aboard Dai Guard.  Perhaps, muses Oosugi sagely, it's a
sign of how important Dai Guard is to him that he's willing to leave this sort
of thing behind to sit at its controls.  One supposes, if one is thinking
clearly, that Akagi sees Dai Guard and Zexis combined as the best way to help
the largest number of people.  That's what all this "Allies of Justice" stuff
really boils down to, isn't it?

The current batch of evacuees are from a nearby hospital, and among them is a
portly woman who gets one of the fleeing boys to pull himself out of his
terror.  She recognizes Akagi as one of Dai Guard's pilots, and tells the boy
that Akagi's about to go and help get rid of the scary monsters and save the
day.  She can tell that Akagi is the straightforward, line-of-sight-to-Justice
type that her son described, and she for one is a fan.  She tells Akagi that
her son's always been one to hide his true self, and says to tell Aoyama
"good luck" from her.

No sooner is the evacuation over than Aoyama and Ibuki meet up with Akagi.
They've now got a mech to pilot too, since the Dai Guard is fully repaired and
rather upgraded to boot.  Akagi is overjoyed, and his teammates can't help
but ruefully agree.  As they prepare to leave, Shiroda tells them of Iidzuka's
plight, and has them promise to rescue the guy.  This new Heterodyne should
be a tractable foe with the new Knot Punisher.

 This is not a short order, but it _is_ doable with an appropriate application
 of guts.  Iidzuka has to hand it to his former student: quite a rescue!  He
 personally assures Akagi that he and his teammates are worthy of carrying
 the banner for Japan, as part of Zexis.  And that goes for Watta and Kouji
 too.  With all that out of the way, the only thing left to do is to take out
 the final Heterodyne.

 [FWIW, the Skill Point here is obnoxiously hard to get the first time
 around, especially since the game's math is defective.  Even if the Dai Guard
 appears on turn 1.5, destroying the final Heterodyne on turn 4.0 doesn't
 count as "defeat the final Heterodyne last within three turns, with the
 Knot Punisher, after Dai Guard appears."  Aggravating as hell.]

Back at HQ, Ibuki tells the triumphant Akagi that she's planning on sticking
with him and Zexis, "Justice otaku" to the last (wo)man.  Aoyama is in too,
planning to honor his mother by "playing" the way he wishes as her child.
It'll help pay the medical bills too, come to that.  Shiroda has been
conferring about what to do with the Dai Guard, and the final decision has been
handed down to let Kokubouger handle the Heterodynes menacing Japan, and to let
Dai Guard continue its work on an international scale.  He informs his
subordinates that this decision was only made possible by Kokubouger's petition
to the top brass, and adds that said brass has noted that the Dai Guard,
Mazinger and Trider's pilots all show signs of needing further training.  Ozuma
will take over the job, and from what Alto's already experienced at his hands
it ain't going to be easy.  Still, Akagi wants to be able to meet his former
instructor on equal footing one day, and isn't likely to give up easily.

Of course, Shiroda had more to do with keeping Akagi and friends than he will
easily let on.  The party line, and he's sticking to it (with a knowing
smirk) is that he merely handed down an impartial optimal decision as an
observer.  And he'll be more than happy to help fine tune Ozuma's training
simulations going forward.

Just then, the fabled genius behind 21st Century's engineering division
shows up: Domeki Rika!  She's still just a kid... but a very _smart_ one.
She's got no problems telling the chief tactical engineer that she's smarter
than him, or with calling her own CEO by pet names, and is eager to study
Crow's spacetime traces from today's battle.  If she can figure out what these
localized distortions and the bigger Quakes and Tremors have in common, she
expects to come up with better ways of fighting off the bad guys.  Hell, it
might even help validate the ideas in "Introduction to Spacetime Resonance",
a book by Ibuki's dad.  Crow is left wondering if Eim was really telling the
truth, and that he can summon both Heterodynes and DBs at will.  And who on
Earth could be capable of such a feat?


CHAPTER 17C. Carrying on the Dream

Renton is remembering a time when Dominic took him and his fellows mountain
climbing on a certain peak behind the nearby mountain range.  He didn't know
then why his normally strict teacher would do such a thing, but it was the
first and last time he would see the look of relaxed joy on his teacher's face.
He showed them a certain flower, the "Snowmoon Blossom", which only blooms
right before the end of winter.  It is said that once every hundred years,
stardust rains down to form a flower that blooms with rainbow-colored light,
and those who wish upon that flower will surely have that wish come true.

Dominic told his students, Renton and Eureka, that he had to go run an
experiment, and asked Renton for a favor: guard this hill and its Snowmoon
Blossoms in his stead.  He left the town the following morning without so
much as a word of goodbye, and it was another week till Renton learned of his
death.  Details were sparse.  All he knew was that he died in an experiment
drawn up by my father as part of his work to defeat mankind's enemy, the
invaders known as Emerge.  Even as a little child he knew that much, and
on that same day the military took away his best friend Eureka.  Eureka pleaded
for help then, yet Renton was too scared to lift a finger.  It was his first
lesson in how little skill or courage to defend those important to him he has.
Have the following eight years lent him any of that strength?

The covert squad's next mission has to do with a Top Secret somethingorother
relevant to mankind's battle with the Emerge.  The mission, coming straight
from Elgan, is supporting a team of specialists in their bid to recover
whatever it is... which is exceedingly odd, given that the Security Council
has the authority to conduct anti-Emerge activities overtly.  Something heavy
must be afoot for Elgan to contract with the covert team, and Zero figures
that the team are being asked to fake a robbery.  Sumeragi's heard that Elgan
means to give this Top Secret to someone not on the up-and-up to further the
war effort, and if Zero's right, Zexis' role will be to loot the target after
the "specialists" have ravaged it.  One supposes that the Emerge are aware of
whatever the Secret is and will move to stop its theft.

So what is this Top Secret, exactly?  Sumeragi doesn't get a chance to say, as
word comes in of a UN transport under Emerge attack.  Sumeragi expected this
action, but not so quickly.  "They" are already heading to the operation site:
people that Crow knows well.  That would be the Gekkostate [in their movie
guise as a special forces battalion of sorts; I'll use Gekkostate since it's
shorter], who believe the Top Secret to be aboard the transport in question.
Talho tells everyone to prioritize recovery of the Secret above all else, using
their collaborators however they have to to pull the theft off.  This is the
first step in their master plan!  Holland tells Talho not to push herself too
hard, especially after collapsing yesterday, but she's determined to make his
dreams, and indeed all of their dreams, come true.  His crew remind him not to
push it too hard either, especially since he's got to look after a certain kid
for their operation to come to fruition...

The Gekkostate show up just as all hope seems lost for the shuttle.  Among them
is Renton aboard Nirvash, which seems to be somewhat sentient and responds
to Renton's assurances that, yes, they can do this.  Holland seems both
impressed and possibly envious of Renton's ability to converse with the KLF,
and orders the team into action.

 The Emerge certainly have the numerical advantage, but the desperate Holland
 won't hear of any defeatist talk.  Nor is he pleased to see how late Elgan's
 helpers are to the battle.  Crow defends his rather rude "greeting" by
 saying that he owes Holland for helping defend an Axion lab back in the day.
 As Zexis deploy, Renton finds himself wondering just what this top secret
 thingie could be...

 Vanquishing the Emerge is just the tip of the iceberg as it turns out: the
 next wave is comprised of DBs.  Among them is none other than the M.D.,
 which promptly rushes over and shoots down the transport.  Renton wants to
 rescue its pilot, but Holland says to fuck that: if they don't rescue the
 Top Secret, none of them has a future at all!  Renton prepares to join his
 commander when Nirvash exclaims that it's "found it".  It rushes over to
 the transport on its own and enters the damaged hold.

 Inside is... Eureka!  Eureka recognizes Renton straight off, and even
 weirder, she recognizes Nirvash too.  The two kids are amazed, and grateful,
 for the miracle that's brought them together again at last.  Renton tells
 Eureka to come with him to safety, but she initially refuses, saying that if
 she does he'll get dragged into it all.  And if he does, he'll die... which
 is something she wants to prevent at all costs.  Unfortunately with the DBs
 on the offensive Renton is the only one who can shield her, despite her
 pleas that she's worthless.  Renton certainly values her, having vowed to
 never repeat the suffering he felt when she was taken from him the first
 time.

 She tearfully agrees, and hops aboard at the last moment.  The strength of
 Renton's determination to protect her sparks something within Nirvash, a
 new interference pattern whose rainbow colors are just like a certain
 previous occasion Holland remembers.  Whatever's going on, it emboldens
 Renton and Eureka to _demolish_ the onrushing Emerge.  As the Zexis circle
 the wagons and Crow prepares for his showdown with the M.D., Holland radios
 to Renton that the girl with him is the Top Secret they've been seeking.
 Best believe Renton'll keep her safe!  Meanwhile, a Certain Someone(tm) is
 overjoyed to have run into Crow here, figuring it to be fate or some such.

 See the other path for Eim's introduction to Crow.

 As on the other path, Crow bests but does not kill the M.D.  Well, there's
 always next time...  As Crow ponders who his new mystery antagonist is,
 Holland marvels over the Stardust he saw displayed in the battle.  Woz tells
 him that the data doesn't positively confirm that, but Holland and Talho
 are still optimistic: now they have the Holy White Thingamabobber(tm) [yes,
 that's the technical term for it] needed to get their "Neverland" Plan
 rolling.  Now what could that be...?

After the hostilities cease, Holland gets on the phone to Elgan.  He promises
to help Elgan out, in return for which Elgan will see to it that Eureka is
listed as officially deceased.  Elgan personally guarantees that Holland and
Eureka are now totally free, but Holland warns him that this newfound
cooperation will only last until Holland's own timetable says it's time to move
on.  Elgan doesn't mind, since even temporarily borrowing his firepower will
help safeguard the world.  So long as Holland's designs for Eureka don't go
against Elgan's principles, Elgan promises to keep his hands off.  After
Holland hangs up though, Elgan intones to no one in particular that there _is_
no Neverland, no matter what World you live in.

Insofar as the Gekkostate's alliance with Zexis is temporary and forged on
"give and take", they seem to fit right in with the rest of the crew.
Introductions are made with the anti-Emerge squad's motley crew, which have
gathered from the world over: again, much like the rest of covert Zexis.
Zero makes sure that the Gekkostate know that treachery will cost them dearly,
and asks them what they know about the Emerge.  Not much, as it turns out:
they're monstrous life forms from another dimension, much like the DBs in that
they're impossible to communicate with and that they seem to instinctively
attack humans.  They bear the very highest special threat rating from the UN,
and all research regarding them is directly overseen by the Security Council.

Zero then asks what makes Eureka a "Top Secret" in the battle against these
foes, given how little seems to be known about them.  Holland would love to
know that himself, actually.  The Gekkostate's superiors are extreme sticklers
for secrecy, which engendered doubts among the Gekkostate themselves.  They
learned of Eureka's existence while running their own little investigation, and
Holland for one is ready to kick someone in the nards for treating any person
like a guinea pig.  He decided that he and his team were going to save her and
find their own way to save mankind from the Emerge, which is why they've
allied themselves with Zexis.  Eureka's existence was so secret that even
Elgan claims to have had no knowledge of her, and Holland is happy to let Zero
and friends do some sleuthing into her past.  He plans to keep her physically
protected in the meantime.

Jobs then explains to Sumeragi that Renton's strange-sounding "copilot" is
in fact Nirvash itself (himself?).  The KLFs used to battle the Emerge contain
a lifeform called an "Archetype", which starts out smaller than a human child
and grows to over ten meters tall.  Add some armor and _voila_, a KLF.  Most
Archetypes lose their personality in this process, but Nirvash has somehow
retained his.  He's been with Renton since he was brand new, which is why he
and Renton can communicate heart-to-heart.  It also explains how Renton can
pilot him as well as he does.

As for Eureka, it turns out she and Renton were both growing up in Warusawa
together eight years ago before the army took her away.  Holland agrees with
Hap's suggestion to let Renton look after her: being with someone she knows is
the best way to put her at ease.  ...Or, is it?  Zero's keen senses detect
something out of place in this conversation, as though all the dialog was
pre-scripted.  He realizes that they, like him, are acting out characters and
keeping their real selves hidden.  Caution is definitely warranted around
this bunch.

After the introductions are over, Holland and Talho think that they've pulled
things off nicely.  Now all they need is the Stardust, and their dreams
will come true.  Holland especially cares for Talho, wanting to avoid putting
any more strain on her.  She's longing for the day when the White Holy One,
garbed in Stardust, stretches forth a bridge to the stars alongside the missing
Moon, and the Maiden and Man shall return all those born of the earth to the
Blue Sphere.  _That_ is Neverland, and that is their last hope.

Elsewhere aboard the Gekko (the ship, that is), Eureka marvels at how big
Renton has gotten.  He smiles and marvels back at how pretty she's gotten.
That's exactly what he said the first time they met in Warusawa, and she's
overjoyed to hear it again.  Her mood dampens when he asks why the army took
her away, though he quickly says that it doesn't matter any more now that he
and Nirvash are here to protect her.  HAPPINESS, for now at least.


CHAPTER 18O. Opening Stage

It's good times in Shibuya, with a live Sheryl concert and trailer for
Bird-Human on tap for the evening.  Thank goodness there's no Heterodynes
around, eh?  Kamina isn't so thrilled by the images of Sheryl everywhere, but
most of the world has fallen under her spell.  In fact, Sheryl is out enjoying
the town today too, walking over to the group and seemingly reveling in their
astonished adulation.  That is, until Kamina decides to confront her with
some kind of primordial display of Alpha-humanism.  Sheryl stands up to his
bravado like a wild animal defending its territory, and the group concludes
that the two free spirits are a lot more alike than either would admit.

Poor Ranka is along with Sheryl too, finding it hard to get a word in edgewise.
Spending as much time as she has close to Sheryl has brought out Ranka's bad
habit of being down on herself, and to Simon it looks like she's hiding in
Sheryl's shadow... perhaps like him in Kamina's.  Youko meanwhile sees that
Ranka is developing feelings for Alto -- feelings which she struggles to
express when Alto and Sheryl's strong personalities are on display together.
When Sheryl finally stops quarreling with Kamina, she and Ranka head back to
rehearsal with assurances from Alto that they'll be well protected by Zexis.

Sort of kind of, actually.  The pilots drew straws to see who would get to
watch from inside the arena and who would have to stand guard outside.  Crow
_really_ hoped he'd win so he could sell his ticket for some extra cash, which
probably explains why he lost in some sort of cosmic way.  And what a show he's
missing: Sheryl is a luminous presence on stage, singing the unity of the
people of two Earths with her songs.

Wouldn't you know it though: the bad guys don't stay at bay forever.  A group
of Beastmen have chosen this evening to attack Japan, and Alto promises Ozuma
that they'll see that Sheryl and Ranka stay safe.  In fact, the Beastmen have
been sent by their king specifically to kill Sheryl... who is consumed not by
terror, but by indignation that these scruffy herf-nerders would disrupt her
concert.  NOBODY disrupts the Galactic Fairy's concert and gets away with it!

..At least, not if Kamina is around.  He triumphantly strides onstage (to
thunderous applause), and a furious Youko busts out her sniper rifle [which was
stored _where_ exactly??] and plans to give him a flesh wound to make him
stop.  The thing is, he puts up such an impressive front that the Beastmen
decide to run and get their Gunmen instead of face him head-on.  Kamina tells
Sheryl that he's paying her back for throwing such an awesome concert, and
as Alto runs up with Ranka she thanks him in turn.  After seeing them off
safely, Alto and the others dash outside to stop the ensuing Gunmen rampage.

These Gunmen are depressingly strong to the team, but Sheryl seizes the chance
to turn the whole scene into one big concert.  Her song calms the panic of the
fleeing townspeople, and as if magic restores the confidence of the pilots.

 The Beastmen are feeble beyond compare, but not so the people who follow
 in their footsteps: marauders from Gishin!  They've been sent to investigate
 a strange energy course (that would be Sheryl) which they briefly attack
 before taking Takeru on.  Making matters even worse is the arrival of a
 bunch of Mecha-Beasts led by Ashura.  As the two groups prepare to squash
 Zexis in between, Sheryl crawls toward her microphone, having been barely
 saved by Grace's quick action.  She sees Alto and the others busting ass,
 and intends to do what she can to help.  That thought pierces Ranka's fear,
 and she takes up the microphone instead.

 Her song, like Sheryl's is calming and encouraging to the people.  Balen,
 the Gishin commander, detects Ranka as a second source of this mystery
 energy, which underscores Zhul's assertion that the people of this planet
 are dangerous.  Especially dangerous is Simon, who sees Ranka overcoming
 her fear as a major inspiration.  He singlehandedly trashes a number of the
 Mecha-beasts, and when Ashura sends Torros D7 over for revenge Kamina assumes
 control to finish the job.  ZOUNDS but he's powerful when the stars are
 aligned.

 Balem flees her exploding mech without explaining why Zhul fears Sheryl and
 the other Earthlings so much, and Ashura is pretty much the same-old Ashura
 in vowing vengeance in the name of Dr. Hell.  With two goddesses of victory
 at the mic, what chance did either of them stand anyway?

Dr. Hell does not take the news of Ashura's latest failure well.  Brocken
sues to have command of the next sortie, but Dr. Hell defers that discussion
until after dealing with an uninvited guest: Saghoul, one of Zhul's lackeys.
Actually, "lackey" is a bit too unkind: he is in fact Zhul's chief of
intelligence, and certainly capable of at least slowing Pigman down with
his shockwave powers.  That Pigman is not now in a thousand pieces is an
example of what makes Earth so fascinating.  He's come today not to fight,
but to parlay with Dr. Hell: Zhul, he says, is willing to reconsider destroying
the Earth.  An alliance, then -- Dr. Hell's assistance in return for the
"power to fight the gods", which Zhul has told Saghoul Dr. Hell will not
refuse.  Zhul was right.  Dr. Hell sees in this the help he's been long
seeking, and is willing to take a risk or two to make his dreams come true.

Zhul has also sent an emissary of sorts to Lowgenome's lair: a robot to serve
as a means of communication.  Lowgenome isn't exactly impressed with the self-
styled "ruler of space", and asks what the hell he wants.  What he wants is
Lowgenome's help in fighting that abominable power called "Life".  Zhul claims
to know what will happen should it reach full bloom, at the "end of the spiral"
as it were.  That gives Lowgenome a clue to Zhul's identity, and on that basis
Zhul demands that Lowgenome bow down before him -- he knows what this Earth
means to the galaxy as a whole.  Zhul means to use the Earth's power to battle
"Them", and emerge victorious.  Lowgenome scowls and says that "victory" is
an unreachable dream, and doesn't trust Zhul to be capable of delivering it
to him.  He tells Zhul's emissary to get lost so he can get back to handling
things his own way.  This involves attacking humans with beasts that actually
lack life force, and Zhul promises Lowgenome that refusing his help is
something Lowgenome will regret -- just like he did "that day".  Zhul's
emissary vanishes with dire threats of what Lowgenome has just sentenced
himself to, and Lowgenome mutters to one of his underlings that Zhul is one
of those who know of The End.  He's really got to hurry things up now...

Zhul isn't happy about this latest turn of negotiations, but before he fills
Warl in on the details, he forces Marg out of hiding in his throneroom.  Marg,
Mars' elder brother, has been skulking around trying to figure out what Zhul is
up to now that Saghoul is on Earth.  Does Marg hate Zhul for sending Mars to
Earth, and killing his father Idea to boot?  Gee, let's think a moment.  Zhul
informs Marg that he's only been left alive because Zhul decided capriciously
to see how much of a threat Marg could become.  Today is _not_ Marg's lucky
day, given how bad a mood Zhul is in.  And instead of just killing Marg on the
spot, Zhul's got a little "mission" in mind...

Back in Shibuya, a serious lovefest has broken out between Kamina and Sheryl,
who are now in awe of each other's power.  Let's not forget Ranka, whose
singing was a major factor too.  Both she and Simon enjoyed something of a
coming-out party today, and that confidence will come in handy when the two
singers perform a makeup-concert.  As they leave, Youko pulls Ranka aside and
tells her to give Sheryl a run for her money not just on the singing front,
but on the romantic front too *winkwinknudgenudge*  What Youko hasn't noticed,
however, is the crush Simon has on her.

Zexis' next mission is going to be a doozy, and Ootsuka is going to have to
get both halves of the team back together to pull it off.  The Security
Council is about to have a special conference on how to wipe out the WLF once
and for all, and Elgan wants Zexis to launch an advance strike on a secret
WLF base deep inside HPL territory.  After hanging up with Ootsuka, Elgan
confers with his unseen ally again -- said ally sounds worried that those
who've been dogging Zexis' footsteps are sure to strike.  He views this as the
pain necessary to lance a wound, and is confident that Zexis can handle it.
Besides, it's not like he's got any other choice...


CHAPTER 18C. Intersecting Tomorrows

Crow and Esther have their conversation from the other path about her helping
Traia out and his failure to finish M.D. off.

Meanwhile, Xielin has seen Ambassador Dorian and his entourage off from the
Azadistan capitol building.  Maria isn't having an easy time of it: her nation
needs outside support to continue existing at all, but too much support from
any one side could also act as a trigger for war.  She's been thrust into this
whole "queen" gig quite unprepared, raised in a commoner's household until the
revival of Azadistan's royal system.  Some of her own people are in armed
revolt over her decision to allow outsiders to meddle with the country's
affairs, and Xielin tells her childhood friend that she herself must change if
she's to have any hope of reforming the nation.  "Can happiness be bought
without sacrifice"?  Kusama Daisaku wasn't able to find that answer, but
perhaps Carlos and Sionny can help.  And by "help", they mean to make Maria
their sacrificial lamb...

Lurking in the streets nearby is Setsuna, with Hiiro trailing a short
distance behind.  Hiiro reminds Setsuna that his superiors don't trust him as
much as they used to after his little stunt before, and adds that this
country only ups the odds of him doing something stupid.  Setsuna cuts this
line of conversation of, and asks Hiiro why he became a Colonial agent.  Hiiro
reluctantly answers that he's been a guerilla since before he was old enough
to remember -- qualifications enough for "them" to recruit him as a Gundam
pilot.  Setsuna's backstory is much the same, but he thinks that there's a
difference between himself and Hiiro at the moment.  He won't say what.

Just then Rilina wanders by, here with her father's delegation.  Hiiro
passes Setsuna off as a local he's asking directions from, but another
passer-by snarls that Hiiro will learning nothing from this "Cursisian".
Cursis was a neighboring nation of Azadistan until six years ago, and its
members are certainly not welcome in Azadistan now, judging by the flash mob
that springs up after Setsuna is fingered as one of them.

Meanwhile Karen and the others have wandered their way to the plaza in front of
the royal palace.  Ougi isn't sure the team should be away from their mecha
when it's known that the WLF have infiltrated this country, but Kurara tells
him to leave that to Zero and Sumeragi.  This is a good chance for sightseeing,
which in Renton and Eureka's case is more like a date.  A _long_ overdue date,
given that Eureka has been locked in the same room for the past eight years.
Renton is quick to assure Eureka that he's here to protect her and the rest of
the team point out that he won't have to shoulder that alone.

Renton isn't the smoothest stone in the creek, but his fumbling honesty
(noting that the Getter team are much nicer than their scary faces might
indicate) endears him to the other pilots.  Apart from him and Eureka, the
rest of the Gekkostate have made a concerted effort to avoid contact with
the rest of Zexis -- even more so than folks like the Dancougar Team or CBs.
Now though the Dancougar folks are out in public, which makes them a target
for the itinerant journalistic duo of Isabelle and Kinue.  Isabelle doesn't
know who they are, but feels in her gut that something big is about to happen
here that Dancougar will be involved in.  She says she's willing to stake
her life on the pursuit of the truth behind Dancougar's true motives, and those
of the CBs for that matter.

The Dancougar team express curiosity as to what tipped them off to come here,
saying that they'd rather terminate their "sightseeing" early than get mixed up
in some crazy fracas.  From what Isabelle has heard, the WLF have slipped into
Azadistan at the behest of the isolationist faction, apparently bent on staging
a coup.  Even ruling a piss-poor nation like this one would give the WLF
considerable political power and add legitimacy to their murderous rampage, and
if there's ever a perfect time to strike, it's now.  The journalists expect
Maria to be in the crosshairs, and the Dancougar folks announce that they are
_totally_ cutting their little vacation short.  With thanks for the tip they
run off en masse, just as Isabelle suspected they'd do.  She has somehow
connected former model Aoi's disappearance with the resurgence of Dancougar
activity, and intuitively expects that the red-haired woman has something to
do with their journalistic quarry...

Setsuna, with Hiiro and Rilina in tow, beat a retreat away from the mob rather
than invite any "complications" (such as numerous mob members ending up shot).
Rilina now knows that Setsuna is an acquaintance of Hiiro's, and sees in
his eyes the same sorrow, and same inner strength.  Setsuna wants to rub out
this woman at once, but Hiiro won't let him, even going so far as to stand
in the path of Setsuna's gun.  Why he's doing that even Hiiro himself doesn't
understand, but when pressed he states matter-of-factly that he's letting
his emotions overrule his better judgement.

The tableau is interrupted by none other than Maria, who had been hiding nearby
in an attempt to put her problems behind her for the moment.  This spot has
been her hiding place since she was a little girl.  Setsuna isn't thrilled at
the sight of the queen and after telling her he's a Cursian walks off before
Maria can make any reply.  Hiiro isn't interested in listening to anything
Rilina might have to say and walks off too, leaving Rilina to explain that he's
both her best friend and the person who most wants to kill her.  No sooner
have the boys left, however, than WLF agents show up and apprehend Maria and
Rilina as part of their bid to "protect" this nation.

The WLF intend to make Maria their puppet, which is _not_ what the isolationist
Azadistanis had in mind.  They simply wanted to force Maria to abdicate so they
could have their shot at governing as they see fit -- which is so much twaddle
to the WLF lunatics.  In fact, they expected the Azadistanis to be weak sauce,
and preemptively bumped off all their commanders.  The decks are thus cleared
for the WLF to make this nation their base of operations... unless you count
the Zexis forces lurking nearby.

The WLF are operating under the sad misapprehension that the Colonial Gundams
and CBs are just another bunch of yahoos with guns that are changing the world.
They're about to get schooled like a trainfull of Hogwarts recruits, and Zero
is the brother-trucking Headmaster.  He quickly points out to them the futility
of threatening the life of their hostage, given the whole point of kidnapping
her is using her in government.  Besides, if Maria -- source of all the
civil unrest -- were to die here, it would make the country that much harder
for the WLF to take over!  They can't refute the rhetoric, and it's unlikely
they can stop Zexis from pounding them into scrap... letting Setsuna and
Hiiro rescue the hostages.  Strange that the taciturn duo would volunteer for
the job, but stranger things have happened.  Crow is along to ensure that they
stay safe.  As a reminder that Renton is not in fact idiotic, we see him fret
about why Holland really rescued Eureka -- no time to ponder too deeply now
though.

 Once the WLF are smote, Setsuna and the others rush to free the hostages.
 Rilina has been trying to cheer Maria up, telling her that her father the
 ambassador highly values Maria's constant attempts to find peaceful solutions
 to her nation's problems.  Maria has been modeling her approach on the
 Absolute Pacifism advocated by Cinq Kingdom, a nation that shunned armaments
 and was gobbled up by neighboring countries for its pains.

 Setsuna and Hiiro blast their way in soon enough, and Maria is appalled by
 the ruthless way Setsuna has dispatched the terrorists.  Maria once again
 says that perhaps they could have been reasoned with, and likens his
 actions to those of the CBs.  He asks what she would know of them, and she
 knows enough to point out that innocent people are getting hurt by the CBs'
 crusade, even if their stated goal of ending war is a noble ideal.  What
 gives them the right to charge in, all guns blazing, without even giving
 their targets a chance to talk things over?

 Setsuna states that people die while others talk things over, and points out
 that it was Azadistan that destroyed Cursis.  In fact, people even died
 while the two sides of that were were suing for peace.  Maria realizes that
 he must have been alive in Cursis during the war, and both then and now was
 part of the battlefield.  Setsuna reveals himself to be a Gundam Meister for
 the CBs, and says that her attempts at a peaceful solution are merely
 protracting the conflict and resulting in move lives being lost.

 She can't refute him, but Rilina can.  He is quite positive that the CBs
 can _not_ change the world as they claim, and that those who have lost loved
 ones to the CBs' crusade will never forgive them.  Fighting only engenders
 more fighting.  It appears that this concept has never occurred to Setsuna.
 Nor has the thought that there's more to ending conflict than taking away
 people's weapons.  Could it be that Setsuna's been doing it wrong, never
 destined to become Gundam after all??

 Even Hiiro's got a lot to chew on, and it falls to Crow to get everyone
 back on track and evacuated to safety.  He takes up the rear and runs into
 Eim, who like the other path feeds Crow a ruse to get a rise out of him (in
 this case, that Maria is going to be blown up by explosives planted by the
 terrorists in case their plan should fail).  As on the other side, Eim
 resorts to summoning a little help in his fight with Crow.

 The team now have to deal with both DBs and Invaders, some of whom decide
 to take potshots at Rilina and Maria.  Hiiro throws himself in the way to
 shield them, and yells out to Setsuna that he's not Gundam... but he can
 _become_ so if he chooses!  That spurs Setsuna into action, and gives the
 girls a chance to escape.  Sumeragi sends Ian to see that their safe
 (without disclosing the CBs' involvement), and as Maria watches the fight
 she realizes that Setsuna (and Hiiro) are risking their lives with no hope
 of reward.  So what _are_ they fighting for?

 Whatever they're fighting for, the task gets harder yet when a new interloper
 shows up, wrecks a couple of the DBs, then starts attacking Dancougar Nova.
 It and the Nova's energy signatures are nigh-identical, seemingly making it
 another Dancougar.  Zero lets Team D tangle with it while the rest of the
 squad focuses on the DBs and Invaders.

 With all the other enemies gone, only the scarlet Dancougar remains.  It
 moves off to the side as though to set the stage for a showdown with Nova,
 and Aoi and the team move to answer.   As they do, two more Invaders show up
 from behind: a momentary distraction that the other Dancougar exploits to get
 a shot in.  This strikes a certain observer as unfair, and he moves in to
 do something about it.  The Red Dancougar is rebuffed by "the power of the
 gods, beyond beast or man", and the black Dancougar's pilot will only tell
 the Nova folks that they can think of him as "the final trump card, the final
 Dancougar".

Hoookay then!  Before the team leaves, Setsuna goes over to Maria for a little
"chat".  Hiiro keeps everyone else, especially Tielia at bay even though he
himself doesn't know why.  All he knows is that Setsuna has a measure of
whatever it is that lets Rilina face down those stronger than her.  Setsuna
tells Maria that she's got to fight from now on, for the sake of whatever god
she believes in.

Once back to base, Team D demands to know who the hell the other Dancougars
are.  Tanaka professes no prior knowledge of them, but analysis of their
fighting style shows that at least the red one seems to have a solo pilot.
Units with multiple pilots tend to show the imperfect teamwork of their riders
in various ways, and the red Dancougar didn't.  The implication that Team D
suck by contrast isn't lost on them, and they angrily demand that Tanaka give
them single-pilot mecha too if he wants them to be on even footing.  Tanaka
replies that this unit will remain four-person for the foreseeable future, at
the behest of people far above him on the org chart.  Kamon quickly realizes
that Tanaka isn't going to divulge anything useful, and peevishly tells him
to tell his bosses to take the fucking security down a notch or several.

Amazingly, said boss is right there watching, and not disturbed by his
pilots' inquisitiveness.  In fact, he's glad that they're finally getting
interested in what's really going on around here.  Tanaka breaks down the
capabilities of the long-expected red Dancougar: optical stealth, high
maneuverability, and aerial-combat capacity.  That it's a single-seater means
it's not geared toward Dancougar's original mission.  Will this new menace
light a fire under the Nova team?  The mystery boss hopes so, and imagines
that "they" are looking forward to it too.  The boss, unlike Tanaka, knows
the red Dancougar's name: the R-Daigun.  The pieces are now in place for
whatever the master plan is, accelerated a bit by Ragna Harvey buying the
Zolbrain Corporation.  Ragna is not to be trusted, that's for sure...

After packing up the mecha, Zexis is lingering in Azadistan for a bit more
R&R/recon.  Tielia is giving Hiiro and Setsuna a serious talking-to after
Hiiro proved less than the most responsible guardian for Setsuna.  It's always
the quiet ones, isn't it?  The pilots once again encounter the reporter duo,
passing off their continued presence in Azadistan as an active interest in
Maria's reenactment of Cinq's Absolute Pacifism.  It might not work well today,
but who knows about tomorrow.  Tomorrow's what matters, after all.  Isabelle
and Kinue thank the team for the insight and walk off, promising to see them
"on another battlefield" someday.  Secret identity?  What secret identity!

Speaking of which, there's Maria to think about.  The CBs have sent her the
usual legalese about her life possibly being forfeit if she spills the beans,
but don't intend to actually kill her lest the entire region be destabilized.
They've decided to treat the whole mess as a sort of anomaly, though Tielia
is on record as wanting stronger sanctions.  His seriousness is something the
CBs need, though they also need Setsuna's loose-cannonism.  Lockon's got a
rough job keeping everything balanced, and Crow wouldn't trade places with
him unless there was a _lot_ of money involved.  Before the team can move
on, Rilina comes over and -- having guessed that this motley bunch must be
somehow connected with her erstwhile love interest -- tell them to tell Hiiro
that she's looking forward to seeing him again.  The polite fiction is that
neither Duo nor she know each other, and insofar as she doesn't seem inclined
to jeopardize Hiiro's mission, the team leave her be.

The big loser today seems to be Carlos, whose help Maria has decided to refuse.
Maria tells Carlos and Sionny that she will not be hurried as she considers
how best to incorporate foreign aid into her nation's recovery.  She's gotten
strong enough to resist vigorous "moral suasion" by the two politicians, and
when they realize they can't budge her they leave in a serious huff (with
the usual sour grapes "you'll regret this") speech to boot.  Maria is still
uncertain enough to immediately second-guess herself, but Xielin assures her
she did the right thing for the nation and for its people.  Maria's got a long
road ahead of her if she wants to follow Setsuna's directive...

Sionny is in fact fit to be tied that the plans to take over Azadistan failed.
Her own nation's used up almost all of its DEC to get the plans for the Fold
system, and that means Project Vortex will entirely decide if Limonecia lives
or dies.  Carlos advises her to settle down: it's not like any amount of fuss
will extricate her from how deep she's gotten herself.  The best she can do
now is to trust that Carlos will work in Limonecia's best interest while
working in his own.  And that means taking orders from Eim...

See the other side for Elgan's new orders to Zexis.


CHAPTER 19. Everyone's Justice

[I kept the covert route because I like Shin Getter Robo ^^;;;]

Cue the typical "what was the other side up to" palaver.  Interestingly enough,
Sumeragi has been absent since Zexis rejoined, likely off on some private
errand unrelated to the CBs.  The CBs' presence on Zexis hits some of the
people from 21st Century with renewed force, and tensions begin to rise once
more.  Yokozawa manages to extricate Akagi from an argument with Tielia via
the promise of a little volunteer work for Dai Guard.

The plan is passing out supplies for an area ravaged by the DBs, at ambassadors
at the recommendation of the Japanese government (who, after all, are the ones
who built Dai Guard in the first place).  Ibuki is distracted though: she's
gotten her head wrapped around the Colonial Gundams and the Black Knights, but
not the enigmatic CBs.  It would seem they plan to return to trashing the
world's armies once mankind's common enemies are dealt with, and even before
that there have been plenty of terrorists to tangle with.  Ibuki has serious
reservations about fighting mecha piloted by other people, which even the
go-getting Akagi shares.

The humanitarian aid is disrupted by reports of Heterodynes appearing in the
area -- guess they appear other places beyond just Japan, huh?  Know who else
appears all over the place?  The WLF, who are counting on Dai Guard to be
tied up with the Heterodyne so they can take over the city.  Since the rest of
Zexis aren't around yet, Akagi exclaims that Dai Guard will have to stop both
the Heterodyne _and_ the terrorists lest this conflict spread any farther.
Dai Guard will do its level best to avoid shooting at its opponents' cockpits,
but the terrorist rampage must cease!

 The terrorists get irate at Dai Guard interfering, and send their big
 Genocidron in to settle the score.  In the process it nearly steps on a
 load of people, including 21st Century Employee Nakahara.  Proving that
 Akagi isn't the only reckless one around, Lockon dashes to the rescue (since
 it wouldn't be safe to snipe with all the people under foot).  He buys
 enough time for the rest of the team to show up, and after that both the
 terrorists and the monsters buy the farm in record time.

The WLF continues to prove how assholic its "liberation" moniker really is,
at least if the damage to the city and terrorized citizens are any indication.
Few in Zexis would disagree with the team's next mission, which is striking
down the WLF stronghold in the Taklamakan Desert.  The question is just how
bad the world's dimensional instability must be if the Heterodynes could appear
even here, far from Japan.  In any case, Akagi's feeling great for all the
heroism he got in today, and that's worth quite a bit.

Tielia?  Not so much.  He claims that the CBs should have stayed out of this
fight, as Sumeragi and indeed Veda itself hadn't specifically authorized
participation.  Lockon levelly tells Tielia that he judged it necessary to
intervene, and gets increasingly aggravated at Tielia's implication that he
should have left his comrades and indeed the common people to the tender
mercies of the terrorists (in the interest of keeping himself and his mech
from harm).  Setsuna of all people points out that the WLF are practicing
armed conflict, and that it's part of the CBs' job description to intervene
directly.  Tielia scowls that Setsuna is in no place to say that after all
the times he's disobeyed orders and stalks off.  Setsuna walks off too...
surely not to go after Tielia, right?  Allelujah shares some of Tielia's
doubts, and Lockon asks him to let the matter drop: he's got his reasons for
disliking terrorists.

To Lockon's surprise, Nakahara comes and thanks him -- not in spite of his
being a de facto terrorist, but as a comrade of hers via Zexis.  Lockon
protests lightly that his crew are hardly the Allies of Justice type that
Akagi and friends are, but Aoyama tells him that everyone has their own brand
of Justice.  It's what you believe in, what makes you tick.  The thought helps
dispel Lockon's funk, which he shows by thanking the various 21st Century
functionaries by name for the first time.  He also thinks to his mother,
father and "Amy" that he'll keep on fighting alongside these new comrades
till judgement eventually finds him... as a Gundam Meister, as a Celestial
Being, and as a Zexis.

So what has Sumeragi been up to?  Meeting someone named "Barry" in a nearby
town.  The occasion isn't exactly pleasant: Sumeragi's in quite a state after
a certain dossier she's seen: a military simulation plan he's come by.  He
asks for her opinion as a strategist, coyly dancing around her actual day
job.  The plan amounts to an overwhelming barrage of firepower and troops,
designed to tire a Gundam's pilot out and exhaust his weapons stores.
Sumeragi cautions him that just driving the pilot unconscious might not be
enough: what if the mecha are designed with capable autopilot, or even
self-destruct mechanisms?  He expected such a trenchant analysis from her,
given her past role in the military.  He's not exactly the model soldier for
showing her (a civilian, as far as anyone knows) top-secret stuff like this,
but she promises him she's not made any copies.

He tells her that Eifmann would welcome her back to the Britannia Union
army, but she tells him that she's got her own life to lead now.  She's coy
on whether she's got a romantic interest as well, in part to help him
disengage from their conversation.  Mentally though, she apologizes to him for
no longer being the Lisa Kujou he used to know.  In fact, as a CB, she's now
one of his bitterest enemies...


CHAPTER 20. Malice Dances in the Desert

Sionny, presumably at Carlos' behest, has decided to petition the UN to band
together against the forces of organized terrorism.  That of course includes
the Black Knights and CBs, who so handily derailed her plans in Azadistan.
Elgan knows that the idea itself is basically sound, and expects that the
world is going to accelerate from this point forward.  But to what end?

Tielia is running some numbers on the CBs' track record to date, and the data
show something very interesting.  Since their declaration of war, the CBs have
put a stop to 18 Class-A conflicts... and yet at least 25 new Class-A conflicts
have broken out (to say nothing of lesser skirmishes).  Tielia is sure the
CBs' performance has been within Veda's expectations, and can't figure out
why the master plan to end war isn't working.  Maybe it's because the world
is changing faster than Veda expects?  Or is there some other agency at work?
In either case, the team needs to finish up this WLF-busting mission fast.

Setsuna is doing some thinking of his own, with a little input from Maria of
all people.  He's snuck back into the royal palace, and upon finding Maria
asks whose fault it is that the world is so warped: God?  Man?  Maria replies
that God is nothing if not fair; and for that matter it's a fact that men are
capable of mutual understanding.  ...Which is no help, and Setsuna runs off
again in search of whatever is to blame for the world's distortion.

Not so far away, a new joint force of Great Nations military forces is off to
a rocky start.  The first thing Patrick does upon greeting Jeremiah is refer
to him repeated as "Orange", which Jeremiah is only able to let slide after
Viletta reminds him that Cornelia herself has given him this shot at clearing
his name.  Kyuell doesn't see it that way though: he's furious that all the
Britannian knights sent on this mission are pure-blood Area Eleveners, and
even more so that their company is "tainted" by the inclusion of Honorary
Britannians.  He says this is all Jeremiah's fault, but Lloyd tells him that
it's a little late to start with the sour grapes -- unless he intends to
question Cornelia herself.

Patrick certainly isn't a fan of fighting alongside the infamous Orange, or
the non-Britannian pilot of the Lancelot.  He himself isn't above reproach
though, as Graham points out to him -- remember the mess at the orbital
elevator in Africa?  Graham tells him that it was quite educational regarding
just how scary the Gundams can be, and before Patrick can make a smart-ass
rejoinder, his commanding officer from the AEU steps in and slaps his face twice
to get him to shut up.  _Colonel_ Katie Mannequin is one helluva babe, and
is going to be commanding this motley crew with help from Sergei.  Sergei
sagely reckons that all this youthful energy the pilots have can be put to
good use when the time comes.  The last to join the party is the contingent
from the HPL, fronted by Peerless.  Katie can tell from Peerless' youth and
unusual mech that she must be one of the HPL's genetically-engineered weapons.
Unfortunately, due to some issues in the Chinese Federation, the "Tiger" will
not be participating this time around.

Graham and his men are glad to be finally fighting alongside Zechs and his
men, but they're not the entirety of the force.  Joshua, for instance, resents
Graham's promotion despite his checkered record in battle, and intimates
that Graham only got where he is today by bumping off his superiors.  After
he leaves with a smug strut, Graham tells Zechs that Joshua's statements are
sort of half-true, and in any case he means to restore his honor on the field
of battle.  And luckily for him, he's got the Flag that Eifmann's customized
to help him pull it off.  Zechs too has a new mech, but it's cost more than
just money and materiel to get it operational -- test pilot Otto lost his
life due to excessive G-loading.  There is but one way to make up for his
death: take down the Gundams!

The sight of two noble warriors like Graham and Zechs moves Suzaku deeply,
and Lloyd says that with them involved it may really be the end... not just
of the WLF, but of the CBs and the Black Knights.  See, Lloyd's heard a little
secret from Cornelia: this mission isn't just about striking a WLF base...

The Zexis forces arrive without incident, finding the base lightly defended...
too lightly defended, in fact.  Zero can't say for sure that this is a trap,
but he's certainly nervous -- more so than he's willing to let on.  But does
the WLF really have enough firepower left to pose a threat to Zexis?  Best to
finish up double quick and bug out before anything turns for the worse.

 The other shoe drops once the WLF defenders fall.  Wufei of all people rushes
 in to berate the team for falling into the trap, just before the trap
 springs.  The enemy force opens fire without warning, acting on orders to
 wipe out anyone who should show up here, without exception.  Zexis can't
 reach the UN, and it becomes readily apparent that the only ways out of
 here will be victory in battle, or in a body bag.  Wufei tells Crow that
 while he knew in advance how dangerous it is here, he's got a larger goal
 in mind for which he needs Zexis alive.

 Just to make life suck a little more, the PMC Trust have sent in the Red
 Shoulders to fight on behalf of the Three Great Nations, plus the dreaded
 Ali in a mobile armor.  He rushes over and blasts Setsuna with plasma, and
 Tielia has to rush in to rescue him.  Ali seizes his mech instead, but
 Tielia breaks free by ejecting his external armor, unleashing "Nadore" and
 seemingly undergoing something of a personality shift in the process.  Or
 something.  Anyway, Ali is going to be a bear to deal with, and he's just
 one of many worries...

 The battle is a complete bloodbath, and that's _before_ the enemy's main
 force show up.  The odds are overwhelmingly against Zexis, and the only
 possible thing to do is retreat... assuming the enemy can be distracted for
 a moment, which is a very had problem.  That is, until Hiiro steps up to
 the plate.  His dedication is unwavering as he pushes the Red Button(tm)
 that self-destructs his Gundam, and in the flash of light the team make good
 their getaway.

To show just how good Zexis are, they actually managed to even retrieve Hiiro
on the way out of danger!  What's more, even the Wing Gundam got salvaged, or
at least what was left of it.  This is all thanks to the fast thinking of
Setsuna, though Hiiro does not verbalize any thanks.  He merely says that
he was doing his duty, and _manually_ realigns one of his broken bones in
order to get out of bed.  Two words: HARD. CORE.

What's even more astonishing to his fellow pilots is that Hiiro actually
expected to die.  He states that he took what he judged to be the best course
of action under the circumstances -- those circumstances having been the
result of a tactical error.  Errors, he states matter-of-factly, must be
repaid by death.  What's more, he was quite confident that his death would
not have been in vain given that his teammates would have carried on his
good works.  Duo never expected to hear something like _that_ from Hiiro, and
truth be told neither did Hiiro himself.  Is that, asks Setsuna, the result
of acting on emotion?  Yup, and Hiiro maintains it was the right call even
now.

Tielia tells Hiiro that he's misunderstood him all along.  He doesn't know
why he exposed Nadore, the true form of his Gundam Veche which was only to
be unveiled in the direst of emergencies.  Why it's such a deep dark secret
even Lockon hasn't been told, but Tielia says that what he was supposed to do
was purge his Solar Reactor and self-destruct like Hiiro did.  Hiiro cautions
him this: if he really intends to go through with that in the future, be
prepared for a pain worse than death.  At that, Trois starts to laugh
hysterically, even though Hiiro wasn't being humorous.  At that Karen starts
to laugh too, and Wufei figures that anyone with the stomach to find humor
in such dire circumstances might just be able to save the world from itself.
Good that he's optimistic, because the probable link between the targeting at
the WLF and the ambush by the Great Nations spells deep trouble for the team.

How deep?  Deeper than Atlantis.  Deeper than the seafloor traveled by the
mantis.  Carlos is pleased as pie, even as Sionny hears in horror that Zexis
is quite intact.  Carlos' theory is that the Great Nations will now turn
all their attention toward Zexis and away from their Project Vortex: Sionny's
got to learn to think positively for a change.  She furiously reminds him
that she's risking the fate of her country in a fight against the whole rest
of the world.  Carlos lightly apologizes and tells her to head back to her
country to wait for good news: he'll get some good champagne ready.

As he hangs up, Sionny fumes to herself that Eim should never have chosen
someone like Carlos, even if they did need the money.  Just then Elgan enters
Sionny's office unannounced, with one piece of advice: Knock It the FUCK OFF.
He informs the little bitch that she's not the one who's going to move the
world.  The only reason she's still breathing the air of the UN building is
that he lacks proof.  Oh, and one more thing: no matter how much firepower the
Great Nations amass, Zexis ain't gonna lose.  He spits that she should tell
that to Axion too, and Sionny -- white as a sheet -- asks why he approved the
military action if he knows that much.  Elgan sniffs that if Zexis were the
type to let that little skirmish slow them down, they'd be of no use at all in
the battles he knows are coming.  She'd better remember that defeat for Zexis
means defeat for the world!  All this is more than she can take, and she pleads
with Eim to make all the scary people just go away...


CHAPTER 21. The Truth Revealed

With a little more time to reflect, the pilots rightfully wonder what's to
become of them now.  It hardly seems fair that the Zexis stalwarts get to wear
the Scarlet T (for terrorist) for having the gall to actually oppose mankind's
common enemies, but unfairness is one thing humans have always excelled at.
Even in the Macross-verse, global (nay, interstellar) peace was hard-won and is
still marred by revolts and terrorism despite mankind moving to colonize the
galaxy.  All the same, Michelle chooses to believe that mankind can rise above
its baser instincts, as Takeru's upbringing on Earth demonstrates.

There seem to be two equally unattractive options: wait for Elgan to restore
sanity to the UN, or split the team back up and hope that the overt side at
least will no longer be targeted.  Alto however has a third option, based on
Michelle's offhanded observation that humans seem to pull together only when
faced with an overwhelming common threat.  Why not force all the world to see
just how large its list of common threats are?  The team can start with the
WLF: if _Zexis_ were to take them out, the Great Nations would have to lay off
at least until they could find a new pretext to attack the team.

A good plan, if only the location of WLF's home base was known.  Which it
isn't.  As depression sets in, a voice speaks directly to Takeru's mind.  The
voice, which spoke to him in God Mars, tells him that it badly wants to meet
and converse in person, and that it will take care of Takeru's pursuers long
enough to make that happen.  Just then Nene and Lalamia rush in with news that
a Gishin force has just landed and is under attack by the Federation.  A chance
to escape?  May be, but the voice tells Takeru to come to Point 1934...

Lo and behold, a Gishin ship is waiting for Takeru at the designated point.
The source of the telepathy that Takeru heard opens fire, grousing that
Takeru's dodging is wholly inadequate to defeat Gishin.  Takeru starts to
counterattack, which at least makes the encounter look good for Marg's
observers.  Marg slips out of the ship just as it explodes, and afterwards
Mars tracks him down on foot.

Marg was in fact being sincere about wanting to talk with Mars, his twin
brother.  He tells Mars of their parents Idea and Ayida, and reveals that Zhul
is trying to get the two brothers to kill each other as penalty for Marg's
attempts at spying.  Thanks to his telepathy, Mars/Takeru knows he can trust
Marg at once, and accepts Marg's transfer to him of memories of their parents.
He sees Idea, Zhul's chief scientist, being asked to give up one of his
newborn sons for Zhul to send to Earth.  Zhul figures that Earth, the
epicenter of all the Tremors, must be crucially important to his plans to
rule the universe.  Not to worry though, the kid will return from Earth as
next-in-line for Zhul's throne!

Idea tells him that the Antiproton Energy source he's developed is intended
for peaceful purposes that benefit the whole universe.  Were Zhul to put
his son to work on an equally peaceful purpose, he'll gladly loan him to the
emperor.  Hooooooowever, Zhul's gone and made an Antiproton Energy-powered
bomb, and clearly wants to use Idea's own flesh and blood to trigger it.
Idea won't go along with such a thing voluntarily, so Zhul just dismisses him
and steals away the kid anyway.  Mars even served as a hostage to force Idea
to further the Antiproton Bomb, though Idea also made the Goshin Robo in
secret and sent it to Earth to protect his erstwhile son.  Zhul discovered
this, and Idea was executed when he refused to reveal the secrets of the
Goshin Robo to him.  Takeru's mother was killed when Marg was ten, for
demanding that Zhul return her son to her.

She's left Mars a little something though: a pendant that contains something
suspiciously resembling a Plot Device^W^Wmysterious rectangular object.
It is in fact none other than the control system for the Goshin Robo: with it,
Takeru will be able to unlock the full power of Gaia.  That which the father
made, the mother nurtured, and the brother conveyed is now in Takeru's hot
little hands.  Marg asks his brother to use the Goshin Robo to bring their
father's dreams of universal peace to reality; meanwhile, he's going to
investigate just what it is that Zhul fears so much on this planet.  That
is, if he lives that long... which Commander Warl is determined to prevent!

The Gishin forces have not in fact been fooled by Marg's little ruse, and
Warl rushes over to immobilize Marg so he can take him back to be personally
executed by Zhul.  Marg pleads with his brother to stay away, and instead to
summon Gaia and fight.  Okay, that works.

 The cavalry arrive momentarily, and Takeru explains what's been going on in
 no time flat.  Kidnap a man's twin brother after they've been apart all
 their lives?  Homey DON'T play that!  Warl is not long for this world, but
 he gets a temporary reprieve when Zhul shows up in person.  Exclamation
 point.  Does Takeru fall for the "No, I am your father" routine?  No.  Is
 Takeru willing to abandon the Earth?  No.  Does Zhul explain how the Earth
 is a threat to destroy the universe?  Of course not, goddamn it!

 Thwarted in his attempt to neutralize Takeru with words, the infuriated
 emperor resorts to force (after having Warl evacuate to a safe distance).
 For all Zhul's smug-yet-cryptic observations about the exotic folks on the
 team, he's a yellow-bellied coward who flees at 10k HP.  Of course, this
 means Takeru and friends have all the more incentive to wreck his ass.
 Alas, that just makes him more of a smartass, and he prepares some truly
 stupefying display of his power.

 Surprise, it's the Spanish Inquisition^W^WDimensional Beasts, who for once
 completely ignore Zexis and focus their firepower on Zhul.  This tickles
 him pink, making him feel that it was actually worth all this shipping cost
 it took to send his avatar to Earth.  W-wait, _Avatar_?!  Like as in, the
 Last Bare-Ender?  No, that would be some other fanfic -- in _this_ playable
 fanfic, "avatar" means more like a body-divided part of Zhul's whole being.
 Which in turn means that the full-strength Zhul is genuinely a force to be
 reckoned with.

 The day of reckoning is some ways away; for today Takeru gets to keep his
 life and the knowledge that his brother is now at the tender mercies of
 the Last Bare-Ender.  Zhul disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving the
 fearsome DBs for the party to deal with.  And then _Eim_ appears, and gets
 the DBs to "heel".  He's saved Zexis in order to chat with them, and Crow's
 first question is whether it's really him who's causing the Quakes and
 letting the DBs into this world.  "Yes and no" is Eim's answer: he apologizes
 for all the mess he's caused to date, saying that it was all in the interest
 of testing the team.

His mech, the Arietis, can Quakes under certain conditions -- not that that
guarantees that the DBs will show up.  Conversely, DBs can show up without
his intervention, and in fact most of them to date have.  He tells Crow that
the Arietis is the product of Neyn Industries, and is equipped with the
so-called Dimensional Vibration System.  Neyn is a very secretive special
technology research lab directly reporting to the UN, and they're the ones
who built the "VX" that powers the Blaster.  The mysterious gadget is a Level 5
secret, and after Axion stole it Eim's been busily trying to destroy it to
prevent misuse.  Crow won't be causing any Quakes any time soon though, as his
VX is, in Eim's words, "incomplete".  Eim's got a completed VX in his mech,
part of Neyn's research into what to do about the DBs.

In fact, the DBs gathered at his feet are ones he had summoned, and as a
result they're under his control.  Apparently he can lasso some DBs, modify
them to suit his needs, store them in Hammerspace, and summon them at will.
That implies a stratospheric tech level for Neyn, and Eim explains that their
master plan includes using the DBs as biological weapons to fight _for_
humanity.  They are hoping to enlist Zexis as well, and felt they had to test
them to see how they'd hold up against real adversaries.

Why not, then, get in contact with Elgan first?  Eim tells Zero and the
others that there are those within Neyn who distrust Elgan's sometimes
strongarm tactics in trying to save the world.  Thus, why he got in touch with
the "boots on the ground" directly.  Crow distrusts Eim's explanation and
apologies instinctively -- he may be telling the truth, but not the whole
truth.  Eim finds Crow's hesitance regrettable but understandable, and hopes
that he can eventually win his trust.  In the meantime, as a gesture of good
will he offers to divulge the location of WLF's headquarters, as well as who
their backers are.  Elgan Roddick isn't _all_-powerful after all, and Neyn
prides itself on having the best intelligence gathering in the business.

The WLF are supported by Carlos, and their HQ is in Limonecia.  Certainly,
having the world's richest man and the world's most vocal small nation as
sponsors would go a long way to explaining the WLF's unusually rich resources.
Zero asks why Neyn hasn't acted against the WLF themselves, and Eim ascribes it
to a shortage of warpower: they've only just started researching the DBs after
all.  He tells Zexis that it's up to them what to do with the information, but
he believes they'll strike down the WLF in the interest of world peace.  And
if Crow becomes a comrade of his, he'll not need to attack the Blaster
any further.

That's a lot to digest as the team make good their escape.  The consensus,
though a divided one, is that Eim is trying to trap the team.  Crow in
particular is adamant that Eim is so accomplished a liar that the vocal
stress analysis Tielia ran is meaningless.  This is not a knock on Veda, but
a sad realization that there are villains out there beyond even its
computational abilities.  He recounts how much it cost him to learn the
falsehood of Eim's words, and says he'd have said so sooner except he wanted to
keep Eim's tall tales from spreading.  Zero, used to dealing with treacherous
folks of all stripes, is equally convinced on instinct alone that Eim is not
to be trusted.

Still, it's inarguable that he did have those DBs at his beck and call.
Presumably at least some other parts of his speech were true, and without
knowing which parts those are Zero has realized the key to moving forward.
Striking the WLF's home base will give Zexis the infusion of public Justice
they crave, and if it turns out to be a trap it will be the ultimate proof
that Eim and his backers are truly the bad guys.  Until there's at least some
clarity on that point, Zexis will continue to have enemies on every side.
And if so, the team would rather make the conscious decision to move forward
to confront their foes.  Zero advocates heading to Limonecia forthwith and
not waiting for Elgan's orders -- he's concerned that Elgan must of known
of the Great Nations' ambush and yet not told the team.  On the other hand,
he's not done wrong by the team before, and even if he intended to sacrifice
Zexis to some higher end, it seems a bit premature to pull that trigger.
Thus, the team will proceed with all due caution while seizing what could be
a major break.  Everyone will have to look out for themselves along the way,
which in Takeru's case is a heavy, but bearable, burden indeed.

Eim has in fact been acting in Sionny's "best interest", believing that the
WLF are just in the way and arranging for Zexis to make them disappear.  That
this means summoning Zexis to Sionny's beloved homeland doesn't exactly make
her feel any better, but Eim assures her that the do-gooding Zexis won't lay
a finger on any of the civilians.  He tells her gently but firmly that there's
no time to argue, especially with Zhul about to figure out what's really so
special about this planet.  Tomorrow this world will be reborn, and Sionny's
tears will finally be dried for good.  He promises that the massive amount of
energy that will be gated in via Project Vortex will be hers to command.  Do
you believe him?  Gee...


CHAPTER 22. Assault on Limonecia

Lady Une reports to Treize of Zexis' trek to Limonecia, which is certain to
beat the Federation's army there unless someone stops for a latte.  Treize and
his co-conspirators all nod their approval: Zexis is well advised to avoid
turning public opinion against them, and the Federation army doesn't really
need to lose any forces in a battle of attrition with the erstwhile Allies of
Justice.  Alejandro asks Treize if he sees any further value in using Zexis,
and Treize smiles and says that he's never treated Zexis as a pawn.  Not that
he doesn't expect great things of them though -- even greater than Elgan
himself does, in fact.

If anything doesn't compute about the scenario, it's Limonecia's (that is to
say, Sionny's) refusal to even permit the Fed troops to enter her airspace.
There's no way in hell Limonecia's army is masculine enough to withstand a
Zexis assault, even after all its recent political machinations...  Added to
their recent odd mobilization of WLFs, the cabal figure they'll be able to
soon justify forcible Federation incursions into Limonecia, Sionny's say-so or
not.  Alejandro dispatches Ribbons to get a Fed "oversight" force ready for
action, and the rest of the Fed forces will be kept near Limonecia's borders...
"just in case".  Regardless of whether Zexis or Limonecia come out on top,
Treize is sure that world events are about to accelerate again.

Meanwhile, Lockon and friends are doing some "oversight" of his own in
Limonecia.  Veda has provided a clue involving several terrorist organizations
the CBs took down, whose survivors seem rife in the local populace: ample proof
that this land is indeed WLF's home base.  Lockon isn't especially shy about
calling the one-and-future terrorists out about it either, quite prepared to
blow them away on the spot if they don't get lost fast.  Which is more of a
choice than they gave the innocent civilians who got caught in their
terroristic crossfire.  Crow plays "good cop" to Lockon's vengeful bad cop,
warning the terrorists that the WLF are going down and that Zexis doesn't want
any civilian casualties.  He advises the WLF to face Zexis in an unpopulated
area if they have even a shred of human decency left, and Lockon adds with a
snarl that any attempt to use civilians as human shields will result in them
wishing they'd never been born.

Lockon -- as nicely as he can under the circumstances -- refuses to explain to
Crow why he hates terrorists so much, but he inwardly vows to his long-departed
family that he won't suffer any further acts of terrorism on his watch.
Crow tells him that he tagged along mainly because he's looking for someone,
though that someone isn't exactly a friend.  Lockon thinks for a moment, and
asks Crow if he likes this world.  "Likes?"  No.  "Doesn't dislike?"  Sure,
especially with the prospect of helping Zexis improve it in play.  Same goes
for Crow, who's looking to right a few wrongs with his sniper rifle...

Some time later, Sionny greets the dawn from the seashore.  She's labored since
her youth to aid her beloved country, and believes firmly that in a few scant
hours it will take its rightful place on the stage of history.  She thinks
back on her Faustian bargain with Eim, a desperate bid to extend Limonecia's
recent prosperity after its stores of DEC run dry, and has high hopes that the
common people will in time see her as their Savior, nay, their GREAT SAVIOR(tm).

The Limonecian forces dutifully deploy, away from any population centers.  The
WLF commander muses over his motley forces, cobbled together from a dozen
different failed terrorist organizations in a probably fruitless attempt at
revenge (gussied up as "world peace").  In fact, the WLF should have imploded
long ago, and probably would have if not for Axion pumping cash into their
veins.  Axion's role is that of the classical "death merchant", profiting with
every war started, every bullet sold, and every drop of blood vengefully
spilled.  But why would Limonecia help too, unless to use the WLF as bait for
some greater purpose?  Even the commander can't guess what that purpose is, but
he expects to find out momentarily, now that it's too late to do anything about
it.

As Zexis take the field, Holland and Talho confirm to themselves that if worse
comes to worse, they've got to grab Renton and Eureka and bug out: this Ally of
Justice business is just a sham.  Sionny and Carlos are watching too from a
safe distance -- the Limonecian president is currently somewhere else after
Sionny explained to him what she's embroiled the nation in (the mysterious
Project Vortex).  Sionny implies that "somewhere else" means "sleeping with the
fishes".  Eim just wishes that Zexis and WLF would kill each other off to leave
him with a free hand, but Carlos tells him not to worry: if Project Vortex
succeeds, they'll have the moxie to alter the world's military balance as they
see fit.  Eim says that the time to open the Door will be when the battle
concludes, and thanks Sionny for providing the DEC to make that happen.

 The WLF's resistance is short-lived, and for a while the Zexis feel like
 the conquering heros, about to lay bare Limonecia and Axion's treachery for
 the world to see.  Even the cautious Crow and Zero are beginning to believe
 that Eim had their best interests at heart, and it's pretty certain that the
 team has just banked some credit against interference by the Federation.

 The glee comes to an abrupt halt when Carlos pops out in a mobile fortress
 he calls the "Great Axion".  Eim sorties too, and the two units quickly
 set up some sort of spacetime resonance that looks like the beginnings of a
 Tremor.  _This_ is what Axion has been after: its own Fold System.

The pilots scramble back to the flagship as waves of energy engulf the team.
The damage isn't severe enough to take out the propulsion systems, but sensors
are basically useless.  However, the team _is_ able to pick up something
emerging from the center of what Eim calls the "Gate of Insalaum": a person!


CHAPTER 23. Dawn of a New World

If Zexis' machinery is having a hard time with the outpouring of spacetime
energy, you can imagine how badly Limonecia itself is faring.  Even Carlos
isn't quite sure this was part of the plan, but Eim smugly comforts them:
this is either a "minor" amount of feedback from the Fold system, or His power.
"Him" being the "Lord Who Destroys the World".  ...Anyone else dubious yet?

Zexis are dubious, having seen that minor feedback reduce the beautiful
Limonecian countryside to one _ginormous_ crater.  At the center of the crater
is the figure of a man, who quickly proves himself to be some kind of demon
when, barehanded, he starts blasting the Zexis fleet from a distance.  Zero
cries out for the team to open fire, unarmed opponent or not, and Jeffrey
authorizes weapons-free.

As the smoke clears, there's no further sign of the man.  Instead, a massive
mech emerges: a Dimensional Beast, with the man aboard it.  His words are
clearly audible over the radio as he challenges the team to come with
everything they've got.  Though his power is clearly unknown, what is known
is that he isn't going to let the team simply run away.  In which case...

 This mystery dude is one _serious_ menace, and from his standpoint Zexis
 aren't all that appetizing as prey.  Still, he tells Eim that he receives
 passing marks for this little fiasco.  As despair grips Zexis, Crow demands
 that Eim tell them who the hell this dude is.  Eim gamely informs him that
 he's facing He Who Destroys Worlds, the leaker of all the Dimensional Beasts.
 Eim implores him to open the Gate of Insalaum, and the Lord agrees to
 summon "them".  "Them" is a bunch of new DBs, as well as mecha that aren't
 obviously of DB origin, and jets off about whatever business the Destroyer
 of Worlds might have.  After seeing that He means to leave Zexis alive, he
 follows too, leaving a hysterical Sionny to survey the nuclear wasteland
 that used to be her country.  Carlos shrugs, having not expected things to
 get this bad, and mildly advises her to not cry over spilt milk.

 At the last, Eim laments that Crow feels nothing when faced with the
 primordial power of their lord.  Looks like Crow wasn't worth his effort to
 kill after all.  Eim summons a bunch of DBs, telling Crow that Eim's a liar
 and that the whole business about Neyn Industries was false.  Things are so
 grim that even Zero pales for a second, but then gathers himself and directs
 the team how to make the quickest path out of this bloodbath.

 As the battle slogs on, yet another new player appears, "dragged back" from
 somewhere according to his mutterings.  One of the DBs snarls in his
 direction, and the man asks why it hates him so much.  Upon closer
 inspection, he finds that it, like him, is bound by the "Infinite Beasts".
 Time to free its soul then!  He says not a word to Zexis, but as he sees
 Crow if finally makes sense to him what's going on here.

If ever there was a Pyhrric victory, this is it: a nation (and all its
inhabitants) laid waste, hordes of newer and dangerous-er monsters unleashed,
new levels of smack being talked by the bad guys (who got away Scott-free,
by the way), and nothing more to show for it than a few dead DBs.  Oh, and
a possible new ally, who provisionally names himself "Asakim Dorwen".  He
tells Crow to consider himself lucky that his enemies don't (yet) consider him
worth killing, and announces that he's going to continue his journey in search
of spiritual peace.  His mech then vanishes in a black whirlwind, as all the
world's communication systems suddenly resound with the following message:

It's Sionny again, announcing that her mobile fortress Great Axion is to be
considered an independent country, the "Imperium".  Anyone who impedes the
Great Axion's course will be considered as a threat to that independence, and
dealt with with force... for example, the Harness Federation that lies between
her and her current destination at Point 1271 (wherever that is).  She claims
that her warpower includes DBs, the implications of which she will make clear
to the world in two hours when Harness is eradicated.

Cornelia is incensed at this declaration, but beyond her fury her reason is
working.  Upon hearing that Britannia itself is doing nothing, she orders the
pureblooded Knights to be recalled from the Federation at once.  Dalton
protests that this would need permission from the Security Council, but she
snaps back that if this declaration can be taken as fact, all national borders
just lost their meaning.  The old world order has just fallen, and if everyone
isn't very careful it will be replaced by Hell on Earth!

These thoughts are echoed back at Ashford academy, whose student council can
only hope that Lelouch, Hiiro and the others can salvage something from this
mess.  Kinue and Isabelle are also considering their response, and Isabelle
advises her colleague to not be too hasty to rush into this new warzone.
This "Imperium" is as a stone -- nay, a boulder -- dropped into the pond that
is the world.  The ripples will spread everywhere, possibly bursting the
pond's boundaries, and they need to take a wider view of this accelerating
situation if they are to have any hope as journalists of bringing the truth
to the public.

What can the two singers, currently in a Paris hotel, do at a time like this?
Sing, and believe in Alto and the others.

Sionny was being modest: it takes only an hour and fifty-five minutes to
reduce Harness to ruins.  Treize is very quiet, finally asking Lady Une if
using the Federation troops stationed near Limonecia could have averted the
catastrophe.  Not averted, but maybe postponed a little... during which time
maybe a few lives could have been saved.  Alejandro sniffs that none of them
are gods, and that there are things they simply cannot do.  Schneizer tells
him that there _is_ no god, and that nothing should be thought impossible for
this group.

Treize solemnly swears to never let a day like this pass again, and Schneizer
muses that this alliance will dissolve as the various nations look to their
own response to the Imperium.  Britannia's king is cloistered away in his
personal chambers, though _not_ -- in Schneizer's private estimation -- in
fear the way Alejandro suspects.  Even if the world changes the way these
men might want, the process of change will be far bloodier than any had hoped.
Could Zexis be the force that rescues the world from chaos?

Speaking of King Charles, he's... umm... preoccupied?  He muses that war and
desire are meaningless, as Schneizer and this upstart Imperium will learn soon
enough.  Soon the day will come when mankind obtains everything!  Elgan too
is in contact with another power, understanding what he must do now and what
the Imperium's show of force portends.  In fact, he expected this to happen,
and believed it was important enough to let it transpire that he deliberately
let Sionny live long enough to pull it off, despite the death toll it would
cause.  It's all in the interest of winning a more distant battle, a battle in
which failure means death for the entire world.  After all, the last thing in
Pandora's Box was hope... though some have it that "hope" never existed, no
matter how much humans want to cling to it.  Elgan himself will be doing some
of that clinging, to Zexis and the visitors from afar.

Eim meanwhile takes a very perverse joy in the things he's made Sionny do,
including annihilating her beloved homeland.  Sionny will probably need to be
fitted for a _long_-sleeved jacket at this rate, but even Carlos wasn't exactly
envisioning this as the "energy from a parallel universe" that Project Vortex
was meant to call upon.  Carlos has to sigh and blame himself for not realizing
that the Lord is the power Eim was speaking of, and isn't going to back out
now.  He does insist on one thing though: the Lord _so_ needs a new name:
Gaiou, with "Gerltilan" as his mech.  Gaiou himself is willing to go along
with this, having lost all memory of his identity or past.  The one and only
thing he's got left is the desire to fight, and he means to use this whole
world as his battleground.  He orders Eim and the others to bring him worthy
opponents, whose flesh and even souls he means to devour!!!


CHAPTER 24. (Route Split)

 Project Vortex: Limonecia's bid to open a portal to parallel worlds.  Gaiou,
 the Destroyer of Worlds, stepped through that portal and declared the whole
 of the world to be his battleground.  None then knew how far this
 battleground would extend, least of all Gaiou himself.

 "Calamity Birth", as this incident became known, deepened the chaos gripping
 the world.  Fighting ensued wherever the new nation of Imperium traveled,
 and with it fear and rage.  Yet there were those determined to resist, whose
 resolve was quietly renewed.

 Faced with this storm of violence, mankind will now be forced to make a
 number of choices...

Zero has made the first of these already: the Black Knights will part with
Zexis and return to Japan.  Defeating the WLF has given the group the
legitimacy he wanted, and there's no better time to return to liberating Japan
from Britannia.  Besides, someone's got to help defend the place should the
Imperium decide to head that way.  Sumeragi was thinking along similar lines,
intending to take the CB into hiding in space while they replan their
anti-war terrorism.  Jeffrey will be happy to take them there, anxious as he
is to get the SMS back to the Frontier fleet.

Holland feels a debt to Elgan, and intends to hang around and use the Security
Council as cover until that debt is repaid.  That sounds to Zero like a three-
way split, the first of which will be based around the free Japan's teams --
including Getter, who's been ordered back for reoutfitting -- and will continue
the Security Council work.  The second team will go to space, adding Team D's
might to the CBs and SMS.  And the third team, in charge of Area Eleven, will
involve the Black Knights and the Colonial Gundams.  The freelance Crow is free
to go wherever he wants.  As the commanders bid each other farewell, possibly
forever, Zero is furiously fretting over what he and Zexis can do to save the
world from the Imperium's tyrrany...

Crow briefs Traia on the situation and asks how things are going inside of
Axion (whose president has just declared war on the whole world).  Traia smiles
thinly and says that any commotion is well-hidden: it's all ostensibly business
as usual around the office.  If nothing else, nobody at Axion wants to get
their campus leveled like Harness by running their mouth.  Traia isn't too
worried about her own lab, counting on Carlos being unwilling to nuke the place
until his intellectual duel with her is over.  And in the meantime, she's still
planning to fortify the Blaster and help slaughter as many DBs as possible.
That's one of the things Crow wanted to hear, the other being how much he's
gonna earn for continuing as a pilot -- he fully believes the world will _not_
end, and is planning as it were for life after the Imperium.

[You get to pick which of the three branches to take.  If the UN Security
Council, go to 24U.  If space, 24S.  If Area Eleven, 24E.]

In any case, there will be DBs worldwide, and the lurking threat of Eim waiting
for a rematch.  Ester isn't in good shape after seeing what happened to
Harness, having shut herself away in her room ever since.  Crow tells Traia to
pass along that he hasn't forgotten his promise to her, and assures Traia
with a smirk that he's not the type to die without discharging his debts.

Word of Zexis' division reaches the Imperium, where Sionny and Carlos aren't
sure what to make of the move.  Eim chuckles a little, planning to send teams
to keep an eye on the three branches.  For better or for worse, the Zexis
members now bear teh "stigma" of what they've done, as indeed do Carlos and
Sionny themselves.  This makes little sense, but Eim excuses himself for an
errand without explaining further.  He's got some big prey to hunt, bigger
than Crow: a cursed wanderer drawn to this world by his soul...


CHAPTER 24U. A Foreigner Arrives

The Imperium is currently in Southern Europe, heading West like some kind of
natural disaster in a game of Civilization.  And unlike a natural disaster,
it's led by human will -- a fact that has Akagi and Kamina eager to go kick
its ass.  In the week since the mess in Harness, the Three Great Nations have
contented themselves with minor skirmishes along the Imperium's path (the
purpose of which is unknown), seemingly okay with letting the world burn.  As
sentiment rises among the pilots that the time is now to strike back, Ryouma
finally yells at them all to shut the fuck up.  Zexis at its full strength
couldn't face the Imperium head on, so what good could a third of it do now?

Nada, _now_.  Crow catches onto Ryouma's drift quickly: the team has to make
itself stronger, so that eventually it _will_ be equal to the task of trashing
the Imperium.  He's got more in mind than just powering up the team's mecha:
the pilots themselves have to forge themselves, they must sniff out the enemy's
weak spots, and ideally gather even more sympathetic participants to the
cause.  Maybe not Aaskim though: he's scary and he's from another dimension
(though probably not the same on Gaiou came from).

Ootsuka and the other leaders present the team with its new mission: resuming
the survey of the Dark Continent.  The world's dimensional horizon has been
greatly weakened by the Calamity Birth, and there's no telling when another
entity as powerful as Gaiou might pop up.  Since the majority of spacetime
disturbances are in the Dark Continent, that's a logical place to set up
surveillance.

In the time left before departure, Kouji decides to swing by Kurogane-ya and
get a bit more training as Ryouma suggested.  He means to get stronger at all
costs, and it's already clear that Akagi won't be his "senpai" for much longer.
Watta won't get much of a break either, as his teachers have sent a batch of
homework to keep the young CEO from falling too much farther behind in class.
Takeru will also have to say goodbye to his Earth mother, his promise to his
brother heavy in his heart.

Sure enough, strange things are afoot in the Dark Continent, whose patrols of
Beastmen are restless.  Out of nowhere materializes Zanbot-3, whose pilots
seemingly got plucked out of their own homes and dressed in their pilot suits
in no time flat.  Upon seeing the human mech, the Beastmen immediately open
fire and force Kappei and the others to fire back.

 The Zexis forces show up a little while later, and Kappei and Watta almost
 immediately start quarreling.  Kamina doesn't care: he's home, and he's ready
 to kick some Beastman ass.

 It turns out however that there are bigger fish to fry than just the
 Beastmen: a group of DBs shows up, and the Beastman in charge orders the
 troops to withdraw -- his orders are to not actually fight the DBs.

No hope for the DBs against this bunch.  As the troops withdraw from the
battlefield, Zanbot-3 in tow, it turns out that Kappei and friends know the
Gekkostate... from a parallel universe, where they're comrades as part of a
team named "ZEUTH".  This has Holland and Talho very concerned: they know of
the world Zanbot-3 must be from: a world whose dimensions had been remade with
the power of Myths...


CHAPTER 24S. Incompatible Executors

The Imperium's steady march across the globe is one of the worst things
mankind could face psychologically: a foe both powerful and enigmatic, and
constantly in sight of the entire world.  The strain on those in its path is
immense, and terrorism and looting spread from its path like cancer.  Nobody
seems willing to confront it head-on, and all resistance so far has been
suspiciously token.  To make the picture even rosier, those nations who have
been reduced to so much landfill by the endless hordes of DBs are now prime
targets for their still-healthy neighbors' land-grabbing ambitions.  The Great
Nations are staying silent for now, hoping to avoid the Imperium's ire until
such time as they can think up an effective countermeasure...

..leaving the map of the world to be systematically rewritten in the
meantime.  Though there are rumors of various nations attempting to curry favor
with the Imperium, Lockon doubts that Imperium's current behavior is the best
way to take over the world.  One thing that the team can agree on is that the
Imperium must be stopped, even if that seems like a very tall order.
Certainly that's why Crow chose to come along with this branch of Zexis,
though it should be noted that if the team wipes out the Imperium and its
legions of DBs, Crow will technically be out of a job.

That some AEU nations would try to contact the Imperium suggests cracks in the
AEU's structure, cracks probably echoed in the other Great Nations.  Jeffrey
thinks the most logical thing to do is for the Frontier fleet to help battle
the Imperium with its full strength, even though that call technically belongs
to the president to make.  Cathy for one intends to help him state his case
via her report to the Frontier government.  The real question is, what to do
about all the _other_ troubles facing the world, both internal and external.

Deliberations are cut short when a passel of DBs actually attacks, seemingly
undeterred by the challenge of getting to outer space.  The team quickly
sorties to fight back, and have the distinct feeling they're being watched.

 The team is in fact being watched, by a bunch of Federation forces who only
 step in after the DBs are dealt with.  Their mission is taking out
 international terrorists (that would be the CBs), and they totally disregard
 Jeffrey's plea for reason and for consulting the chain of command before
 doing something stupid.  Unfortunately, a third party intervenes: several
 new Gundams, plus the scarlet Dancougar.  They immediately open fire on the
 Federation forces, who of course turn their guns on the Zexis forces.  No
 choice but to counterattack then...

The interlopers request permission to board the Ptolemeios and maybe clear up
some of the misunderstandings the team may have about them, and Sumeragi grants
the request in the interest of having some questions of her own answered.  The
R-Daigun flies off at once, leaving the new Gundams -- for they are powered by
GN particles just like the current CBs' mecha -- to join up in peace.

The mecha are not of the first or second generation of Gundams, and Veda knows
nothing of them.  At least they don't appear to be equipped with Solar
Reactors.  All except the CBs have been excused from the meeting in the hopes
of encouraging these new folks to speak openly.  They are, by name: Johann
Trinity, Mihael Trinity and Neina Trinity -- blood siblings and extremely odd
to boot.  Case in point: the first thing Neina does is kiss Setsuna on the
lips, to the dismay of everyone else including Setsuna himself.  The Trinity
siblings have a Haro of their own which claims to be the long-lost sibling of
the CBs'... which in turn professes to know nothing of the sort.

Relations quickly break down between the rank and file, leaving the commanders
to try to salvage some semblance of order.  The Trinities won't say how they
come to own Gundams or where they got GN Drives, but Johann does say that the
scarlet Dancougar is a "collaborator" of theirs, much like the CBs joined
forces with Zexis.  He says that their mission is the same as that of the CBs:
rooting out the causes and means of war.  Mihael, who seems to have something
like Aspberger's, makes it clear that he finds the CBs' methods for doing this
waaaay too slow.  Johann won't go that far, merely conjecturing that the
entity who gave him his mission may have similar doubts.  He requests that the
CBs keep doing what they've been doing, while his people go about things in
their own way, meaning armed interventions just as the CBs themselves were
doing at the start.  He tells them to think of this as the result of their
focusing on terrorists and aliens, instead of the bigger human nations, but
Lockon and Sumeragi aren't convinced.  Sumeragi asks if these newcomers are
essential to Ioria Schoenberg's plan, and Johann says that she should be able to
judge that from their actions going forward.

Elsewhere in the Veda terminal room, Tielia is astonished to find Neina there
ahead of her.  When asked how Neina got into this highly secure area, Neina
says that she walked in through the door.  As for who she is... well, it's a
secret.  Duh.  So uhh, just who are these Gundam Trinity folks anyway?

The Trinities depart, and the Macross folks wonder what must be going through
the CBs' heads at this revelation about their organization's secrets.  Bobby
certainly sympathizes with the shock Setsuna suffered, though he adds with a
smirk that he's so much more into Tielia, who he _totally_ wants to transform
into a woman with his makeup artistry skills.  There's little time to dwell
on the cross-dressing though, as Tanaka radios in with word of a rash of
Quakes in the center of the Dark Continent.  Multiple entitles from other
worlds have arrived, bringing their weaponry with them, all members of
something called "ZEUTH".  There's a chance that some more could emerge in
space, and Tanaka advises Jeffrey to keep his eyes open.


CHAPTER 24E. The Battle of Narita

Nanaly welcomes Lelouch back home, going to fetch some tea after recognizing
him from his footsteps alone.  C.C. is about too, keeping an eye on her as
instructed.  She tells Lelouch that nothing unusual's been going on, noting
that Nanaly's stronger than Lelouch believes and that he worries about her
too much.  Of course Lelouch doesn't like hearing that, or that between him
and Nanaly, he's the one more likely in need of protection.  What is she, his
mother now?

She then asks him why he's "Lelouch", not a merely philosophical question since
that really is his given name from before he changed his surname to
"Lamperouge".  It would seem that he can't fully put his past behind him.
So what about her moniker "C.C." -- hardly a human name either, eh?  She
answers this question with a rhetorical question of her own: why is snow white?
Answer: ...Because it forgot what color it used to be....

Away from this deepening emotional tableau, the rest of the pilots are yucking
it up with their long-lost comrades in the Shinjuku Ghetto.  Kiriko is his
usual blank-slate self outwardly, accepting only a cup of coffee as a token
of "welcome home".  _Not_ yucking it up is Wufei, who's only agreed to hang
with the crew in order to figure out who Zero really is -- he doesn't trust
Zero's chicanery any farther than he could throw the helmeted impresario.
His instincts tell him that Zero is using the weak of this nation as pawns to
serve his own ambition, though he freely admits he has no proof yet.

Zero walks in as Wufei finishes speaking his peace.  He knows there's nothing
he can do to assuage his doubts (could this be because they're in part true?),
and also knows that there's nothing Wufei can do to advance his suspicions
without letting Zero operate, at least for a while.  Hiiro asks what Zero plans
to do should proof of his malfeasance surface, and Zero asks in turn what
Hiiro would do then.  Kill him, like as in some Aku-Soku-Zan shit.  Zero
believes Hiiro, and says that he'll do what he can to not be worthy of such a
death sentence.  That's do for Wufei at any rate.

Now, the news!  Diethart explains that Area Eleven has been in a state of
orderly martial law, braced for an attack by the Imperium at any moment.
Cornelia has skillfully squashed the various resistance groups under the banner
of avoiding Imperium-related panic, and only the Japan Liberation Front have
any appreciable strength left.  They've disavowed the hotel-jacking incident
as the work of a few radicals, and continue their operations under the
direction of "Miracle Toujou", the leader of Japan's only successful armed
resistance to Britannia to date.

Toujou's forces have been forced to retreat into their distant mountain
stronghold, and the proud Cornelia has been forced to summon extra help in
preparation for launching a counter-offensive: this is the ultimate proof
of just how formidable the KLF is.  Toujou's defeat would finally break the
will of the resistance throughout Area Eleven, so the obvious course for the
Black Knights is to go fend Cornelia off and get Toujou to join the Knights.
This will surely entail a major showdown with Britannian forces, including
reinforcements from the mainland, which doesn't seem optimal when all mankind
faces such a slate of common threats.  All the same, Zero is adamant that
the Japanese should protect their own land against these menaces going forward,
and that if they don't stand up now they may as well resign themselves to
eternal Britannian rule.  He assures the team that he's got a surefire plan to
save the day.

Having said "hi" to everyone else, Lelouch then rejoins his fellow
Student Council members.  Nina's now infatuated with Euphy and is begging
Milly to help her meet the princess so she can say "thank you" for her help
during the hotel-jacking.  Shoji's been very busy and not spending much time
with Louise (though of course he's saving up for something for her), and Suzaku
has been away from school a lot due to his military job.  Karen is of course
out with a "prolonged" illness.  Lelouch is nothing if not good at making
excuses to avoid, for instance, Shirley's attempt to invite him to a classical
music concert.  But hey, at least Lelouch is alive and well, right?  Rilina
assures Louise that Shoji is thinking of her as he works his pizza delivery
job, and urges her to have faith.  C.C. does the same for Shoji when he
delivers today's pizza, having saved up enough points for the third of the
special prizes the pizzeria offers.

The big operation happens the following day, with Cornelia's composite force
deployed to Toujou's stronghold in the Narita mountains.  Graham's specially
requested to come along for the ride, intrigued at participating in the end
of arguably the last of the "samurai".  Said "samurai" are more than willing
to die here if they can go out gloriously, and hopefully take a number of
the Britannians with them.

 As the battle begins, Bartley is trying to hastily evacuate the staff of his
 secret research facility.  The "Code-R" data must not fall into the
 military's hands!  The evacuation will be tricky, given that the Black
 Knights are on the scene too.  Zero greets Toujou, not as an idolater of
 the "miracle" he performed, but as an admirer of the info-gathering and
 strategizing that everyone else thinks of as a miracle.  Zero wants Toujou
 on his team, and he wants them to defeat Britannia together, but Toujou has
 seemingly already resigned himself to death.  Zero yells at him to snap out
 of it, reminding him why Area Eleven has resisted Britannia's incursion
 so much more successfully than any of the other Areas: it surrendered with
 all its infrastructure essentially intact.  Belief in the "miracle" that
 Toujou pulled off is one of the things that's been keeping the dream alive,
 and the Japanese spirit will remain alive so long as people like Toujou
 don't give up till their very last drop of blood is shed.  This speech gets
 through to Toujou and his men, and the Black Knights now have a few new
 pilots on the payroll.

 They'll need them, since Cornelia's forces are surely lurking in the wings
 in case the first wave of Britannian troops are defeated.  Zero's got a plan
 which involves a separate mission for Karen and her scary KMF, and orders the
 main force to mount a frontal assault that's sure to draw Cornelia's
 attention.

 This works all too well, given the colossal size of Cornelia's main force.
 She's deployed in the best tactical spot possible, and Zero has to commend
 her command of her troops.  With odds like this, it would take a "miracle" to
 come out on top -- and if Christ could pull that off, why not Zero?  Err,
 Zero didn't deliberately put his people at a disadvantage, did he?  In any
 case there are only two choices left: die with him, or _live_ with him!

 I'm betting on "living", thanks to Zero's aforementioned surefire plan.
 He's scouted the geology of the area, and noticed that Cornelia's likely
 troop rallying point is situated right over the main confluence of the
 water tables.  Karen's mech is outfitted with an energy radiator gizmo that
 can be aimed at said water table, turning it to steam and causing an
 instant explosion.  The blast is massive, and what few troops remain rush
 to protect Cornelia from Zero's counterattack.  If she falls here, Japan is
 as good as independent.

 It turns out Zero has another reason for wanting Cornelia to surrender: she's
 one of two people who may know the truth about his mother's death.  Cornelia
 is prepared to take her own life rather than fall into her enemy's hands,
 and before Zero can stop her Suzaku shows up!  Euphy's given him special
 permission to help out, and his Lancelot instantly takes Zero's mech down.
 Suzaku concedes that he owes Zero a debt of gratitude for saving Eleven
 lives and getting them to work together, but adds that Zero's going about
 things the wrong way.  Zero is faced with the prospect of his perfect
 strategies being vanquished in an instant by this do-gooder, but just then
 C.C. appears, walking right up to the Lancelot and laying hands on it.

 Suzaku starts screaming, and C.C. tells Zero that she's shown him a shocking
 image (though she herself has no idea what that image is).  Zero doesn't want
 to just escape with a debt to C.C. hanging over his head, and makes the
 mistake of touching her and getting imaged too.  Punishment, scars, malice,
 hatred, loneliness all wash over him as Suzaku relives his anguish over not
 being able to save his father.

 He goes berserk, and in the process blows a hole in the terrain Zero and
 C.C. are standing on.  They fall underground, and it's Wufei who tells the
 team they should go search for Zero rather than finish Cornelia off (she
 would just be replaced, after all).  As the team bug out, Cornelia herself
 is awestruck, wondering what happened to Suzaku.

Lelouch and C.C. managed to stay together, and C.C. took the brunt of the
damage.  Her wounds are closing before Lelouch's eyes, and it's pretty clear
she's not a normal human.  Clovis seemingly was researching her on his own,
meaning she's likely not connected to anything at the all-Britannia level, but
just who is this woman who conferred on him his Geass?  She comes to, and
berates him for not getting himself to a safer place in the meantime.  He
needn't have bothered tending to her wounds, obviously, but Lelouch knows
that she still feels pain from all the crying out she was doing while under.

He also heard her speak her real name, which he thinks is far more human than
"C.C.".  C.C. is about to snap at him for eavesdropping, but surprisingly
breaks down in tears at the mention of her name.  She tells Lelouch that she's
lost all her memories, and is obviously anything but human -- so why should she
need a human name?  All the dreadful things Lelouch experienced are actually
the burden she bears constantly.  He solemnly thanks her for saving him and for
giving him the Geass: an expression of gratitude he won't tender more than
once.  She asks him in return to call her by her real name, as tenderly as he
can, and wryly criticizes the tenderness coefficient when he does.  Lelouch
replies that he doesn't know why snow is white, but does know that it's
beautiful to him.  And as for the escaped Cornelia, he assures C.C. that he and
his "miraculous" stratagems will bring her to heel soon enough.

Lloyd certainly thanks Euphy for authorizing Suzaku's sortie, despite all
the stress it put on Suzaku.  The other royals keep overlooking the Lancelot,
but this will go a long way to prove its worth.

Lelouch finds another problem awaiting back at school: it turns out that
Shirley's father was in the area of the steam explosion, part of the collateral
damage that he had written off in advance as insignificant.  Why did Zero do
it, she wants to know, when he's says he's the ally of the weak?  Crying
profusely, she begs Lelouch to save her...


CHAPTER 25U. A Distant World

It's pretty odd that characters from the previous game^W^W^Wa parallel Earth
have arrived in the Dark Continent.  Even odder that they're not alone:
"ZEUTH" members (and their mecha) are popping up all over the world, and not
a moment too soon given their former roles as warriors for the good of all
mankind.  Lucky that _only_ the good guys have showed up, eh?  Ootsuka tells
Tanaka to continue scanning the Dark Continent for more visitors, and to
meet up with a transport ship he's sent.  It contains a very... "eccentric"
passenger.

This world is far closer to its major dimensional catastrophe than the
ZEUTHers' world, and governmentally in far worse shape.  Not that the other
world was a walk in the park, what with political intrigues and murderous
aliens and whatnot.  Still, ZEUTH set things to rights, and not a moment too
soon.  In fact, they had their own experience with people from parallel worlds
when replacements for Setsuko's teammates turned up -- everyone in ZEUTH vowed
then and there not to try to compare different versions of the "same" person.
A good idea, thinks _*MUSASHI*_, who muses that it would suck to find out
that something bad happened oneself elsewhere.  This is of course the height
of subtlety.

The one major personality shift the Zanbot team has noticed is in Holland.
Something about the way Holland keeps his distance, little looks out of the
corners of his eyes at the rest of the team, has Ryouma's instincts on edge.
That's what Shikishima, the aforementioned eccentric passenger, likes to hear:
a mad scientist specializing in cybernetics with a special love of warfare.
With him is Saotome's daughter Michiru and Getter's backup pilot Benkei
[SUBTLE!!! Exclamation Point.]  Shikishima's come to do maintenance on Getter,
and passes along orders for Ryouma and friends to phone home.

What follows is a gentle pep talk, seasoned with advice on how to best
optimize the fusion of man and machine that is Getter Robo.  ...Except that
given the personalities involved, it sounds like the preliminaries to World
War III.  The mission Saotome gave Shikishima is overhauling the Getter
Machines' combination system, decreasing link-up time by 0.2 seconds.  If
Ryouma thinks he can grow as a pilot, he'd better master this new wrinkle
before bitching to the good doctor any more.  And by the time he's mastered
that, Saotome vows to have a whole new robot waiting -- he just hopes it won't
take three frigging years to come to that.  Hmm, suspiciously specific number,
even though the eminent scientist declares that he'll never kick the bucket
till he unlocks all the Getter Rays' secrets.

Well, the Getter Team certainly have their work cut out for them.  The rest
of the pilots, watching the exchange from the sidelines, are pretty amazed at
the bombastic (berserk?) scientist.  Nobody less could have assembled this
group of reprobates as Getter's pilots, and nobody else would enjoy their
mutual trust.  Ryouma growls that that mushy stuff can wait: his blood is now
up and he wants to start mastering the new controls PRONTO.  And lo and behold,
Crow radios in word of a fight going on nearby!  GUDDO TAIMINGU!

So who's fighting?  The Xabungle team, of all people, abruptly shifted from
chasing Timp to battling Beastmen.  Gainer and friends are also on hand,
plucked with astounding plot convenience from their regular lives onto the
battlefield, suited up and in their mecha no less.  But hey, "what has gone
before is prologue": it's throwdown time!  As Timp himself has gotten dragged
to this world too, he and Jiron have to form an alliance of convenience
(brokered by Gainer) so that both of them have some chance to make it home
alive.

 The Black Siblings show up in short order, and despite some mutually
 unfamiliar terminology between them and the newcomers, they team up quickly
 to hose over the Beastmen.  Things get better when Zexis arrives, despite
 Kamina's friendly rivalry with Kitan.  Kamina's rivalry with Viral is the
 more urgent one, and if Viral is to be believed only one of the two of them
 is leaving here alive.

 The Beastmen don't go down without something of a fight, requiring Gainer
 to stage a heroic display of his Overskill to save Kyou and Kinon.  Viral
 is clearly not going to prevail against the Zexis and ZEUTH forces, but it
 so happens that he's got another deeper mission: obtain a sample of the
 humans brought by the Quakes.  When Timp tries to abandon Jiron and strike
 out on his own, Viral handily ensnares him and flies off, vowing bloody death
 to Kamina the next time they fight.

 Unfortunately, the fracas isn't done: Ashura shows up with Mechabeasts, and
 Gishin reinforcements led by Saghoul.  He tells Mars that Zhul has decided
 this planet is worth using after all, which means a whole lot of world
 domination in the Earth's future.  Unless, of course, Ashura's forces get
 pulverized first.  Since Saghoul is busy with some nefarious errand or
 other, Ashura takes on Getter with Vargas V5.  It seems for a moment that
 Getter is at a disadvantage, but Ryouma and the boys quickly restore order.
 Ashura really ought to learn when to quit sometime...

The newcomers are briefed on the whole parallel-world business, and Gainer
will have to get used to how this Renton isn't best buds with him like back in
his own world.  Gainer is still Mr. Popularity, with Sara and Cynthia leading
the list of would-be girlfriends.  Gain slyly informs Zexis that Gainer has
"taken down 200 people", making it sound like he's a scandalous womanizer and
gleefully not explaining himself.  Of course, everyone decides to join forces
in facing off against the Beastmen (and Timp, who almost certainly isn't going
to die in their custody).  Even the Black Siblings are onboard, looking for
some payback for all those generations of being forced to live underground.

Shikishima however isn't going to stick around, having business back at the
Saotome lab.  Ryouma tells him to tell the old geezer not to underestimate
his ass, and Shikishima chuckles that that should get the scientist even more
amped up for his research.  Looking at these noble reprobates, Shikishima
thinks to himself that they might just be man enough to pilot "it"... assuming
mankind lasts that long.

Timp is taken before the Spiral Lord, Lowgenome im the flesh.  Timp isn't the
sort to be intimidated by such an imposing dude (or his retinue of irate
lieutenants), and quickly negotiates a trade of information for his life.
If Lowgenome intends to eradicate mankind, he'll need that info to face Jiron
and the other do-gooders.  Chimilf will be Timp's new boss once the questioning
is over, and Timp is already salivating over how easy it will be to get this
dumb beast doing his bidding.  Lowgenome isn't surprised to hear that
increasing numbers of DBs are appearing in his lands, and sternly forbids his
people from laying a finger on them... for now anyway.


CHAPTER 25S. New Foreigners

Liumei is on the phone with one of the Guardians (Alejandro, in fact) to find
out if _he_ knew anything about these new Gundams.  Alejandro only knows
what Veda allows him to know, and that amounts to two pieces of information:
the newcomers are called Team Trinity, and their mecha are the Gundam Thrones.
Alejandro can only conjecture that they must be part of the CBs' master plan,
given what they're driving, and asks Liumei what the CBs plan to do about the
Imperium.  Obviously not just let it run loose, but specific details are under
development.  Alejandro tells her he's counting on the CBs and hangs up, only
fuming afterwards that the girl would think to question him.  Ribbons smiles
and says that no doubts of hers can stop what Alejandro has planned: the
Pseudo-Solar Reactor.  It will, in Alejandro's imagination, be the engine that
fuels his desire to take over the world.  He thanks God for meeting Ribbons
in the first place, as well as for his becoming a Guardian of the CBS.  For a
"mere observer", he's got plenty of plans for regulating the political scene,
some of which seem to involve his emperor, and the UN Security Council chief...

Back at the Frontier fleet, the pilots are conferring about their new
collaborators.  Sure the CBs practiced "assisted mutually-assured destruction"
before, but doing so now is a) a recipe for weakened nations to get eaten by
their fellows, and b) an open invitation for the alien invaders to walk all
over humanity.  This is why the CBs have been prioritizing alien ass-kicking:
it's the sanest way to get circumstances back to the kind of equilibrium where
their brand of military intervention is safe.  Not so the Trinities, who Crow
would love to see help out in the fight with the Imperium.  Let's face it: the
entire team needs to step up their game, and probably expand their roster, if
they want to win in the end.  The "ZEUTH" visitors from another world might
avail there, assuming they really are friendly and that hostile powers don't
turn them to their own ends first.

Heck, visitors from other worlds aren't that rare these days, at least if the
Quake near the Frontier fleet is any indication.  Out of that Quake come
several familiar Gundam SEED folks, who immediately come under fire from Oz
troops (who, to be fair, had their transport ship blasted by some other Gundams
not that long ago).  The SEED folks briefly consider fighting back in self-
defense before deciding to disarm and avoid unnecessary bloodshed... only to
have the Oz folks destroyed by DBs.  Time to fight back!

 No sooner does battle begin than Camille and Fa materialize, getting caught
 up in the fighting in no time flat.  Not far behind are Zexis, who quickly
 forge a temporary alliance with the newcomers until they can sort out what's
 really going on.

 No sooner do the DBs get beaten off then a bunch of Vajra appear!  Were
 these newly gated in, or have they been here all along?  No time to find out
 now...

The newcomers decide to trust the Zexis folks, which is of course what the plot
would demand anyway.  Introductions are made and the sad realization that the
ZEUTH folks won't be going home any time soon sinks in.  It is also not lost
on the ZEUTH that the Zexis Gundams seem to be thought of as terrorists in at
least some quarters, but it seems better to hang with them and figure out
what's really going on than to simply wander around at random.  The question
on Camille's mind is where the other members of ZEUTH are: are Amuro and
Quatro going to be summoned to this world too?  What about Lacus?

Well, Amuro and Quatro are indeed in this world, and have been invited as
"guests" by Treize.  He tells them he wants them to help clear up a certain
doubt of his by telling him how they -- warriors from another world -- perceive
this one.  He doubts their coming together is coincidence, and intends to
divine the hidden meaning behind it.  And from what Amuro and Quatro can sense
in his eyes, he might just be capable of doing so...


CHAPTER 25E. Bonds

Elgan has been doing his "Boatman" schtick with the Kyouto resistance group,
and his latest report to them is that Toujou has joined Zero's merry little
band.  Elgan takes no credit for this, attributing it all to Zero's prowess.
The Kyouto representative Kirihara is playing a dangerous game, officially
representing the Elevens' meager self-governance as part of the Britannian
occupation government.  His position is no more secure than Elgan's would be
if either of them chose to make their little dealings public.  In any case,
Elgan wants Kirihara's people to support the Black Knights, especially on the
theory that Zero is a certain erstwhile Britannian prince with a deadly
grudge against the emperor.  Elgan as much as admits that his main interest
is in keeping Zero alive and well as part of the big-picture defense of the
world; what happens to Japan because of Zero's immediate actions is still
important, but nowhere near as much.

Kagura comes in after the conversation finishes, terribly interested in what
this masked man and his miraculous stratagems are aiming at.  Kirihara can't
tell even her who he believes Zero really is, but odds are good that they'll
be meeting soon enough.

Shirley's friends accompany her to her father's funeral, and emotions are
running high.  The consensus seems to be that Zero and the Black Knights aren't
very noble any more, and Suzaku in particular rails against Zero's practice
of getting others to do his dirty work -- nothing is ever accomplished, he
thinks, unless someone does things themself.  As the group leave, Lelouch
asks Suzaku to let him stay behind alone a while.  Lurking in the shadows is
C.C., who rather harshly tells him that it's vastly too late to claim he
didn't know this would happen.  Every life taken on his watch represents a
web of grief for some group of loved ones, makes what he's doing so much more
than one of his board games.  He's got no right to take his foot off the
proverbial accelerator, and he'd damn well not disappoint her by proving
himself a spineless intellectual now.

Zero's not the only one grappling with the aftermath of Narita: the pilots
helping the Black Knights have grave doubts about how civilians and even
soldiers of the resistance lost their lives in Zero's "miracle".  Wufei
believes that Zero's only objective was recruiting Toujou, and that everyone
else was expendable.  Trois counters that the incident has clearly restarted
the fires of resistance, bringing Japan a step or two closer to liberation.
Crow is determined not to be part of anything this mercenary again, and tells
a wavering Quatre that it will be the role of the rest of the team to keep
Zero from going too far from now on.  Crow expects an eventual showdown with
the Imperium, and knows that Zero's strategizing will be crucial to winning.

Maybe Zero's "Allies of Justice" thing is just cover for some deeper ambition.
But if he can use Zexis, Crow thinks Zexis can "use" him back by making him
enact Justice for real.  For starters, instead of winning by such roundabout
means, how about getting Zero to think them up a casualty-free victory where
the enemy get engaged head-on?  That's the sort of thing they'll eventually
need for the Imperium after all.  Crow just hopes that the team can really
get Zero to come around and that they won't need... contingency plans.

Kiriko will go along with whatever, claiming to have no care beyond his
immediate foes.  Inwardly though, he's got a bad Blade Runner-esque narration
track running, and right now he's reflecting on how it's never occurred to him
to wonder why he's doing all this combat.  The only glimmer of meaning, the
only speck of light, is that woman from the capsule.  Now wouldn't it be cool
if he actually knew who she was?

Or, more relevantly, who she is now?  Borou has received a contract from
Britannia to get rid of the Black Knights once and for all, and "Phantom Lady"
is a key part of the plan.  Also known as "Proto One", she's been made into
the "perfect soldier"... but not so perfect as to accept an order to go kill
Kiriko.  Iskui and Borou promise her that all she'll have to do is destroy
Kiriko's mech and capture him, convincing her to take the mission, but of
course they've got their own plans for after he's in their possession.  It
turns out that the Perfect Soldier (PS for short) plan was an actual program
the Gilgamesh Army was running to create soldiers with abnormally enhanced
gunnery skills and physical endurance -- and "Proto One" was the prototype
which the Gilgamesh's foes kidnapped to be the nucleus of their own program.

The problem is that Kiriko managed to wake the girl up before her mind was
programmed, resulting in a "shadow" that all the psychological manipulation
they can must couldn't erase.  He is literally always on her mind.  The plan
therefore is simple: kill the Kiriko off inside of her and complete her
training.  Besides, Kiriko could be a Gilgamesh spy, and should have died
back on that asteroid anyway...

Meanwhile, Viletta Nu has been busily investigating who Zero might be, and has
homed in on a potential suspect: Lelouch!  She wants proof before going public,
and she wants credit so nobody knows her suspicions yet.  And to get that
proof, she's enlisting (more like demanding) Shirley's help, going so far as
to give her a gun to protect herself.  She's bound and determined not to go
the same disgraceful way that Jeremiah did -- if Lelouch really is Zero, there
is no way he'll elude her grasp!

Word has arrived that the military police intend to burn down Shinjuku Ghetto,
and Zero has brought the Black Knights out to face them.  Karen's confidence
has been shaken by the previous operation, and Zero opens a private channel to
her to tell her in no uncertain terms what his position is.  He acknowledges
that some innocent blood has been spilled, and knows only to spill even more of
it lest it all be in vain.  He offers her the chance to turn back of her own
free will, but Karen decides to stick with him.  Diethart meanwhile wants to
see more of the uninhibited mad genius: chaos is what floats his boat.

As the enemy appear, Zero ponders his options.  He knows that the Gundam
pilots are keeping their distance after Narita, and while they aren't likely
to defeat on the spot, it's worth keeping a lid on.  He orders Kiriko to act
as his personal guard for the battle, and tells the rest of the team to fight
to save civilian lives.  Sounds okay by Crow...

 Shortly after battle begins, Kiriko's "stalker" appears.  Zero initially
 reminds Kiriko that he's supposed to focus on guarding him, but Kiriko says
 that this enemy is sure to focus on Kiriko himself: sticking close to Zero
 would only put Zero in danger.  Zero digests this and agrees, and the other
 pilots warn Kiriko that the enemy mech is clearly a breed apart from the
 rest of their opponents...

 Phantom Lady's resistance doesn't last long, and she quickly retreats from
 Kiriko's onslaught.  Kiriko has the strange sensation that she's not trying
 to kill him unlike everyone else around here, and dashes off in pursuit.
 Both of them fall into Shinjuku's substantial underground depths when part
 of the roadway collapses.

 At that moment, Britannian reinforcements appear -- including Suzaku, who's
 being told from on high that this is his chance to prove his loyalty to the
 empire.  Will he be equal to smiting fellow Elevens?  Suzaku tells Lloyd that
 he has no problem going in against Zero and his reprehensible methods, but
 Lloyd has a different question for him: why, if he hates killing so much, is
 he in the army?  Suzaku replies that he's in the army to _stop_ killings
 from happening, and Lloyd warns him that this is a great way to get himself
 killed.

 Suzaku makes a beeline for Zero, and Zero orders his troops to counterattack
 the Lancelot... leaving recovery of Kiriko as a second priority.  Suzaku
 can't battle his way through the entire Zexis force unscathed, but even in
 near defeat he makes a last-ditch effort to take Zero with him.  His final
 act is to knock out Zero's controls, making him crash some distance from
 the fighting, before he has to eject from his Lancelot.  Zexis realizes that
 their only chance to rescue him is to take out all the remaining Britannian
 forces and pray that he's okay in the meantime.  At least one observer,
 however, smirks to himself that Zero's nowhere near worthy of C.C. at this
 rate...

Kiriko's made it to Phantom Lady's mech, and safely extracts her unconscious
form from the cockpit.  She comes to unbound (though unarmed), and asks why
Kiriko isn't killing or imprisoning her.  He asks in return if she wants to
kill him (she doesn't), and further asks her name.  "Proto One" isn't a name
as such, but it's all anyone's called her for years.  Kiriko tells her that
he's seen her twice before, once back on Lid and once near Area Eleven.
She says that she always pictures him, and for whatever reason can't bring
herself to carry out her orders to do him in.  She doesn't even remember her
own name, much less what was being done to her back on Lid, and their
conversation is interrupted by Astrageus pursuers making their way into the
area.  Kiriko tells her they'll see each other again and runs off.  The
revelation that this pivotal woman isn't his enemy has given him a newfound
desire to live on...

Zero's not having an easy time of it either.  His mech has crashed near Shirley
as fate would have it, and he's at least partially unconscious.  Will Shirley
take revenge for her father's death?  His helmet comes off to reveal Lelouch
just as Viletta shows up.  Viletta expected that this high schooler was
connected to Zero, but never expected that he _was_ Zero.  She figures that
delivering this guy to Cornelia will get her elevated from Knight to full-blown
_nobility_, and is already turning over in her mind what sort of execution
would suit him best.

She turns to Shirley to congratulate her for her help when Shirley finds
herself pointing her loaned gun at the ambitious young woman.  She actually
shoots Viletta, who hadn't expected Shirley to be his girlfriend, and runs off.
Viletta desperately tries to get herself to safety so she can report the truth
to Cornelia, but her consciousness is fading fast from blood loss...


CHAPTER 26U. Gathering Strength

Gainer finally gets a chance to explain the "200-person" business as relating
to video gaming, turning his comrades jealousy to admiration in an instant.
Ahh, youth.  Crow (still young himself at 22) reveals that he's a fan of good
beer when he's not under severe budgetary constraints, and Gain tells him to
go make friends with the hot-blooded "Rand".  Certainly the food around these
parts is up to scratch for the Xabungle folks: tasty as hell, even though they
have no idea what it is they're eating.  Jiron tells his new friends that the
team already know how terrifying the Quakes are, and doesn't expect to get
back home any time soon; instead, they plan to get to know this world as best
they can.

Word then comes in via some of Kitan's roving allies of unusual Gunmen battling
Beastmen up ahead.  Sure enough, it's Rolan and Garode and friends, again
miraculously suited up and piloting their Gundams despite at least one of them
(the Turn-A) being firmly buried in the vicinity of... you guessed it...
Vicinity.  Even Harry is here, having been teleported away from his post on the
Moon(!!) keeping Diana's standin Kiel safe.  They quickly realize that they're
not in Kansas anymore, and resolve to find someone (maybe the pilots of those
face-shaped mech that attacked them?) to help explain where they are.

Unfortunately there are Beastmen lurking nearby (which Tifa senses before they
can pounce), who attack without giving the humans a chance to explain
themselves.  These humans aren't like the frightened sheep they're used to
dealing with though: Garode, Harry and the others are quite ready and willing
to make their assailants pay, and the Beastmen decide it'll be safer to run
and ger their Gunmen.

The human pilots respond in kind, and with the moon out Garode figures his
best option is to use his Satellite Cannon to blow the Beastmen away.  A good
plan, save for one small detail: the Moon Cradle, whose microwave transmission
facility powers the Satellite Cannon, is not present in this universe!  Oopsie.
Guess the bad guys will have to get their ass-handing the old fashioned way.

 Timp and his new friends show up in short order.  Timp is kind(?) enough to
 tell the Gundam pilots that Jiron is wandering around somewhere, hopefully
 dead by this point, and informing them that they've gotta die so he can make
 good with his employers.  Before they can begin their attack though, a bunch
 of Invaders show up.  Viral orders a retreat, but Timp recommends using their
 assault on the humans as a nice sort of pincer move.  Viral hates the fact
 that the DBs don't even seem to notice the Beastmen exist, and pridefully
 refuses to include them in his battle strategy.  This is anathema to Timp,
 but since Viral's the one paying the bills, he has no choice but to pull out
 too.

 As the pilots get ready to defend themselves, Tifa suddenly senses someone,
 slumbering on the Moon.  She tells Garode he can use his Satellite Cannon
 after all, and although it's not the D.O.M.E. in this world, something sure
 as heck powers Garode's _twin_ Satellite Cannons to life.  Even better, the
 Zexis/ZEUTH forces show up to help in no time flat.  Introductions,
 predictably, will have to wait.

Not that they have to wait long, given the rather token fight the Invaders
put up.  The pilots new and old compare notes, and Gainer is starting to think
there's something special about "Gundams" that they would exist in both worlds.
Garode quickly makes friends with this world's Renton, and Tifa even more
quickly makes friends with both Renton and Eureka (despite Eureka's... special
properties, which Tifa can see plainly through her special powers).  By now,
all the pilots are agreed on just how unnatural it is for all the ZEUTH members
to be plucked from their own lives and forcibly put back in their mecha in
this world.  Who else that they know might have gotten the treatment?  Diana
herself, maybe?

Watching all this from the sidelines is Eim. Quite a motley team these Zexis
folks are assembling, and all of them with the Stigma.  "That man" is probably
going to join them too at length, and Eim doesn't plan to just let that happen.
Time to go send the Accursed Wanderer back to the Infinity Prison.


CHAPTER 26S. The Way Home, Severed

Introductions proceed with the new Gundam-using ZEUTH members, and two things
stick out.  One: there seems to be surprisingly little variation in "humans",
be they from another galaxy (e.g. Astrageus) or even another dimension.  Two:
an awful lot of people seem to use "Gundams" as their mecha, though the name
seems to have negative connotations in this world.  Shinn overrides Kira and
asks for an explanation of why that is so, and after an uncomfortable pause
Lockon says that he can't go into the details of his team's issues.  Ozuma
adds with some handwaving that a lot of people have the wrong idea about Zexis,
which _is_ after all a direct report of the world's government.  He gives his
word that this bunch isn't up to no good, and with some urging from his fellows
Shinn reluctantly lets the matter drop.

Camille and his crew obviously differ in character design^W^Wambiance from
the rest of the bunch, and he explains that he's from yet another world from
Shinn and friends; it was only thanks to the Quakes that he met them recently.
Indeed: it's only been a year since the so-called Multidimensional World came
into being.  The heroic story of ZEUTH is retold, including its not-so-heroic
beginnings as a gathering of disparate interests, and the parallels with Zexis
are beyond obvious.  Zexis's interest is in world peace (among other things...)
and as such, odds seem good for a productive collaboration with the ZEUTH
pilots.

The return to the Frontier fleet proper will not be a leisurely one though:
Cathy's just gotten word of a major Defold in its vicinity, which can only
mean one thing: the Vajra.  Alto growls that these insectoid bastards are his
team's job, and tells the newcomers they can watch him work.

The Frontier's regular army are getting their asses demolished by the Vajra,
but before Mishima can recommend a full military deployment, a couple new
mecha warp into the area.  Again.  This time it's Sol Gravion and Fei's Gran
Trooper, along with her gaggle of assistants.  The Gravion folks are pretty
disoriented to find themselves amidst a firefight, but quickly get organized
and fight back, hoping to get enough breathing room to figure out what's
happened to them.  And in the meantime, Mishima is scheming on getting the
fleet out of danger (and hanging these newcomers out to dry).

 You know the formula by now: Zexis/ZEUTH arrive, introductions get
 foreshortened till later, battle goes on.  Also according to the formula, a
 second wave of Vajra shows up once the first wave is defeated.  Luka is
 worried though; though they resemble the previous batch, his readouts
 indicate that they're more maneuverable than any you've tangled with before.
 Does that mean that all of Crow's data to date is now obsolete?  If so,
 better start gathering new data on the double!

 Indeed, these new Vajra are both faster and stronger than their predecessors.
 As the team consider the possibility that the Vajra are evolving right before
 their eyes, the R-Daigun shows up.  Its pilot tells the Nova crew her mech's
 name as well as her mission, which is to defeat them.  This objective was
 important enough for the R-Daigun to split up with the Thrones folks, and
 the Nova crew think it only right that they respond in kind.  They'll handle
 the R-Daigun while the rest of the team hack away at the Vajra.

 Whoever is piloting the R-Daigun isn't willing to explain the whole scenario
 to Nova with this many other people around, even in defeat.  That will have
 to come another day.  The Vajra on the other hand seem fairly easy to
 explain: the Calamity Birth seems to have weakened this world's dimensional
 walls enough to all the Vajra to simply Fold in -- there were no nests on
 Earth itself despite a very thorough search by the Frontier fleet's
 scientists.

Jeffrey would love to discuss the details of these investigations in person,
but Mishima won't allow the S.M.S. to rejoin the fleet so long as they're
hanging with the CBs.  _Unofficial_ endorsements from the Security Council
chief do not equal official endorsements from the Earth's government, and the
Frontier folks do have an image to uphold.  Jeffrey tells his people that this
is a reasonable stance for a sovereign nation to take, but adds that he isn't
about to hang his comrades-in-arms out to dry either.  He will continue acting
alongside the CBs, and all the pilots are glad to follow suit.  In return, the
CBs agree to explain to their visitors just what it is they're doing to become
so unpopular with some of this world's populace.  As the groups part ways,
Alto thinks about his dream of flying, sown in the bowels of the Frontier and
brought to fruition in the skies of the Earth.  He's beginning to understand
what flying is really about, and promises the Frontier fleet that he'll be
back when the world is at peace.

Mishima relays the revelation about the inter-world-travel-capable Vajra to
Grace, who isn't thrilled to say the very least.  She asks how Mishima, whose
leak of Fold technology to Limonecia brought about this mess, intends to make
amends.  The normally supercilious Mishima is shocked that she knows this
much, and she smiles back that of course she's got her own sources of
information.  Not like the Fold Quartz he gave her could have come from too
many different places on Earth anyway.  She tells him she'll keep his little
deal a secret, mainly because revealing how much she knows would raise
uncomfortable questions as to her identity, and implies strongly that he'd
damn well better do as she says from now on.  For now, she wants more Fold
Quartz, preferably extracted from all the defeated Vajra and not mined in
what remains of Limonecia.  What Grace ultimately wants is to sell the stuff
to the highest bidder in the new race for alternative energy, and with _that_
money to further secure Cheryl's future as the world's top idol singer.

Grace is overjoyed that the inconvenience of the Vajra comes with a silver
lining: her superdimensional walkie-talkie now works!  That will let her get
back in touch with the folks back at home, and with the Little Queen's
development proceeding apace, she'll soon be ready to put her theories into
practice.  Cheryl walks in at this point, feeling a lot better after the
medicine Grace gave her [which is totally not ominous or anything] and ready
to kick off her Germany tour upon the morrow.  The timing will align with the
premiere of Bird-Human, which Ranka will be involved with too.  Cheryl thanks
her manager effusively, especially since she got Cheryl some info on how Zexis
is getting along.  Grace sends Cheryl off for a good night's sleep, intending
to keep her alive and productive until her real plans are ripe...

Kira listens to the CBs' explanation quietly, finding much in their background
similar to his own actions back home.  That they've backed away from armed
intervention in deference to the mess the world's in speaks well to their
character in his eyes, and the other SEED pilots are inclined to agree.  Eiji
isn't a fan of armed interventions, but insofar as the CBs' ultimate goal is
bringing peace to the world, he's all in favor of hanging with them.  ZEUTH
and Zexis really aren't all that different, both fallible but both ultimately
doing the whole Ally of Justice thing -- even Crow, whose need for cash stays
unmentioned lest the mood get wrecked.  The CBs' next move will be to head to
Dragons' Hive to rejoin the rest of Zexis to get ready for the impending
showdown with the Imperium.  Maybe in the process someone can figure out what
transcendental power is behind all the ZEUTH members forcibly coming to this
world, and MAYBE figure out a way to get all of them home.

Big things are brewing back at Dragons' Hive, with the original Dancougar
team and Sandman planning something major.  Sandman knows something about all
the ZEUTH teleportations, something to do with their "Stigma" being drawn to
the Zexis team's Stigma.  He refers to himself as an Accursed Wanderer, and
at long last greets the Dragons' Hive commander, "F.S.", face to face.

As on the other path, Eim is watching all this from the shadows, and is
determined to stuff the Accursed Wanderer back into the Infinity Prison.


CHAPTER 26E. Geass vs. Geass

Some time after the battle, Ougi is anxiously watching over a new guest of
his: none other than Viletta!  He encountered her, covered in her own blood,
while heading to save Zero -- and when he heard her mumbling about knowing
Zero's identity, he spirited her to his house in secret.  When she comes
to however, she's suffering from such extensive amnesia that her type-A
personality has mellowed out.  She's grateful to Ougi for his kindness, and
isn't very shy about showing it.  ...Conspicuous fade to black...

Meanwhile, Lelouch has resurfaced at school and puts in an appearance at the
Student Council chambers.  Suzaku is there already, happy as ever when he's
not being chomped on by the Council's new adopted cat "Arthur".  Shirley's
been locked in her room ever since the previous battle, and Lelouch advises
the other councilmen to leave her be for now.  He takes off on an errand,
asking that they phone him if Shirley comes out of her own accord.

This leaves the Council to confer over the Black Knights' actions, and Suzaku
seems to be the thought leader that all the bloodshed they're causing is
utterly unforgivable.  He gets a counterargument from an unexpected source
though: Rilina asks what other path the oppressed Elevens should take.  This
confuses Rival insofar as the Elevens "lost" to Britannia and therefore
deserve their lot, but Rilina is far from convinced that "winners" and "losers"
are what the world needs.  Milly acts quickly to get the other Council members
busy making afternoon tea to give Rilina a chance to compose herself, and
Rilina is left wondering what Hiiro would say about his accompanying the Black
Knights.  In her conflict, she knows she couldn't face Shirley as things stand
now...  Nina then comes back for a forgotten handkerchief, telling Rilina that
all Elevens terrify her, enemies of Britannia that they are.  Rilina hits upon
the idea of going to ask Euphemia for input, offering to take Nina along to
meet her idol.

Lelouch returns to his room where C.C. is waiting for him.  They're working on
containing the potential fallout from Zero's identity being discovered, and
from Suzaku's reaction Lelouch concludes that the Britannian army hasn't been
informed.  The question is what happened to the person whose blood was
splattered near where C.C. found him -- the shooter and shootee were long
gone by then, and analysis of the blood is nearly impossible.  What concerns
Lelouch is the vague memory of seeing Shirley, and he testily tells C.C. that
he's taken steps to deal with the situation.  He's Geassed Shirley's roommate
to keep her under surveillance, and just then receives word that Shirley is
heading for Narita.  He means to follow her, but C.C. asks him if he likes, or
hates, Shirley.  Lelouch is noncommittal, and C.C. asks if he's prepared to
eliminate Shirley if she does in fact know his identity.  This takes Lelouch
aback, and C.C. tells him that if there are things he doesn't want to lose,
he'd better keep his distance.  Looking at her squarely now, he asks if that's
the voice of experience speaking.  More like a way of life.  Lelouch tells
her not to follow him to Narita, and she shrugs and agrees.

Shirley is at the memorial park in Narita, fretting over Lelouch being the
person responsible for her father's death.  Just then a strange dude with
cool shades, Mao, shows up.  He seems to know everything about both her and
Lelouch, and says that they both need to be punished for sharing a romance
despite Lelouch's dirty deeds.  He mercilessly berates Shirley for shooting
Viletta, having the gall to want someone to comfort him, and even trying to
attach herself to Lelouch when she knows he's already got another woman.  The
emotional assault is cut short as Lelouch himself runs up and shouts at Mao
to get the fuck away from her.  Lelouch rapidly realizes that this guy must
somehow know who he is, reckoning that he can't have any sort of trap set as
he couldn't have forecast Lelouch would come here.  Mao challenges Lelouch
to a little game, and drops little hints that let Lelouch know he can read
his thoughts(!)

Lelouch immediately comes up with 14 possibilities of who this could be based
on what C.C.'s told him, and in fact one of those possibilities is on the
money: a fellow Geass-user!  Even worse, Mao knows how Lelouch's Geass works
and can therefore easily avoid making eye contact.  His Geass turns out to be
the ability to read others' thoughts (everyone's Geass is different), and
that makes him terrifyingly good at manipulating others.  As Lelouch feverishly
tries to figure out what to do, Mao tells Shirley to use her gun to kill both
Lelouch and then herself as a way of atoning for their sins.  He tells Lelouch
that he could Geass her, but he'd just kill the two of them instead.  Lelouch
realizes that Shirley's already shot one other person already (the other
mystery person who knows his identity), and Shirley hesitates just long enough
to fire that another player arrives.  It's C.C., who approaches Mao so
stealthily that he doesn't notice at first.  When Mao sees her, he's nearly
frantic with joy.

He's been looking for her ever since she left him, and C.C. confirms that it
was her who gave him his Geass eleven years ago.  He's a sad case study in
what happens to Geass users: the more they use their power, the more it
devours them as it grows in power.  Few have the will to remain their own
master -- Mao for instance cannot help but hear the thoughts of everyone
within a half-kilometer radius, 24 hours a day.  C.C. seems to be the only one
who can give him a shred of peace, since his Geass cannot read her thoughts.

Lelouch demands to know if C.C. discarded Mao for failing to fulfill his
contract with her.  She makes no answer, nor will she answer what that
contract entailed.  Mao tells C.C. to come back to him, saying that he'll
give up on his plans to punish the naughty little kittens.  She denies having
any feelings for him, and when Mao blames C.C.'s unfaithfulness on Lelouch,
C.C. draws a gun, saying that she should have shot him in the first place.

Mao manages to shoot C.C. first, and she screams at Lelouch to stay back.
Mao thinks C.C.'s failure to fire is proof that she loves him, but she
shouts back that she's just been using him all along.  Unfortunately she's
badly injured, and Mao drags her off for some other punishment to come.
Lelouch isn't in much shape to intervene, especially with Shirley still to
worry about.

After the two of them leave, Lelouch tells Shirley that it's not her fault she
shot someone -- it's his.  She shouldn't blame herself for considering killing
him, and needn't suffer from her father's death.  He can make that possible for
her.  Shirley realizes what he's about to do, but her frantic words don't stop
Lelouch from making good his apology the only way he knows how.

As this is going on, Britannia has sortied its troops and the Zexis forces are
out to greet them.  Ougi gets word that Zero is rushing to the scene, but the
battle will have to start without him.  He's preoccupied with Viletta, both
concerned for her welfare and for what will happen when she remembers who Zero
is -- better she be under his watchful eyes than anywhere else.  The Britannian
forces this time are studly, proof that Zexis has their attention, and the
array against them includes, spontaneously, Kiriko.  He tells a surprised Crow
that he's finally found a reason to fight and to live on (though he's not going
to say what that reason is).  Karen vows inwardly to Zero that the team will
hold out until he arrives.

 Zero does arrive on Turn 2, and immediately gets a phone call from Mao.
 After sardonically congratulating him on taking care of Shirley, he explains
 how he's decided to punish C.C.  He'll cut off her legs so she can't run
 away again, and her arms so she can never point a gun at him again.  He'll
 put out her eyes that looked at Lelouch, and crush her throat that spoke his
 name.  The punishment will be carried out an hour from now, and Mao
 challenges Zero to try to find him by then... though with his Geass, Zero
 won't be able to approach.  He tells Zero to focus on the battle or he'll
 get killed anyway, and hangs up.

 As his teammates wait in puzzlement, Zero furiously tries to figure out
 where Mao might be.  Not within 500 meters, or he'd have been reading Zero's
 thoughts directly.  Nor in the ghetto, where he'd be deluged by the
 residents' thoughts.  It's got to be somewhere remote yet able to see how
 the battle's going.  And what will he do once he finds out Mao's location?

 Seizing upon a plan, Zero dashes to the dead center of the battlefield,
 which Mao can't enter without getting himself caught in the crossfire.
 He tells his teammates that he's going to hold this suicidal pose for five
 minutes, won't explain why, and orders them to protect him.  This order
 quickly turns into a plea, and his teammates realize that Zero genuinely
 needs their help.  Even Wufei seems to go along with it, though he grouses
 that all he's doing is trying to end the battle faster.  As Suzaku plans to
 attack his hated foe, Zero budgets himself those five minutes to concentrate
 wholly on bringing Mao down and planning his next move.  He'll have to
 count on his teammates to give him that time...

 When Suzaku's Lancelot is defeated, its cockpit door is knocked ajar,
 allowing Zexis to see who's been giving them so much trouble.  To the
 non-surprise of some, it is Suzaku -- son of the man the Japanese accuse of
 selling their nation to Britannia.  Zero though is caught completely by
 surprise.  Toujou offers Suzaku a chance to surrender, not wanting to kill
 someone trained in the same martial school.  Suzaku replies to his old
 friend that he has no intention of surrendering: what this society needs is
 not flat denial, but for someone who understands it to have the power to
 change it.  _That_ is why he fights beneath the Britannian banner, and
 Toujou considers this for a moment.  He then tells Suzaku to follow that
 road as far as he can, and to believe that if he doesn't give his utmost,
 neither his personal life nor his country will change one damn bit!

 Suzaku is prepared to lay down his life to take out Zero and stop the
 fighting in this nation, but an unexpected voice stops him: Lloyd!  He
 tells Suzaku in no uncertain terms that he won't allow the Lancelot to be
 destroyed for Suzaku's selfishness, and with no other alternative Suzaku is
 forced to use what power he's got left to flee.  Zero claims that he's
 okay, but inwardly he's struggling to comprehend how things have so fallen
 out that Suzaku has become his enemy.

As the last of the Britannian units falls silent, Zero has enough perspective
to snort at how shaken he's become by all the important people he's losing
today.  He knows that a great task still remains, and he'll need C.C.'s help
if he's to accomplish it.  As the other Zexis folks muse about how today's
victory was not thanks to Zero so much as to all of them combined, Zero tells
Ougi to summon all the Black Knights.

Somewhere in the bowels of Shinjuku's underground, the sounds of ongoing
battle can still be heard.  Mao takes this to mean that the vaunted Black
Knights are having more trouble with the Britannians than their reputation
would imply.  While he fully intends to cut off C.C.'s limbs, it won't be as
punishment as he told Lelouch: it will be out of "gratitude".  Speaking of
Lelouch, Mao figures the idiot has no idea where he is, and is about to
start slicing when his cel phone rings.

It's a frantic Lelouch, who says that he gives up and begs Mao to spare C.C.
Mao loves seeing Lelouch in defeat, and recommends he try burning the whole
ghetto to the ground if Lelouch wants to locate him.  Not that the "Allies of
Justice" would do that.  Lelouch's confounded expression suddenly turns
devious, as he asks Mao if he knows C.C.'s real name... the name that she told
him.  The thought that C.C. shared something with Lelouch but not Mao sends
Mao into an absolute panic, enough to drown out his Geass and let Lelouch
approach with a squad of policemen.

Lelouch had in fact figured out precisely where Mao would be: the very same
spot everyone avoids as the source of the "poison gas panic".  Lelouch takes
glee in pointing out that this is where he and C.C. made their contract, and
tells the thunderstruck psychopath that the cel phone call he just received
was nothing but a recording.  And that sensation of interacting with the
phone call was just the result of how predictable Mao's thought patterns are.
Mao screams in fury that Lelouch hasn't won yet, especially after losing two
friends today.  That's right: Suzaku _wants_ to kill himself in taking Zero
down -- he's completely wrapped up in his whole do-gooder thing.

Among the Very Bad Ideas(tm) in the world is insulting one of Lelouch's
friends, especially when he's got a squad of armed men on tap.  Lelouch orders
them to open fire, and Mao is... somewhat the worse for wear afterwards.

Zero will not explain his odd 5-minute pause to the Zexis folks, and though
this strains his credibility a bit, the leveler heads on the team recognize
that they share a genuine bond of camaraderie with him, even if they're not his
friends.  Not friends, yet comrades... perhaps Lelouch gained something after
all despite all he's lost today.

C.C. asks him at length why he went so far to save her.  He tells her that
she's his co-conspirator, and will hear nothing of her backing out now.  Plus,
he owes her one.  C.C. marvels at how he actually _asked_ the team for
something, to which he claims he merely gave them a chance to see themselves as
something other than pawns in his eyes... making it easier to interact with
them from now on.  C.C. tells him to drop the bullshit: she knows perfectly
well that HE knows perfectly well he can't take down Britannia all by himself.

Zero changes the subject to Mao, who was all of six when C.C. contracted with
him.  He was an orphan who could neither read nor write, knew nothing of
right or wrong, and had no experience with a parent's love.  The power C.C.
gave him forced him even farther away from everyone else, so she became his
parent, his lover, and his "everybody else" -- his whole world.  Lelouch
digests this, and promises her that he will become the master of his power,
and with it change the world.  He'll grant both his wish and hers, and finish
whatever business Mao had left too.  C.C. asks if this is his attempt to
comfort, or pity, her, and he replies that it's all about the Contract they
share.  C.C. agrees and reavows that contract, asking Lelouch if he still
means to go to Narita.

It's night when he arrives, and runs into Shirley standing near a monument.
Seemingly not recognizing him, she asks if he too has lost a family member.
Not a family member, but a friend -- and a good one, too.  He remarks that it
was only after losing this friend that he realized how much her smile meant
to him.  That he will never quarrel with or laugh together with this person
again is a lot to bear.  Shirley remarks that he must have loved this person,
and Lelouch says that he doesn't know any more.  She then notes that morning
is coming, that perhaps she came her to put a "period" on her sorrows in
preparation for a new beginning.  Perhaps so indeed.

She then gets a phonecall from Milly, telling her to be sure to come to school
tomorrow for the party they'll be throwing.  It seems that Suzaku has been
named as Euphemia's personal knight!  Lelouch knows that Suzaku means to follow
the path he's chosen, and Lelouch is determined to follow his own path --
even if he loses friends, he's got comrades, and even without them, there's
still much to accomplish...

Back in the Britannian settlement, Rilina has made good on her offer of
taking Nina to meet Euphy.  Euphy is on paper the Vice Governor of Area
Eleven, but in reality this is a mostly ceremonial role that affords her
enough time for the occasional tea with a fan.  Getting Suzaku made her knight
was rough though, and Euphy knows that Cornelia wasn't at all thrilled by
her choice.  Her thinking was to foster good relations between the two peoples
living in this land, and that's given her another reason to have Rilina over.
She has Suzaku usher in Marina, first princess of Azadistan and world-
renowned exponent of non-violent means of achieving peace.  Rilina, with
some daring (or is it desperation), asks the two princesses what "peace"
really is...


CHAPTER 27U. Accursed Wanderer

Whose fault is it that all the ZEUTH folks got hoisted to this world?  The Lord
of Destruction, natch.  Defeating him will sadly not put everything to rights
again: _that_ will require some input from the no-good dude who generated the
Quake that summoned him: Eim.  Gainer and friends are a bit skeptical of
joining onto a military(-ish) detachment until Eim finally comes to harass
Crow again, but Zexis promises to help reunite them with their fellow ZEUTH
refugees.  Even Holland speaks up in favor of helping get them home, though
he's so peevish when questioned that Gain and Gainer are reminded of what their
Holland was like before he accepted Eureka and Renton being non-platonic
friends.

Holland's mood doesn't improve when Garode lets it slip that Renton up and
wrote Eureka's name on the MOON back in the other world.  This Renton is pretty
impressed with his alternate self, and resolves happily to better himself and
hold up this world's end.  Holland and crew however are now convinced that the
glimpse of another world they got during the Tragedy of Doha.  _That_ is the
world they believe they need to live in, and since they can't get their under
their own steam, they've got to create something like it here -- or die
horribly.

Speaking of Eim, the Imperium are currently parked off the East coast of North
America, engaged in something of a staring match with Britannia.  Do they
really mean to take on the world's largest military power head on?  Speculation
is pointless now, and Elgan has conveniently instructed the far-flung branches
of Zexis to regather for some new offensive.  The ZEUTH folks will get their
reunion after all, and maybe they'll even see this "Asakim" guy again.
..WHOA THERE, Asakim??  As in their sort-of-kind-of-enemy that was killed off
back in that epic fracas near the other Earth's Orbital Elevator?  Yeah him.

Elsewhere in the Dark Continent, yet another series has been teleported in from
SRWZ [let's be honest here]: Orguss.  Kei is his usual easygoing self, even in
the face of arriving in a new dimension -- and Atena is also her usual
humorless self.  The question now is, where's Orson?  The answer turns out to
be: "here's Asakim".  WTF!!!  He needs no introduction to Kei and Atena of
course, and when asked if he's the one who teleported them here, he neither
confirms nor denies it.  To this now Accursed, immortal Wanderer (his
description), the two concepts are equal.  And by the way, the two of them
are about to join the Accursed Wanderer club too.

This might have something to do with Eim, who turns up in pursuit of Asakim.
Or more specifically, turns up because Asakim is in pursuit of him.  That
Eim has "awakened" makes things easier for Asakim, who is eager to claim the
life of the "False Black Sheep".  So eager in fact that he summons up his
familiar mech Shloeger, which Eim counters with a herd of DBs.  Asakim scowls,
saying that the pitiable dead can't stop him, but Kei intervenes at this
point.  He asks Eim to give him and Asakim a moment alone before carnage
ensues, and Eim is a bit too busy to do that -- or to allow Kei to walk out of
here alive.  That can only mean a truce with Asakim, who unlike Eim has all
the time in the world.  The Infinity Prison does that to people, which is why
Asakim needs Eim's soul: he means to bust out of the joint.

 The cavalry arrive on turn 2, and the ZEUTH stalwarts aren't happy having to
 fight on the same side as Asakim.  But there are larger considerations at
 work, and the largest is taking out the dreaded MD.

 The dreaded MD is in fact not so dreadable, but as Crow goes in for the
 kill a new player interferes: Margret Pistelle, Knight of Insalaum and
 Arcsaber Number 7.  She asks Eim to withdraw the MD, which he does with a
 sardonic nod to her supposed prowess as a Guardian of Insalaum.  This
 greatly aggravates Crow, despite a substantial wound from Margret's mech,
 and there's nothing he can do about it now...

 Margret is an interesting sort, a warrior who -- in her mutterings to
 herself -- has lost all pride and is left with nothing but battle, and this
 world as her battlefield.  As such, Crow's seemingly carefree mercenary
 affect drives her nutso.  It doesn't help that she's outgunned and soon
 forced to retreat.  Eim smoothly decides to do the same, telling Crow that
 he's of no account but that _Asakim_, well, let's just say that an ounce of
 caution is worth a pounding in the genital zone.

Though Eim tells Asakim on the way out that he won't go down as Asakim hopes,
Asakim figures he can follow wherever Eim can run.  He's about to do so in
fact when Crow yells at him to stop and answer his questions.  Questions from
a man buffeted by fear and regret?  Asakim defers any answer until Crow's
scales finally tilt and he Awakens, returning instead to hunting the False
Black Sheep.

Introductions, blah blah blah, you know the deal by now.  As the team prepare
to rejoin the rest of ZEUTH, Kei relates how Asakim noted they're all part
of the Accursed Wanderer brigade now.  Crow's deep in thought about why
Margret or anyone else would try to protect the MD -- she's clearly human(-ish)
even if her mech is clearly from some other world.  If she came with the
Lord of Destruction, maybe their world is this "Insalaum" place?  One way to
find out: take on the Imperium.  Crow can only hope he'll have a big bonus
waiting for all this extra work he's gotten mixed up in...

Elgan is _not_ having Zexis converge on the Imperium's current position;
rather, he's marshaling them in Europe so as to keep up appearances in advance
of a little diplomatic summit with the Imperium he's going to try.  He is
adamant in his instructions to Ootsuka that he not even _mention_ the
possibility of staying on as part of Zexis to the ZEUTH folks; if they want to
do so, it must be entirely of their own free will.  That, Elgan says, is
something no one should deprive another of.

After hanging up, Elgan awaits Asakim's arrival.  Seeing that Elgan knows of
him, Asakim figures him for one of the Accursed Wanderers too.  How much of a
"curse" it is depends on one's viewpoint perhaps, but the discussion gets
disrupted when he receives word that some Gundams are attacking Britannia's
Overflags base.

Eifmann has been studying the CB's Gundams, and thinks he's got their
propulsion system figured out: an engine that harnesses Topological Defects...
whatever those are.  That there are so few of these Gundams could be explained
by the fact that the only place the engines could have been made is Jupiter,
and the colony fleet sent to Jupiter departed a good 120 years ago -- surely
building the Gundams and getting them back to Earth would have consumed most
of that interval.  That would in turn reveal what Ioria Schoenberg was up to...

His train of thought is interrupted by the aforementioned Gundam attack, and in
particular by Gundams he's not seen before!  The base takes a furious pounding
from the Trinities, two of whom are still abused of the notion that they're
mightier than the regular CBs and Zexis put together.  That changes in a hurry
when Graham finds out that Eifmann has been blown away.  He savages Mihael's
mech, but his teammates can't keep up in their Flags.  Mihael levels Howard
before finally agreeing to withdraw, which the Trinities do using powerful
wide-area stealth technology.  Graham knows it would be folly to pursue, and is
left to howl at the cruel fate the Gundams keep dealing him.

With one of Britannia's most important bases destroyed, Alejandro expects that
even Emperor Charles' personal knights will be mobilized to defend the
homeland.  They have no choice, really, given that the Imperium won't likely
ignore the gaping hole in Britannia's defenses that's just been opened.
Alejandro says it's time to reduce the entire East Coast, including the
much-vilified Elgan, to ash.  Meanwhile, Alejandro is pinning his hopes on a
little something Schneizer's been researching in Cambodia -- something that
will neutralize the Imperium as a threat.  Plus, there's always the thingie
under construction in the orbital ring: thank goodness the Imperium consists
solely of a single mobile fortress!  Alejandro frankly can't understand why
the unwashed masses insist on making such a fuss about the Imperium yahoos,
but said masses will surely be under his control once all the dust settles.


CHAPTER 27S. The Hunter in Black

Ragna wants to know why the R-Daigun has been sent away from his main forces,
and Urajiel reminds him that her team insisted on autonomy when they offered
to help.  Right, except that her company (Zolbrain) is now part of _his_
empire and he is effectively her boss.  He's also one of the CBs' Observers,
and in her view an unsalvageable egoist.  If she's pinning her hopes on
anything, it's what Dragons' Hive will do next.

That is a very good question, given how Imperium has drawn perilously close
to the Britannian capital of Pendragon for UN negotiations.  There's no way
in hell that the UN will actually afford the Imperium nation status,
especially after its declaration of world war.  The ZEUTH folks ask the
Dragons' Hive's main computer, "WILL", if it knows of a way to send them back
home, and with only two decades of research after the first Quake the sad
fact is that it's beyond current technology to pull off.  The preliminary
research on creating spacetime shockwaves has been deprecated after early
attempts ended in the disaster known to the public as the "Tragedy of Dohar".
It, like the "Prometheus Experiment" and "Project D" have had their true
nature concealed from the public at large... and as far as WILL knows, none
have yet reached a practical stage.  The ZEUTH folks' best bet is sticking
with Zexis and making contact with Crow's nemesis Eim.

They will also get to rendezvous with the other ZEUTH folks who other Zexis
teams have picked up, and maybe even this "Asakim" guy that's turned up.
That Asakim is still alive is pretty amazing given they themselves killed him
off in the last game.  But he and his solitary brand of self-interest are back,
and maybe -- just maybe -- he's got something to do with the Quake that brought
them all here.  All that has to wait though, as WILL detects a new Quake some
hundred klicks away from the base.  Maybe it's some more ZEUTH friends?

What were the chances.  Let's see, who haven't we inexplicably resurrected
yet?  Ah yes, Aquarion!  The crew are pretty much the same as ever, including
Apollo's perpetual hunger and Commander Fudou's penchant for materializing out
of thin air.  His repository of cryptic wise(-ass) statements isn't depleted
either, and he slyly informs his team that they'd better get busy acclimating
to this strange world they suddenly find themselves in.  Maybe it would help
to meet an old acquaintance: Asakim!  As in the previous path, he explains
that the Aquarion folks have just joined the Accursed Wanderer club before
getting into a fracas with Eim.  Apollo's instincts tell him that Eim and
his army of DBs are the biggest bad guys here, though he'll be happy to kill
off Asakim too for his past misdeeds.  Asakim smirks and says that he'd like
nothing more than for Apollo to put him out of his misery... assuming that was
actually possible.

 Zexis shows up on turn 2, and the usual "explanations later, combat now!"
 talk happens.  Asakim is hardly mister popularity, but the team has to put
 up with his help for now.

 See 27U for what happens when Margret interferes.  This time, Eim sends in
 the MD to finish off Crow, only to watch Crow's mech regenerate by the
 power of life^Wdeath and rebirth from Aquarion.  This is waaay too
 anti-scientific for Tielia, but there's no denying what the team just
 witnessed.

The newcomers' information dump finishes after the battle, and of course they
join up with Zexis in the hopes of meeting their other ZEUTH fellows and
eventually finding a way back home.  This will require a reckoning with Eim and
the Imperium, and even if Eim no longer cares to pursue Crow, Crow is more
than happy to pursue him.  Fudou has disappeared during the battle, leaving
the team to ponder for themselves what this whole Accursed Wanderer business
is all about.  They have no clue.

Back at UN HQ, Elgan tells Tanaka to have the SMS and CBs head to Europe,
intending to reassemble the full power of Zexis while the parlay with the
Imperium goes on.  He specifically does _not_ want to provoke the Imperium
by having Zexis nearby, at least, not yet.  See the other path for his chat
with Asakim and the raid that claims Eifmann's life.


CHAPTER 27E. Isle of the Gods

Cornelia and Euphemia are having a bit of a difference of opinion about Euphy
appointing Suzaku as her knight.  Cornelia doesn't officially approve of the
Eleven filling the slot, though perhaps that's more her upholding the Empire's
officially-sanctioned racism than her private views.  Euphy resolves to have
that policy of racism altered, and there's only one way to do that: become
Emperor herself!  ...But all that will have to wait; for now, Euphy will
have to head to Shikinejima while Cornelia leads her forces to put down
a rebellion in Kyuushuu.  There's a certain person she's to meet there...

By this point it should be clear that Niina is a "connoisseur" (okay, actually
onna-otaku to the N'th degree) of princess types, and she's got a new person
to admire: Rilina!  Rilina for her part is more than a little embarrassed over
her chat with the royals, but also enlightened in the fact that "peace" can
legitimately mean many things to many people according to their circumstances.
She's now resolved to determine for herself what "peace" means, hoping that her
answer and and Hiiro's will align someday.

Shirley and Lelouch turn up independently, and Lelouch's Geass has worked to
perfection: as far as she knows, she's never met him before.  Lelouch checks
whether Suzaku is around (he's not, probably busy knighting about) and quietly
enlists Milly's aid in keeping up the ruse that he and Shirley shouldn't know
each other (he claims they've had a big fight, which is sort of true).

Elsewhere, the Zexis troops muse over the Imperium's worldwide trail of chaos.
Its meandering course follows no discernible logic, but everywhere it goes,
warfare and rioting follow... and let's not forget the miserable dying for
those forced to make a last stand instead of evacuating in advance.  Nobody can
withstand the unending stream of DBs, much less the scavenging militaries from
the neighboring countries.  The end result is a redrawing of the world's map,
and dark rumors suggest that the Imperium's mayhem may be averted... for a
price.

If even the Three Great Nations are hesitant to take the Imperium head-on, it
seems like even reuniting Zexis might not be enough.  Unless, that is, it can
get even stronger -- which, from what Crow's heard, is exactly what's
happening.  The silver lining, if you can call it that, to the Destroyer's
coming is that the dimensional walls have been permanently destabilized,
letting a bunch of folks called the "ZEUTH" in from a parallel Earth.  The
plan is for the ZEUTH to gather in one place and decide for themselves whether
to aid Zexis or to adopt some other course -- and of course Elgan thinks he
can persuade them to help out the war effort.

The better question is, what about the Black Knights?  Zero insists that
liberating Japan comes first (neglecting to mention that this ultimately means
overthrowing Britannia itself), promising to go and fight any number of
evildoers once Japan is free.  C.C. watches all this with a jaundiced eye,
wondering if Lelouch is doing this for the Machiavellian thrill or if he
simply doesn't want to be parted from Nanaly soon.  The matter for now is what
to next, and Diethart recommends assassinating Suzaku, Euphy new rockstar
Knight.  Zero views Suzaku's nomination as a genuine goodwill gesture of
peace toward the Elevens, rather than a PR stunt, and both Katou and Ougi
view assassination as counter to the goal of appealing to the common people's
sense of justice.  Zero asks Diethart again why he's chosen to hang with the
Black Knights, and Diethart give him some line about how thrilling it is to
be in the presence of the one man obviously capable of altering the course
of history.  Zero, however, doubts how much "journalistic detachment" Diethart
can have if he's advocating direct action.

Setting aside the question of whether _any_ story can be told without something
of the teller sneaking in, Zero advocates a different plan: approach Suzaku
once again and try to get him to help the Black Knights.  Zero means to
apprehend him in lightly-guarded Shikine, where Suzaku will be accompanying
Euphemia to see a noble for the homeland.  And though that sounds like a tall
order, Zero's already got a plan.  Enter Lakshata, the genius scientist who
in a former life was a leading light in the fields of cybernetics and mecha
design.  She's now the mother hen for the Gekka and Guren, and tells Karen to
keep up the kick-ass piloting so she can gather more data.  She figures it's
high time to bring the Lancelot to heel, having a bit of "history" with its
designer.  As Zero begins explaining the operation particulars, Crow finds
himself fretting over the Black Knights' refusal to join the rest of Zexis.
One can only hope these ZEUTH folk can make up for the absence...

Katou's assignment is to pick a fight with the Britannian forces, drawing
them toward Zero's trap.  C.C. has chosen to tag along, interested in watching
what's about to unfold, and reminds Zero that he's got a surefire way to
ensure Suzaku joins him: his Geass.  Zero refuses to Geass his friend,
admitting that it's a mixture of pride, friendship, and stubbornness.  Note
that this will likely get at least one of them killed, but this isn't the time
to ponder that.

Suzaku appears on cue, and obligingly charges toward Zero's mech... and right
into the firing arc of the "Gefion Disturber", which can halt any Yggdrasil
Drive by interfering with the magnetism of its Sakuradite fuel.  Zero tells
the stricken pilot that he wants to talk to him, and promises to follow
international law if Suzaku comes peacefully.  If not, Zero's forces will be
forced to fire.  Suzaku considers this and dismounts, the Guren's guns trained
on him in case he gets any funny ideas.  Zero dismounts too and gets right
to the point: he wants Suzaku to join forces with him.  Suzaku still doesn't
think Zero's ends justify his means, so Zero asks if Japan's current peace
is any more meaningful.  Suppose Japan had opted to fight to the last seven
years ago -- the AEU and HPL would have joined in and would still likely
be battling Britannia throughout Japan to this day.  Suzaku claims to be
fighting for the Britannians so that the peace his father bought can endure,
but Zero insists that that's just a false peace.

His speech is interrupted by notice that Britannia has launched missiles at
the site, meaning to take both him and Suzaku out in one fell swoop.  Suzaku's
been ordered to capture Zero, which he does with complete disregard for his
own life.  Zero demands to know why Suzaku is prepared to die on behalf of the
same people who've treated him like shit his whole life, and Suzaku says that
being a soldier means knowing how to follow orders.  Zero screams at him that
following is the EASY way out, and demands that he make an accounting for
his own desires.  Suzaku says that he's made it one of his rules to stick to
the soldier thing, and is totally unwilling to break that rule even when
Euphemia herself shows up and tells him he must not die.

This must be what Mao referred to as Suzaku's death-wish, and with no other
option Zero Geasses Suzaku with the command to "Live!".  The next moment the
missiles strike, causing a dimensional rift that seemingly teleports Zero and
Euphemia to a nearby island (Kaminejima, Island of the Roots of the Gods).
When Zero regains consciousness, Euphy is nearby, having figured out his
identity.  She promises not to tell anyone, and after a moment Lelouch removes
his helmet.

Back on Shikinejima, Schneizer gets word that both Euphemia and her knight are
missing.  He and Lloyd figure from the lack of debris that they must have
teleported somewhere, and the conjecture is that Zero too must be still alive
somewhere.  Schneizer is the one who authorized the missile strike, and he
knows Cecil (and presumably Lloyd too) can't be happy about it.  He and
Bartley have been conferring quite extensively about many things (Clovis
among them), and he explains that the missile strike was _supposed_ to give
Suzaku an opening to escape.  But not only did Suzaku decline to do so, Euphy
went and got herself caught in the blast too -- extremely lamentable in any
case.    The good news is that Suzaku and Euphy are probably alive and
waiting to be rescued, which is just what Lloyd has in mind.

Back on Kaminejima, Suzaku has run into Karen and taken her prisoner... for
the time being, anyway.  Both their mecha are broken, and Karen is in what
could charitably be called a bad mood.  Suzaku figures out that she doesn't
really know who Zero is, and asks why she follows the guy.  She won't say,
answering instead that so long as he insists on seeking Zero's life, she'll
seek his life first.  Suzaku says there's there's no future in Zero's methods,
and she snaps back that there's not much of a future in Suzaku's either,
unless one likes being an Imperial lapdog eating scraps and sniffing shit
every day.  Not what one might have expected of the son of the Last Samurai,
to say the least.  But Karen means to change this fucked up world, or else...
or else her brother can never rest in peace.  Best believe she'll do whatever
that takes.  Suzaku digests this a moment, then tells her to come with him
to somewhere a bit more exposed in the hopes that they'll be easier for search
parties to spot.

Meanwhile, Lelouch asks Euphy when she figured out he was Zero.  She had her
suspicions ever since the hotel-jacking, but only got confirmation just now.
Lelouch has to smile ruefully at his imperfect disguise, and asks why she
didn't tell Cornelia her suspicions.  Euphy replies that Cornelia doesn't
listen to her very often, and that she doesn't want to make things any sadder
than they already are.  Lelouch tells her that Nanaly is still living with
him, and still stricken from their ordeal, and asks if Euphy knows anything
about his mother's death.  She apologizes for not knowing anything, saying
that Cornelia _has_ been doing extensive checking into the matter -- Marianne
was Cornelia's idol.  She then asks him which is the real "him": Zero, or...?
He smiles and says that he's Lelouch, the kid who grew up playing alongside
her.  The problem is that he'll have to go back to being Zero when he returns
to Area Eleven, which means fighting against Britannia.  But what if, she asks,
Britannia were to change?  As she told Lelouch's friend the other day, Area
Eleven is anything but peaceful, and she blames widespread discrimination as
the root cause.  With mankind as a whole threatened from within and from
without, it's quite clear that real peace isn't to be found in forceful
suppression of the people's liberty.  She is quite certain that Japan and
Britannia can actually interact on good terms, just as she and Lelouch are
doing now that they've set their weaponry aside.  This catches Lelouch
genuinely off guard, giving him something to think about as he and Euphy
hike into the jungle in search of food.

Unfortunately, Lelouch's wilderness survival skills are rubbish compared to
his chess acumen, and no food presents itself.  He wishes Suzaku were on hand:
the twerp is one heck of a woodsman for being the son of a president.  Suzaku
was the only friend he had left when he came to Japan, but thanks to the war
he's now Zero's bitter enemy.  And speaking of which, the two pairs run into
each other as if on cue.  Zero gets Euphy to play along as he engineers a
"prisoner trade" to get Karen back, in the process berating Suzaku for sticking
to his terrorist-hunting rules when he has the chance to save his lord.  As the
two side switch back to normal, the light of another dimensional shockwave
engulfs them...

It turns out that there's more going on on Kaminejima than meets the eye.
Clovis had been in the process of excavating a certain set of underground
ruins, among which is something Lloyd refers to as a "Logic Elevator".  Lloyd
smirks that this gadget is waaaay outside his area of expertise, and
Schneizer tells him not to diss the relic too hard: the Emperor seems to have
made these things -- dotted all over the globe and all but this one treated
as sacrosanct -- a sort of hobby.  Bartley goes so far as to conjecture that
Britannia's invasion campaigns have all been geared to capture said locations.
Schneizer means to use the Gawain's unproven Druid System to help in analyzing
this occult contraption, which is why he's asked for Lloyd's help.

"Occult" is a good term, and when there's one spooky thingie there's probably
more -- more in this case being Asakim.  He shows up out of nowhere and
directs the Britishists to keep their filthy paws off the Elevator, a key to
defeating the only power in the world that can keep him down.  Schneizer asks
if he knows that the Elevator is and what it's used for (like duh!), but
before Asakim can elaborate, Eim shows up too to taunt Asakim for not being
able to touch said power, and as on the other two paths the two rapidly
decide to throw down, neatly ignoring Lloyd and co. in the process.

Before fighting begins however, Zero and friends are teleported into the midst
of it all.  Asakim recognizes the bearer of the "Power of the King" straight
away, introducing himself to Zero as the Accursed Wanderer -- much like the
one who gave him his power(!!!!!!!!)  And !!111! even!  Zero seizes the
initiative and steals the closest KMF in sight, enabling Karen to go retrieve
her Guren.  As he runs off, Zero promises Schneizer that he'll settle their
score soon enough,  Right, back to the part where Asakim tries to steal Eim's
soul.

You know the deal by now: zillions of DBs, showdown between Eim and Asakim,
etc.  This time Zero's on the scene, having discovered by blind luck that
the KMF he stole a) can fly and b) has basically the perfect strategic weaponry
for him.  The problem is learning to use it...  C.C. just happens to be on
hand, telling Zero she was "summoned".  How, and by whom, he demands.  She
somewhat peevishly tells him that this is why she hates smart guys -- they
always ask questions instead of just accepting what their senses tell them.
Zero pointedly ignores this and orders her aboard, since in a further stroke
of luck this mech is designed for two pilots.  He handles the weaponry while
she drives, making her feel ever more like his co-conspirator [translation:
HOT LOVINGS FTW! or whatnot].  Asakim for his part tells C.C. that it's an
honor to meet another of the criminals roaming around the Infinity Prison,
which she doesn't respond to.

Karen and Suzaku appear on the battlefield then, and Suzaku's first thought is
apprehending Zero.  Umm, did you not notice the hordes of critters threatening
to trash the cave where Euphemia is?  Zero tells him it's time for a truce
while they help Asakim take the DBs out.

 Again, Margret shows up and is left to tussle with the team while Eim goes
 off and does whatever it is he does.

This time as Zero gets the Zexis forces out of the area before Britannian
reinforcements arrive, he gives Suzaku a message for Euphemia: Zero will
believe in her.  What does that mean?!  And why is it that Suzaku is getting
thrown into the slammer for violating military law?

Back at base, Zero announces that the latest battle has caused him to
reevaluate the danger posed by the Imperium.  Insofar as Japan is part of the
world, it's clear that anything which threatens world peace in general
threatens Japan in particular.  The Black Knights will therefore seize this
chance to act as Japan's representatives in the eyes of the world in facing
this common threat.  That's music to the pilots' ears, though Zero will not
publically admit to anything more than cold, rational reasons for doing the
morally right thing.  He tells C.C. that she's to accompany him, choosing to
believe that Nanaly will be safe as long as Euphy is around.  C.C. is a bit
surprised that Lelouch would believe Euphy's pledge to change Britannia,
thinking that Euphy seems to be one of his weak spots.  He shrugs this off and
says that Nanaly needs a peaceful _world_ to live in -- he'll give Euphy some
time to try to make it happen without his having to destroy Britannia first.
Crow meanwhile is fretting over Margret, Eim and all the related mystery stuff.

It turns out that Suzaku has been imprisoned for essentially failing to
follow orders that would have led to his death by the missile blast.  This is
all thanks to Zero's Geass, but none of the people reviewing the evidence from
Suzaku's voice recorders know that of course.  It will fall to Euphy to
determine Suzaku's punishment, keeping in mind some info that Schneizer just
happened to come by: the Black Knights have shipped out to rejoin Zexis.  That
gives her an idea...

Cue the meeting between Elgan and Asakim, and the assault on Overflags Base
that claims Eifmann's life.


[I kept Chapter 27S.]

CHAPTER 28. Wandering ZEUTH

Action starts with, what else, the big long-winded reunion of the ZEUTH
members!  ...Read the above parallel paths if you want to know what they've all
been up to since arriving from SRWZ1.  Notable point #1: someone on the Moon is
willing and able to power the Double-X's Satellite Cannon.  Notable point #2:
this is not the Renton/Eureka/etc. that the crew know from back home.  Notable
point #3: Zero has unexpectedly chipped in the Black Knights' support, on the
theory that liberating Area Eleven can't happen while the world as a whole is
in danger.  Notable point #3A: Zero keeps stoutly denying that he and C.C. are
lovers -- perhaps a bit too stoutly if you catch my drift.  Then again, C.C.'s
dry sense of humor seems optimized for tormenting her masked co-conspirator
[Some say that he doesn't believe in the Kunrei-shiki Romanization system, and
that he's wanted in Tokyo for stealing a Magician's outfit.  All we know is,
he's the Stig's long-lost third cousin!]  C.C.  deadpans to the inquisitive
little kids that a "lover" is someone who cries over her partner's
inadequacies, which pretty much says it all...

(Notable point #3B: Karen can't go back to Ashford Academy now that Suzaku
knows her real identity.  The silver lining is that this frees her to
concentrate on making the Black Knights' -- making Zero's -- dreams come true.)

After some thought, the ZEUTH folks have decided to travel separately from
Zexis, believing they've got enough moxie to protect themselves long enough to
build an independent impression of what's really going on in the world.  They
also hope to find any other members that might be floating around, and maybe
ask a few questions of Asakim and Eim if they can be found.  Jeffrey promises
to keep the bureaucratic heat off them as long as he can, and as the pilots
head to their mecha Aslan confides to Kira that he's afraid to be the cause
of any new fighting.

A problem immediately arises: the ZEUTH folks haven't the damndest idea what
to do next.  Should they blend in, maybe get jobs?  How are they going to
search for their friends?  How will the avoid being used as tools in a new
war?  None of the usual leaderly folks are on hand with suggestions, but an
offer does come from the most unlikely of sources: Patrick of the AEU!  He
wants them to join his country's military, promising a much better deal than
they're getting with the UN.  Of course, he has his people open fire when
the ZEUTH hesitate the slightest moment, saying that his superiors are
desperate for any help they can get against the Imperium.  He doesn't get
to finish his threats though -- Ashura is on hand with a similar "offer" of
incorporating the ZEUTH into Dr. Hell's forces.  Think they'll accept?

 Kill off a few bad guys and the mysterious "Final Dancougar" shows up and,
 equally mysteriously, offers to help.  Offsetting this is a batch of DBs that
 show up in short order.  Aslan's been fretting all this time about how to
 protect his friends and is about to rush in headlong when Kira stops him.
 Aslan needs to remember that Kira will always be by his side!! and stuff.
 Togetherness is a wonderful thing, especially where there's more than just
 one friend involved.

 Case in point: Zexis has actually sent help to its' would-be allies.  Can
 we agree that everyone will be traveling together from now on?  Apparently
 so, which is Final Dancougar's cue to split for now.  It'll be back though,
 as Ryo and its other crew are designated Accursed Wanderers now too.

Ashura is smart enough to flee before losing his/her latest mech, leaving
ZEUTH to ponder the power of teamwork.  There was never really any other
choice besides siding with Zexis, even if doing so may enlarge the conflicts
already swirling around the world.  What are ZEUTH after all if not a fighting
force -- shouldn't they use that power to further world peace and eventually
getting home?  Of course they should.  And when they do, Zexis will have
enough power to take the Imperium head-on!  Speaking of the Imperium, one has
to wonder why they bothered responding to the UN's call for peace talks at
all...


CHAPTER 29. The Signal to Counterattack

The talks are off to what could best be described as an incredibly rocky
start.  Question #1: does the Imperium even deserve to be afforded the
dignity befitting a sovereign nation?  The trail of violence and lame excuses
about exercising "personal freedom" don't seem very encouraging.  With
things going nowhere fast, Sionny announces that she's going to burn around
10% of North America to ashes, and one might wonder why she's taking out on
Britannia her personal fury with Elgan the U.N. representative.  Sionny tells
him to his face that as he speaks for the U.N., any one of the U.N.'s member
nations is equally susceptible to his punishment.  Elgan snorts that this
shows just what level of mental (and legal) deficit the inhabitants of
the Imperium are operating at, and Sionny shouts that if he wants to stop the
order to attack, Elgan needs to beg on his hands and knees _now_!.  She seems
unprepared for him to actually do so, but before she can dream up some new
feverish humiliation Gaiou bursts in.

He tells Sionny to sit down and shut up, pissed off that she's delaying
prospects for a good fight.  He tells Elgan the straight dope: he's come to
this world to fight, and that's what he wants to do.  Elgan can send whatever
kind of killers he pleases -- they'll all get wasted on the spot.  That sounds
like a declaration of war to Elgan, and he pulls out a gun on the spot in a bid
to blow Gaiou away.  Annoyingly, Gaiou manages to catch the bullet with his
teeth, a fine example of how he managed to barge into high-security talks
uninvited.  Rather than kill Elgan on the spot, Gaiou tells him to send in
his troops so Gaiou can kill _them_... a far more meaningful battle in his
view.  Gaiou then walks off, leaving the humiliated Sionny to verbally
spar with Elgan a bit longer.  She vows to smash Elgan's dreams of world peace
into little bitty bits, starting with Cinq Kingdom.  That pathetic little
country once advocated Absolute Pacifism, which was about as useful as a hole
in the head with the way the world currently is.  It's part of AEU, and will
shortly be obliterated unless Elgan's crew can stop it.  Gentlemen, place
your bets...

The AEU's brave response to the threats is to evacuate the capital city of
Cinq.  Doubtless this doesn't sit well with the "Lightning Baron", scion of
the former ruling Peacecraft family, but Treize tells Schneizer that that
name is still too heavy for Zechs to bear.  Treize hopes that Schneizer will
send some serious firepower to help out in the war effort, and after he hangs
up we learn that he's got some of his own: Amuro and Quatro are at Zechs'
side still.

Treize explains why the AEU are voluntarily giving up a little of their
land: though they could stand up to the Imperium in a fair fight, it would
leave them weakened and easy prey for the other two Great Nations.  Treize
can't fault the logic that reaches this dead end, but tells his guests that
there is hope: Zexis.  He offers them a chance to rejoin their ZEUTH
comrades there, but they say they'd rather stick with him a bit longer and
learn more about this world.  Treize thanks them, and says that he won't
waste the educational value of Zexis _or_ the Imperium...

As the Imperium nears Sank Kingdom, Gaiou orders Sionny to get the place
and the opponents lined up and to leave the goddamn fighting to him.  She
furiously passes on the love to Carlos, ordering him to stay in the rear and
look after the supply lines.  He smirks and replies that she shouldn't take
it out on him that Eim isn't showing favor [in the Biblical sense, perhaps]
any more.  It's really a wonder that she hasn't lost her mind entirely by now.

Meanwhile Eim has a little pep talk for the troops about the value of
destroying the world in order to fix it.  Among the troops is Beck, who isn't
down with de/re-construction but is very much down with not getting killed by
refusing.  Oh surely not, counters Eim -- he was going to simply let them
leave, with the knowledge that they'd have no further chance of returning to
their home world.  Beck hates the inequality of this deal, but knows he will
get no better elsewhere.  His new teammate, Roger Smith, doesn't seem so
sure...

The capital city is deserted as hell, which leads Carlos to wonder if their
declaration of war actually back-fired.  Gaiou knows better however: the table
is set for ZEUTH's arrival.  Gaiou responds to ZEUTH's bravery with a whole
slew of DBs, and Sionny demands to know if Elgan's running dogs really intend
to confront the Imperium, already knowing what it's capable of.  The ZEUTH
pilots listen grimly, taking little joy in seeing the formerly hysterical bitch
metamorphose into a MONUMENTALLY IMPERIOUS hysterical bitch now that she's
gained a little political clout.  Jeffrey calls the question absurd to her face
-- did she what, think the team was here for a spot of backpacking?  If Gaiou
wants a fight, it's a fight he's gonna get.  Zero is privately worried that the
team still isn't strong enough to win, but as he tells C.C.  retreat would be
an even worse option as it would embolden their megalomaniacal foes even
further.  Crow doesn't know what Eim is up to, but hunting the DBs has been his
job all along, as is settling his old scores.  The plan is this: take down the
DBs first, so the team can then concentrate on the mobile fortress.

 When the Zexis forces don't die immediately, Gaiou gets bored and sends out
 his knights: Shubal Reptail and the previously met Margret Pistelle.
 Margret's been given orders she clearly doesn't like, and Shubal figures
 hes' far better suited to the task than that coward.  This is bad news for
 Crow, who the plot does not even give a chance to dodge or block.  Shubal
 doesn't even get to finish gloating, or Eim to egg him on, before Roger
 bursts forth in the Big O... and Beck of all people!  Roger has Eim pegged
 as one of those rare liars for whom falsehoods are like life's breath: a
 fiend in human guise.  The last thing the skilled Negotiator will stand for
 is being made a pawn in someone else's deranged schemes, and he's good
 enough at pissing Eim off that it affords time for Crow to be rescued and
 rushed to sickbay.  At that point, Roger (and the reluctant Beck) help out
 in the quest to take revenge for Crow's rather sorry exit.

 Crow or no, it's a seriously tall order taking on all these miscreants.
 Fortunately more help is on the way: Zechs... and Suzaku!  Both of them are
 of course representatives of powers hostile to current Zexis members, but
 there's little time to think and little reason to deny them the right to
 help fend of mankind's common enemies.

 After a colossal amount of throwdown, all Gaiou's pawns are demolished or
 sent packing.  Fascinating to Gaiou is the thought of a battalion capable
 of actually lasting this long.  He decides to withdraw for today, in the
 interest of building up Zexis' hopes -- the better to dash them to
 smithereens when he stages a sneak attack later!  Eim can't resist getting
 in one shot at the people who disgraced him so, and succeeds in blowing
 Beck's mech to bits.  Beck and his goons, perhaps lamentably, managed to
 eject in time and, according to Roger, should fit in great in this world.

This wasn't the most definitive of victories ever, but in Zero's view it's
still a major step forward for the world: it's the first time anyone's stood
up to the Imperium and didn't get FedEx'ed home in pieces.  Zechs prepares to
return home, vowing that if he ever stands in this his homeland again, he'll
refer to himself by his proper name once more.

No sooner has the Imperium headed for the hills than Gaiou goes on a little
field trip of his own.  His remaining subordinates don't have much to chat
about, since Shubal shouts Gaiou's praises at the top of his lungs if given
half the chance.  Oh, thank the master for giving him, poor wretched dog that
he is, a new purpose in life!!  He does find a bit of time to berate Margret
for not following Eim's personally-motivated order: Eim is none other than
Gaiou's mouthpiece, and his words are the words of their king.  Or some such
bullshit.  As Sionny cowers in fear at all the yelling, Eim assigns Margret the
dishonorable task of going to make sure the worthless Crow is dead.  Just to
keep things interesting, he adds "him" (meaning Asakim) to her list of targets.
He plays coy with Carlos about why he, not an Isalaumian, gets to order the
real Insalaumians around, and what the whole deal with the VX is.  Privately,
Eim is resolved that Asakim will never gets his hands on Roger and all the
other Singularities currently on the chessboard.  It's all about the source of
his life: the Sphere!  [WELL WELL WELL, now the truth starts to come out...]

Suzaku owes Zero an explanation as to what he's doing joining Zexis, and since
Suzaku isn't the most articulate of folks Lloyd (along for the ride with Cecil
to keep an eye on things) explains in his stead.  Lloyd smirks as he explains
that the posting of the team is their punishment, for Suzaku _not_ dying with
Zero in a blast of missile-fire back on Shikinejima.  The Britannian military
see this posting as something even more ignominious than capital punishment,
but it's worth noting who suggested it: Euphemia herself.  Zero knows Euphy
well enough to know that this was an act of pure goodwill on her part, and
tells Suzaku that here in Zexis, he's just another member of the team.  He has
no intention of turning Suzaku away, and neither he nor Karen will lift a
finger against him as long as Suzaku follows the rules and respects their
privacy.

Cool, a new team member!  Lloyd gleefully says he wishes Suzaku would disobey
orders more often so he could get away from Britannia like this, and asks Karen
for a closer look at her mech.  He recognizes Lakshata's handiwork, telling
Karen that she and he have a long, and somewhat rough, history together.  Zero
meanwhile tells Suzaku to broaden his horizons with the rest of Zexis, and
asks that the offer will always be open for him to join the Black Knights.
Privately he's sorry for the trouble his Geass has caused his former best
friend -- the one person he most wanted to avoid using his power on.

Is it a good thing to fend off the Imperium when they weren't even trying 50%
of the way?  Yes, if only for the fact that it's hardened the team's resolve to
improve themselves and eventually get rid of the Imperium.  And since Gaiou and
his cronies aren't to be swayed by logical appeals to knock it the fuck off,
that means bringing the fight to them in a big way.  The ZEUTH are known to be
pretty good at that, even given that some of their mecha can't be fully
repaired with this world's spare parts.

Roger reminds everyone that the ZEUTH members are all Stigmatized and should be
considered Singularities.  This is in his view why they were preferentially
caught up in the Quakes that brought them here.  That's what they get for
being present at all the major dimensional upheavals back home: they're now
probably going to be forcibly sucked around from dimension to dimension as long
as they live, and as long as jackasses insist on messing with the spacetime
continuum here or there.  Accursed indeed, but great for the frequent flyer
miles!


CHAPTER 30. Straight Fulcrum

Suzaku's going to have a pretty rough time integrating into the team, given
how many of its members he ran into when they were under deep cover.  He
asks Hiiro if Rilina knows what his day job is, and Setsuna immediately comes
to Hiiro's defense.  He's been assigned to keep an eye on the new recruit,
though there's really little need: all the pilots are eager to meet Euphemia's
famous knight.  The best advice Shinn has for Suzaku is to be himself and to
not try to wall himself away from the rest of the team.  This is a place where
nationality and other factors are secondary to JUSTICE(tm).  Suzaku starts
to soften up under all the goodwill and asks for a round of introductions.

If there's anything on Hiiro's mind, he won't reveal it to most on the team...
Setsuna is one of his only (pseudo-)confidants.  At the top of the list right
now is Crow, whose resilience may be his biggest asset.  Certainly he's
well enough to get up out of bed and run his mouth, but his busted-ass mech
isn't so fortunate.  Only its creator can fully repair the darn thing, and
by some strange coincidence Zexis' course will take them near the Scott Lab.
Maybe he can even get the thing up and running again in time for the strategy
session Elgan will convene.  Lockon asks about Crow's mysterious employer:
is she good-looking?  Good looking, yes; aggravating?  Also yes...

That's enough to let Crow go meet Traia alone, and it's not 100% clear who
she's been more worried about: Crow, or the Blaster.  She gestures at the
mostly vacant lab as proof of how much of a pariah she's become within Axion,
which in turn is the target of a lot of the world's ire.  "Anti-Trust"
sentiment doesn't even begin to describe it, and most of the workers have been
recalled for their own safety -- leaving the facilities to be defended by a
"modest" array of bioengineered horrors, lethal antipersonnel nanomachines, and
other such trifles.  Traia scowls and says that her former coworkers are better
off finding work elsewhere; she's only here so she can finish work on the
Blaster, solve the mystery of the VX, and stick the resulting report up Carlos'
ass.

As for Esther, she's come out of her room and started working as Traia's
assistant.  Her rage has only grown with time, and she's in no mood to see
Crow just now.  Amazingly, Traia informs Crow that he's now repaid his full
debt with interest, thanks to her diverting the salary for the lab folks to his
account.  Crow's seen enough in his life to know what this really means:
despite her bravado, Traia is planning to shutter her lab.  Neither her
resolve nor Esther's vengeance mean much against a brute-force shortage of
dough.  Crow thinks a moment, and tells her to use the money she was going to
pay him to pay for improvements to the Blaster instead.  He's about to go say
hi to Esther anyway, but Traia stops him and asks what's so special about her.
Is he trying to make amends for the Prometheus Experiment?  Maaaaybe...

Esther is, as predicted, not happy to see him at first.  But rather than
make some lame excuse about why he hasn't defeated MD yet, Crow tells her
that he still means to defeat both it, and the Imperium supporting it too.
She despairs of this, thinking they're too big a target, so Crow tells her
a little charm to ward off her doubts: "so what?"  So what if the Imperium can
burn whole countries to ash?  So what if Crow is more impoverished than the
entire third world combined?  He still means to keep his promises, and Esther
better not forget it.  She yells at him to get lost, but just then the klaxons
sound -- maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here alone after all...

Margret's seized the opportunity to attack Crow when he's lightly protected,
and all Crow can fight back in is an Axion Scout SP VR Maxima.  Traia's fast
with her repairs on the Blaster, but Margret ensures that Crow can't get to the
lab safely.  Esther rushes out in the Blaster instead, determined to attack
her tormenters in his stead, but Crow yells at her that he won't let her
throw her life away at something clearly beyond her skills.  It's enough for
Crow that she wants to win so badly.

Margret tells Crow that she'll actually wait till he gets aboard his proper
mech before completing their duel: she _is_ a knight after all.  She warns Crow
not to interpret this as fraternization, and with Crow's instinctive fear of
women there's little worry about that.  Eim isn't going to let this
transaction complete though: he pops up and berates Margret for doing her job
wrong.  Crow may be unworthy to be killed by Eim's hands, but he's still
worth killing -- his death will save the world!  Crow's sick of Eim's bullshit
and can tell that Margret doesn't really want to fight him in the first place,
so he tells her to step off and let him take on Eim directly.

Margret tells Crow to choose between committing suicide or forcing her to
attack Esther, and Crow's choice is clear: instead of a call between saving
his own life versus another's, it's all about pulverizing whoever forced such a
choice on him.  At his outburst, the Blaster's VX system suddenly springs to
life and gives him the chance to switch mecha.  Eim yells at Margret, who
tries to get in the way of Crow's thrust at Eim.  Well, she succeeds in getting
in the way, but thanks to Traia's newly-developed "SPIGOT"s, her mech gets
demolished in a single blow.  Crow actually apologizes to her, saying that he
only attacked her because she tried to protect Eim, and just then the MD moves
to protect her from further harm.

Eim orders her to get her ass out of the way, gushing over the beautiful sight
of a rain of light torn asunder, of flowers ripped to shreds and the ocean
aflame.  It is the night of the galaxy's lament, the pouring forth of billions
of blue waters from within the box, the climax of a nightmare once dreamt.
He somehow dismisses Margret and tells Crow that he's finally worth killing.
Of course, after all that ranting Crow isn't alone either.  Many among Zexis
have a score to settle with Eim, especially Holland with his plans for
recreating fairy tales or whatever it is he's up to.  Traia tells Crow that
the SPIGOT system will let him channel the VX's immense power directly into
his weapons without anything (on his side) exploding.  With Esther watching,
Crow tells the irate Eim that he'll have to wait: Crow's principal target is
the MD.

 Eim is a rather dangerous dude, but there's dangerous and then there's
 _dangerous_.  Of course, he's also not putting forth his full strength until
 he can be assured that Crow's awakening has begun.  Harvesting his life
 will come next, but that will wait for another occasion.  For now, Eim bids
 the "wavering fulcrum" goodbye.

Moby Dick goes down in a giant fountain of grue, ending Crow's immediate
quest and leaving him with a vaguely lonely feeling inside.  He heads back to
the lab to hear Traia explain more about this SPIGOT contraption, and tells
the rest of Zexis he may or may not be back.  As he leaves the field, Asakim
(lurking in the shadows) thinks that it will be he, not the False Black Sheep,
to steal Crow's soul...

Traia herself is kind of at a loss to describe precisely why the VX system
kicked in during the battle.  Her best efforts to prod it into action
externally with the SPIGOT system came to nought, and yet something about
Crow's mental state seems to have gotten through to it.  Crow joshes her that
this isn't some episode of the X-Files, but she tells him that the HPL are
_in_fact_ researching occult-drive mecha as they speak.  It shouldn't surprise
anyone if the VX turns out to be powered by Morale or crying babies or God
knows what else.  In any case, Traia knows that there are vastly more fearsome
DBs yet waiting in the wings, and proclaims that the road to the Blaster's
completion is still a long one.  Oh, and since Crow seems so eager to continue
as its test pilot, she's got some news for him: his debt has now ballooned to
1.99M thanks to the expense of fixing and powering up the Blaster.  Crow is
literally speechless, especially when he gets a whopping *10* G for defeating
the MD itself.  Esther then delivers a somewhat backhanded "thank you", and
vows to keep helping Traia find a way to topple the Imperium once and for all.
In fact, maybe she can serve as a test pilot!  How hard can it be?

Back at the Imperium, Shubal is seriously taking Margret to task for returning
with her tail between her legs when Eim appears and intervenes on her behalf.
After all, she did a decent job in the past battle, _and_ had her younger
brother killed off and all.  Uhh, howsthatagain?  Yup, MD was apparently her
little brother, which Crow so thoughtfully splattered all over the countryside.
Tastes like chicken?  You betcha.  Margret's normally paper-white complexion
now turns an interesting shade of infra-green at the news, and Eim dismisses
her so she can go be sick or whatever.  His plan is pretty stereotypical:
make her stronger by making her hate Crow, and see if Crow can fend her off.
Zexis in general is to be allowed to live for a while: their existence will
embolden other fools to attack the Imperium, who Gaiou will take great
pleasure in slaughtering.

Margret is, in fact, crushed over her inability to protect her younger brother
Shane, and over being now truly all alone in this world.  And with comrades
like hers, who needs enemies...?


CHAPTER 31. The Final Battle: Mars and Marg

Remember Marg?  Kinda bishounen, kinda... captured by the forces of Evil?
It's been a while.  Evil works at a glacial speed in this world, as evidenced
by the fact that Marg's only just now being prepared for some nefarious,
ignominious purpose.  He's actually insulting Zhul to his face and demanding
to be executed, and in a way he will be: he's to be mind-wiped and converted
into a loyal warrior to Zhul's cause -- and then sent to kill Mars.  How you
like me now!  Not well, in point of fact...

He's in remarkably good spirits when he awakens, which might have something to
do with the hot sci-fi babe who names himself as his second-in-command.  She
tells him that he's been assigned as Zhul's forward commander, and advises him
not to fret over his erased memories.  Time to go fight Mars and Zexis!

Zexis have turned up at Elgan's place, marveling along the way at how Crow
seems to keep getting himself ever deeper into debt.  The sight of Elgan, the
grim-faced fabled Boatman, is strangely reassuring to the team.  He's sort of
down-to-earth, and has hearing radically better than his years would suggest.
He says that he's got to get right to the point: he needs Zexis to chart the
course of the world's future.  That's what the CBs want to hear, as that's
basically Ioria Schoenberg had in mind -- though Sumeragi quickly concludes that
Elgan doesn't have 100% total grip over the worlds' militaries.  Apollo's
instincts are making him twitchy about Elgan, but he doesn't think that Elgan's
lying as such.

As Elgan is promising to forward any information he can find about the other
ZEUTH members who may have come to this world, word comes in from Ootsuka that
Takeru's (Earth) mother has been kidnapped.  Obviously this is an underhanded
gambit to get their hands on Takeru himself, but he means to do whatever it
takes to get his mother back from them.  Show up alone, sans mech?  Sure, why
not?  Rose is waiting there with some espers, apparently sent to psychic-
power Mars into a quivering wreck.

Why this was a good idea I have no clue, as Takeru's powers far outstrip
Zhul's garden-variety goons.  Then again, Rose is playing a battle of
attrition dreamt up by Marg himself, and as time wears on it seems to be
working.  But just then some sort of foe approaches the scene, and not one
of Earth origin.  The foe isn't a mech at all, but the posse from the
Kurogane-ya!  Yasu gleefully points out to Rose that anti-aircraft fire isn't
the only way to take out missiles, and the contingent start demolishing the
espers barehanded.  Among them are the Getter team, who seem to have been
really eating their Wheaties.

Rose frantically tells her forces to get to longer range, but the Zexis snipers
aren't having any of that noise.  Rose's next attempt to scatter the Zexis
forces with her troops carrier goes disastrously awry when Kiriko shoots the
damn thing down with a _handgun_ (the mighty-yet-fictional Bauhauser M571
"Armor Magnum").  Rose is terrified to see how well Zexis can fight without
their mecha, but Marg is far from finished.  He's got Takeru's mother in hand,
and of course doesn't recognize his brother when Takeru rushes over to effect
a rescue.  Marg not recognizing him is crushing, but Tsubasa talks some sense
into him and the predictable mecha throwdown begins.

 In short order Ashura appears, demonstrating Dr. Hell's partnership with
 Zhul for all to see.  Ashura has an interesting plan: make Takeru half-dead,
 then toss him out into space so the Antiproton Bomb will explode harmlessly.
 Like _that_ will fly with the rest of Zexis around!  Rose resorts to tying
 Takeru's mom up and dangling her from the bridge, demanding that Marin
 surrender or forfeit her life.  The snipers are too far away to shoot out
 the rope holding her, which means it's time for another all-too-conveniently
 timed entrance: Bardios.  Yeah, the one with the teleportation and stuff.
 Oh, and good buddy God Sigma, with the Invulnerable ego^WGod Shield.
 Save the re-introductions for later and get on with the vengeance now!

 When Takeru approaches Marg, he realizes that something is out of place and
 should try to contact his brother.  Zhul's brainwashing becomes clear, but
 Marg is infuriated at having his thoughts invaded and won't immediately
 regain his lost past -- the only option is to shoot down his ship.  Do this
 with Takeru for an extra bonus goodie!

The two "newcomers" have actually been around in this world for some time, but
they've deliberately been kept hidden by Tanaka as a sort of trump card just
in case Zexis needed help.  Well, help was needed and they're out of the closet
now.  We get the obligatory backstory on Marin and the others, including how a
new home was found for the S-1'ians.  Marin and co explain that they were
still in deep space, heading back toward Earth, when a Quake brought them
here: teleportation not just across worlds, but through space as well.  Roger
has the right idea: the ZEUTH members' Singularity properties are inexorably
drawing everyone together.  It was Dancougar who brought them to Dragons'
Hive, and it's Zexis who'll now get the benefit of their added firepower.

If only Takeru could share in the joy.  He tearfully asks his "mother" why
she couldn't have given birth to him for real, desperately seeking some way
in which he wouldn't have to fight his brother.  Tsubasa gets sick of this in
a major hurry and tells Takeru to grow a pair and stop the crying to mommy
stuff.  Kouji tries to come to Takeru's defense, but Takeru's mom agrees...
sort of.  She tells Takeru to fret as much as he needs to, but to also
remember that he's a warrior sworn to defend the Earth.  He'll have to decide
for himself if he must fight Marg, but whatever he decides he'll always be
her son(-ish, but who's counting?)  The moment he loses this kindness is the
moment all will be lost.  Kouji gets his butt moving too, a sly taunt about
his incomplete training from Tsubasa still ringing in his ears.  As he walks
off, Shizuko muses mournfully that perhaps the one thing she can do for her
poor child is to support him with her love.  The hardened Tsubasa has to smile
ruefully at that -- as they say, "Women be weak, yet mothers be strong."
Educational that, perhaps pertinent to the way Kouji is about the right age
to be Tsubasa's own son.  But let's not go there for now...

Back at Zhul's forward base things are in far sorrier shape.  Zhul tells
Rose that they lost the battle entirely because she let their hostage escape,
and orders her back to Gishin to be executed.  She quietly accedes, but Marg
intervenes and says that the only way he'll be able to capture the Earth is
with his vice-commander's help.  Zhul agrees, warning that the next report he
receives better be about their victory.  After he hangs up, Marg can't fully
explain to Rose why he acted to save her, just as he can't understand the
strange sensation he gets when fighting the man who named himself his brother:
the man who shares his face.  Why are they fighting Earth again anyway?  Well,
_Zhul_ said it contains hidden dangers and needs to be either conquered or
blown up.  They why is Mars, a Gishinian, resisting?  Things that make you
go "Hmm..."


CHAPTER 32. Farewell, My Homey

Strange times make for strange bedfellows, and Elgan's shacked up with some
very strange individuals indeed: Stinger and Corwen look like just about
anything apart from baseline humans.  That makes it more interesting that
they'll be the ones presenting some results about Invader research at next
week's exobiology hoe-down.  The odd due hope that mankind will gain a better
understanding of their enemy, and lament the fact that Saotome is unwilling to
help them.  Can't imagine why he'd do that!

As soon as they're out of earshot, the two start sniggering about how "the
humans" are so worried about the "Invaders".  They're more worried about the
Beastmen, who seem so insistent on trying to stem the tide of Getter Rays.
Stinger smirks that if the Beastmen insist on stopping their own evolution,
they're not worth the trouble of getting rid of.  Or put differently, those
bent on killing the Beastmen are the highest priority targets.  They're both
agreed: the Spice^WEvolution must Flow!

Speaking of the Beastmen, Lowgenome is rather irate over Zhul's latest antics:
nosing around in the Dark Continent and allying himself with the residents of
the Ruins.  He believe he can take on Zhul and friends on his own, but the
real problem are those ten billion (give or take) Monkeys, should they awaken
at some point.  Lowgenome's dispatched Chimilf for a preemptive strike on those
with the spiral power already at their disposal, and goes to prepare to battle
those who seek the Earth's power for their own foul ends (that would be Zhul,
for those keeping score back home).

While he's doing... whatever it is he's doing, Zexis has been busy running
around in search of Beastmen to lynch.  It sounds pretty harsh until you
consider how much damage and misery they've been spreading, and Kamina is
more than happy to lead the charge on behalf of the glorious Gurren Gang.
With children and animals lining up behind his bravado, even Youko has to
admit quietly that the guy is pretty bad-ass.  Some of the more experienced
womenfolk advise her that she'd better bust ass and keep pace with him if she
doesn't want to get left behind.  Elchi's learned that the hard way about
her man Jiron, which interests Renton and Eureka immensely -- and Eureka
in turn interests Lee Long immensely, though Renton tries to keep the guy
from scaring her too badly.

The soap opera ends abruptly when Timp shows up, with Viral of all people
trailing behind!  After a bit of tense small-talk we meet the real threat: the
hulking Chimilf, one of the Spiral Lord's four generals.  He's come to throw
down the gauntlet with Kamina, vowing to kick his ass at dawn tomorrow with
his Dai-Gunzan.  No sooner does he and his comrades walk off than Kamina
starts yelling his head off about how he is SO accepting the challenge.

The rest of the team get ready for battle too, strategy and maintenance all in
readiness for whatever teh hell the Dai-Gunzan turns out to be.  Kitan
angrily warns the other pilots not to underestimate the Beastmen, seemingly
disagreeing with Kamina's stated plan to simply bum-rush the bad guys and
break through directly.  Then again, such tactics are what made Kamina the
first human to ever successfully steal a Gunmen: he's a trailblazer of sorts
for all those who would follow his footsteps.

And if Kamina is the tip of the spear, Simon's proven himself an able shaft
for it: always help save Kamina's bacon when it matters most.  The two are
a superb team, and Youko tells Simon she's counting on him as much as she
is counting on Kamina.  Simon, who's been teased/encouraged to go find a
girlfriend among the team's plentiful supply of women, seems like he's got
something important to say to Youko, but the timing is all wrong as she
wanders off to see where Kamina's gone.  Ryouma of all people pops out
and tells Simon he'd better get his love declaration off his chest before
tomorrow's bloodshed.  Simon of course gets mightily embarrassed and runs off,
leaving Ryouma to explain to Crow that he's not acting out of idle concern:
better to get everything out in the open before a battle which there might be
no return from.  The Getter team all agree that expressing love, even
unrequited with a partner out of one's league, is better than none at all.

Kamina meanwhile has been gazing at the moon, a sight beautiful enough to be
worth coming to the Surface all on its own.  He's adamant that the team must
smash the Beastmen as often as it takes to make them give up their assaults,
so all the kids have a safer, happier world to live in.  His candor surprises
Youko, who observes with some amazement that he's actually got more than two
brain cells to rub together.  He tells her he's counting on her to help
protect the space behind him, the space where all their friends actually
live and work.  Youko is stirred to kiss him full on the lips, and after a
moment of shock he promises her to return the favor tenfold when he gets back.
Geef, you have to hope that's not one of those "IF-he-gets-back" bad omen kind
of moments...

And of course, Simon saw the whole thing.  SOAP OPERATIC!

As the team array for battle, even Zero agrees that Kamina's frontal assault
plan has merit.  If nothing else, Kamina's presence brings an ineffable
morale boost to the team, something invaluable against an unknown but deadly
enemy.  Simon is going to have a hard time concentrating, but the rest of the
team is uber fired up.  They'll need to be: the Dai-Gunzan turns out to be a
_battleship_-sized Gunmen.  Kamina likes the sight so much he intends to have
the team steal it and use it as the Gurren Gang's new hideout.  Unbelievably
he's cooked up some kind of plan with Lee Long, which will begin once they
immobilize the thing.  Let the games begin!

 There are a few truths in this world, and this is one of them: wherever
 there's fighting, the Invaders can't be far behind.  Interestingly the
 Invaders are totally fixated on the humans (which might include Timp if he's
 not careful), and given their propensity for stabbing fleeing foes in the
 back the team's only option is to go forward with all available violence.
 It's not all bad news though: Lee Long has figured out how the team might
 steal the Dai-Gunzan.  When the Gurren Lagann combines, what's actually
 happening is that the Lagann is taking over the Gurren's systems.  This is
 nifty, and will be even niftier if it can repeat the feat with the Dai-Gunzan.
 Which in turn depends on Simon's spiritual fortitude...

 Viral can't do much to stem the tide, and Chimilf sends him home before he
 can get himself killed.  Timp meanwhile is practicing thespianical skills
 that the average footballer [that's Soccer to you Yanks] might envy,
 buggering off before his airbags can even deploy.

 Simon can't help but be daunted by the task before him, even when the rest
 of the team immobilize the supposedly mobile fortress.  Even he doesn't know
 what his mental block is, but fortunately for him he's got a staunch ally in
 Kamina.  The Gurren Gang leader will gladly smack some sense into him any
 time he finds himself sucking it up, and he orders Simon to believe in the
 self that Kamina believes in.  Umm.

 Bad news emerges from the Dai-Gunzan: Chimilf isn't going to just hand the
 damn thing over without a fight.  Kamina takes the brunt of it, but after a
 couple anxious moments he rushes over and, once again, smacks sense into the
 anxious Simon.  Chimilf wants his battleship back, but that ain't happening
 as long as Gurren Lagann has anything to say about it.  Simon now grasps the
 true Power of the Drill, and Chimilf gets his pork ass broiled into some
 seriously unhealthy bacon.

One. Small. Point.  Kamina was apparently less okay than he let on...


CHAPTER 33. Life That Pierces the Heavens

Making the Dai-Gunzan habitable is a long task, all the grimmer for the abrupt
loss of the Gurren Gang's bombastic leader.  Everyone on the team will have to
deal with it in their own way, and that means leaving Simon alone with his
grief for now.  Even the CBs are humbled by the fruits of war, and Lockon
tells Kira that if someone had to be punished, he'd rather it have been Lockon
himself.  Not, as he tells Suzaku, that he regrets what he's done -- he
expects to be judged and judged harshly, but preferably _after_ he's finished
his work.  Kira asks him not to lay down his life prematurely: he may yet get
a chance to make amends, and there's always someone who cries over the loss
of another.  Zero knows that a similar fate awaits him, though outwardly he
merely recommends that the Black Knights, and Suzaku, join the rest of Zexis
in mourning their fallen comrade.

Among those hit hardest is Felt -- all the bad memories of her parents' deaths
resonate for her.  She particularly doesn't want to lose Lockon in the same
way, and in an amazing moment of tenderness he tells her to call him by his
real name: Neil Dilandy.  Sharing this secret with her will be proof of his
vow to live through this mess.

The thought of their own mortality finally drives the Nova team to open up to
each other.  Johnny starts with his biggest reason for joining the team in the
first place: two of its female members are exactly his type.  That's right,
equal 3P actionz with Aoi and Kurara.  As for why Kamon voluntarily chose a
life of homelessness, he muses that he was seeking some sense of being alive --
of sharing in the fundamental cycle of foraging for food, eating it, and
sleeping as the beasts of the field do.  Fulfilling his soul required something
else though, and that's where Dancougar came in: it felt like a challenge to
him from the world at large.  Aoi's motives are similar: for all the
camaraderie and pleasure she found in modeling and racing, it is Dancougar that
promises to set her aflame, to take her to heights she couldn't reach on her
own.  Kurara plays coy: telling the entire team to survive if they want to hear
her story later.

Sumeragi has been overhearing this a bit, and complements them on becoming a
bit more like an actual team.  Kurara sniffs that they're doing far better than
the Gundam Meisters, and Sumeragi readily agrees.  She does pass along a little
something she heard from Rue and Seimy: the Nova folks will remain far from a
true team so long as they keep their hearts walled away from each other.
Kamina is a pretty good example of what one can accomplish by letting
everything inside out.  In any case, the elusive true commander of Dragons'
Hive has invited everyone to a party, and that's not something to be easily
ignored.

Holland and Talho expect that their long struggle is nearly at an end, and
their dreams of fairytale-like bliss nearly at hand.  "Holland" is just a
pseudonym as it turns out: his proper designation -- not his real name -- is
350Z.  His real name, and his proper future, have been stolen from him as they
have from all his crew.  They are all of them resolved to go through with
their grand design, and Holland tells his comm officer to get in touch with
"him" -- all that remains now is deciding when to pull the trigger.

The party is, as expected, a time for conflicted emotions.  Harry says it best
to Rolan: grief is fine, so long as one does not drown in it.  That's a bit of
wisdom from Queen Diana that Rolan would do well to ponder.  Alto isn't feeling
the love and is about to trudge off until the evening's entertainment is
revealed: Sheryl and Ranka!  That sounds great until it turns out they weren't
told the reason for the party -- it will be a test of their professionalism
to keep their sudden grief at Kamina's loss under wraps.  Hopefully their
new acquaintance and fellow idol Eiyda, tonight's opening act.  She's cute but
surprisingly savvy, and Sheryl tells Ranka she'll need her shit together to
not get upstaged.  As the pair head backstage, they run into a posse of folks
they don't recognize and who are very much fans of their singing.  Besides
Sandman and Fudou, there's Diana and Lacus!  Lacus loves the girls' blend of
strength and joy, and tells Fudou that she doesn't want to meet her ZEUTH
comrades until she finds other songs to sing besides her former songs of war.
Diana too intends to use this time apart from her comrades to consider the
world as one of its mere residents, instead of as the Queen of the Moon.
Sandman will help them with his friends in this world, the Fog Sweeper, as they
all battle the forces of darkness in their own ways.

Away from the buffet and commotion downstairs, the Nova team finally meet the
founder of Dragons' Hive: F.S.  F.S. notes that the Nova team seems to be
having trouble fighting the R-Daigun, a rival Dancougar type known as a
Variable Beast Machine.  He's actually happy that the R-Daigun's shown up, as a
benchmark for whether the Nova can be considered a "real" Dancougar or not.
F.S. admits that the Final Dancougar is part of his grand plan to fend off
"enemies to come", but he won't say what that plan or those enemies are
specifically.  He's invited the team here for now because he's interested in
them -- they're somehow different than the previous Dancougar team's he's
hired.  What he will tell them is that Dancougars have to become arbitrarily
strong.  Johnny asks F.S. where the term "Dancougar" comes from, and F.S.
smiles and says it's the name of a divine warrior who transcended both man and
beast.  That warrior even had a catchphrase: "Your Ass is Mine!" or some such
that F.S. surprisingly repeats for the team.  After the invigorated members
walk off, WILL asks F.S. -- that is, Fog Sweeper -- if these are the ones he's
pinned his hopes on.  They are, and with the little surprise WILL's prepared,
surely Nova will beat the Daigun and truly become a Dancougar.  WILL cautions
that such optimistic plans are a bad habit of humanity but F.S. says that that
bad habit has seemingly served mankind pretty well so far..

Back at the party, some Area Eleven folks happen to be on hand for political
reasons: Louise (and her escort Shoji) and Rilina.  Setsuna chats with them
briefly without incident, and later tells Hiiro that Rilina's here.  He tells
Setsuna that Rilina dwells in a different world from him, and there's no
reason for him to seek her out.  Setsuna then asks if Hiiro was ever scared
to self-destruct, and after regarding him a moment Hiiro observes that Setsuna
seems to be afraid to die without fulfilling his mission.

Johnny is there too, furiously pondering who F.S. really is and how (and
where) he got the technology to put Dancougar together.  His reverie is
broken by Eiyda, who's a sort of Internet stalker of his after his ad agency
was involved with stealing a commercial Eiyda was supposed to star in.
She means to press her romance, and Johnny isn't opposed to the prospect...
Unfortunately, there's a bit of an interruption: a Gundam is headed towards
the party site.  It's the Trinities, and when they blast the building Eiyda
does not fare well...

Back at the Dai-Gunzan, a large gathering of hotshot Gunmen pilots have
gathered in honor of Kamina.  Lee Long says that the Dai-Gunzan's new name will
be the Daigurren, at Youko's insistence.  The problem remains Simon, who
hasn't yet come out of his room.  Youko isn't rushing to try to cheer him up,
admitting that she's fully occupied with keeping her own spirits from
collapsing.  After all, the last thing Kamina told her is that he'd return her
kiss tenfold -- she's now left with a hole ten times wider in her heart.
Just then, word comes in that Simon has boarded the Lagann and departed -- not
so safe given all the Beastmen nearby.

Simon has gone nearly mad with grief and with his determination to make up for
Kamina's loss.  He initially trashes a few Beastmen, but then his Lagann
grinds to a halt.  Seeing no immediate danger, he dismounts and goes to
investigate a box that the Beastmen dropped.  Inside it is... a cheerful girl!
She prances around barefoot, reveling in the sensation of being Outside, and
then quizzically asks why Simon is just like her.  He lacks all the fur and
fangs and whatnot, and she seemingly has never heard the term "human" before.
He struggles to explain that are other humans out here like him (but not
_exactly_ like him, which would be weird).  Soon more Beastmen arrive and
Simon herds them into the Lagann, which still sits immobile.  He tells Nia
to run and hide while he holds the enemy Gunmen off, though how he means to
do this Lagann has "forsaken"(?) him remains to be seen.  He doesn't want to
see anyone else die, and if someone MUST die, he wants it to be... him
himself, as Nia makes him realize.  She smiles and tells him he should run
away if he's afraid: dying is _bad_.  He tries to pretend he's not afraid, but
she tells him that lying is bad too.

Kitan and Youko show up at this point, as do a bunch more Beastmen.  Nia
suddenly gets on the radio and orders them all to withdraw, in the name of
the Spiral King Lowgenome's First Princess.  The Beastmen all withdraw, and
the team now have a lot more to think about.

Meanwhile, Ragna has given Johan quite a talking to about the Trinities'
attack on that party.  Mihael doesn't give a shit: he feels proud of dealing
damage to a rival corporation and for taking Zexis' warpower down a notch or
two.  And besides, it was Neina who started shooting like a goddamn lunatic.
Ragna better not have been bitching about civilian casualties or whatnot,
right?  Right, but there's a _non_-civilian casualty: the R-Daigun's pilot.
She's only been lightly wounded and will still participate in the next mission,
which Mihael and Neina think is a major shame -- they're quite convinced they
can do their job on their own.  In any event, the team are being sent to
strike the Overflags base next, and Neina wants to go level the place before
the R-Daigun can even make it to the battlefield.

Simon's arrived back at Daigurren with his peculiar guest, who's been locked
up till the team can figure out what to do with her.  The party guests are
also back and draped all over sickbay.  Luckily no one got killed, but the
shock to Simon is almost as bad: Lagann doesn't seem interested in helping
someone who lacks the will to live.  With no where else useful to go, Simon
goes to chat with Nia some more.  She's learned a lot from the other
crewmembers about what harm her father's wreaked on the humans, but doubts he
would do so without a reason.  Simon of course hates Lowgenome's guts, but
when Nia asks if he hates her too he says he's got no fucking idea.  So,
why's he fighting again?  He _did_ fight because Kamina, who believed in him,
was there.  And just who is this "Kamina"?

A dude who lost his life fighting Lowgenome's people, which pretty much
explains why people might dislike Nia.  Simon says that nobody hates her...
and come to think of it "hatred" never seemed to drive Kamina either.  Kamina
was the sort to laugh even under the direst of circumstances.  He was like
this...  BOTTOMLESS IDIOT, Youko grouses not unkindly, and asks Simon to
regale her too with more stories about Kamina.  Simon relates an incident
where the people of his village once tried to dig to the surface, only to be
trapped in an earthquake.  He was terrified that he'd die buried alive just
like his parents, but Kamina was the one who kept encouraging everybody, the
one who stopped Simon's hands from shaking.  It was then when Simon heard the
voice of the soil and rock speak to him, telling him to grasp this warm stone
and make his way out.

Simon says that he's always been powerless without Kamina, but Nia points out
that he rescued her quite well on his own.  Why is he so obsessed with
taking Kamina's place?  He tells her that she doesn't know what Kamina was
like, but she counters that Simon can't count on what Kamina _was_ like
either.  Youko huffs that Nia couldn't possibly understand what Simon's going
through with no idea of what Kamina was like, and Nia rightly asks why not.
Simon's far from incapable, but so long as he remains fixated on someone
now departed...  Youko yells at Nia to knock off the lecture, especially given
it was her father's men who cost Kamina his life in the first place.  Cost...
_Youko_ Kamina's life, if we're honest.  Just then word comes in of Beastmen
on the inbounds, and as the Daigurren can't move yet Zexis' forces mean to
intercept them some distance away.  Simon still looks like hell, and he still
is trying to fill Kamina's shoes as he trudges toward the hangar...

When Zexis sends in reinforcements, the scope of the party injuries is clear:
the team is substantially short on warm bodies.  HOT bodies, on the other
hand, are overflowing from a Nova team itching to measure up to F.S.'
expectations.  Johnny in particular wants to get this over fast so he can go
check in on Eiyda.  All eyes are on Simon, seemingly zombified by his
unreasoning determination to fill Kamina's pointy sunglasses -- even good news
about the low number of enemies actually makes him sink deeper into his funk.
Watching him, Eureka wonders aloud why people go on living while shouldering
such debilitating sadness.

Everyone gets worried when a Quake occurs, letting in a large batch of
Emerges.  Wait, they look an awful lot like the ferocious balloon animals that
Eureka is descended from [that's the Coralians, for those keeping score at
home], and if so, what's the deal with this world having a Eureka given how
ZEUTH's Eureka supposedly put paid to all that pan-dimensional mess a while
ago.  The Beastmen wisely leave the Emerges alone, and Eureka somehow knows
that the Emerges are somehow seeking to understand the meaning of sorrow.
Talho frantically calls to Holland, who agrees that the Emerges must not be
allowed to get their hands on "it".

 [By the way, if you have 40+ kills for Suzaku, you'll get a Yggdrasil
 Drive at the end of this battle.  This is easier if you've been using Suborder
 optimally, but you should still be able to make up some amount of deficit
 during the battle itself.]

 At a particular juncture in the battle, Holland orders Renton to follow him
 back to the Gekko.  Renton understandably wants to know what's going
 on, and Eureka says it's all her fault for not being human.  That's news to
 him, given how they like grew up together and all, but Eureka at long last
 tells him the truth.  The reason the military took her away and treated her
 as a top secret is that she's actually a spy robot sent by the Emerge to
 study humans.  It's probably her attempt to understand Simon's sorrow that
 made the Emerge react and show up.  Renton isn't sure he believes all this,
 and Eureka thanks him for always treating her like a regular girl.

 Holland intervenes at this point, having known Eureka's true nature all
 along.  Renton demands to know why Holland stole her from the military,
 and Holland has a question for Renton in turn before answering: how old
 does Renton think Holland is?  Renton retorts that he's got no fucking clue,
 and Holland tells him that he's all of seventeen... just like everyone
 else on the Gekko.  They are all children of Neverland -- yeah, the one
 from Peter Pan lore.  Holland says that the Tragedy of Dohar eight years ago
 was caused by humans trying to use the Emerge's power to produce artificial
 Quakes.  In that case, another humanoid Emerge spy robot was the focus,
 and the ship headed for the Emerge was packed with children like Holland.
 The only adults were a young soldier and a peach-haired girl, who were
 hugging each other as though they knew their end was nigh.

 Holland and the others passed out in a burst of rainbow-colored light,
 regaining consciousness as their ship disintegrated around them.  The
 adults who sent them on this mission probably suspected that the orphan
 children wouldn't be missed, but what they didn't suspect is what Holland's
 people saw at the other end of the tunnel: a blue-green planet whose moon
 bore some kind of inscription.  They realized that that's the world where
 they belonged, and for that if nothing else Holland is grateful to Renton's
 parents, employees at the Warusawa lab where the experiment took place.
 Apparently they discovered the technology that powered all this from an
 old fairytale: the Ageha Myth.

 The kids were the only ones dragged back to this world when the experiment
 ended, and the military scientists discovered that they were all aging at
 triple the normal human rate.  Holland believes that this is due to being in
 this world, and is bound and determined to leave lest the early grave he's
 been consigned to get even earlier.  Okay, got all that -- so how's Eureka
 fit in?

 The theory goes that the Emerge have the ability to manipulate dimensions,
 but can't initiate the process on their own.  On this theory, the Ageha
 Myth was penned by them as a sort of trigger mechanism, and Holland thinks
 he can use what they've learned, plus Eureka, to remake this world into one
 where he can actually survive.  This pisses Renton off something fierce:
 what makes Holland think anyone has the right to remake the world for their
 own personal benefit?!  Wouldn't using Eureka like that lower Holland to
 the same level the adults he hates so much inhabit?

 Holland yells at him to shut up, adding a punch for good measure.  Renton is
 not cowed in the slightest, yelling right back that Holland can go fuck his
 unfair self if that's how he insists on making his point.  Holland growls
 that it's not just Eureka who he means to use: it's Renton too!  Eureka
 springs into action and grabs Holland, yelling at Renton to escape while
 he still can and ordering Nirvash to _take_ him when Renton hesitates.

 Eureka radios(?) in to Renton, thanking him for all he's done and apologizing
 again for mixing him up in her problems.  She claims to have no regrets
 left, though she's reluctant to fulfill her proper mission.  If she lets
 Holland and the others use her as they want to, she won't have to make the
 decision.  Renton is furious at her "self-satisfaction", demanding to know
 if she ever stopped to consider his feelings.  The Gekko flies off with
 Eureka, and Nirvash refuses to let Renton follow.  Jeffrey orders his crew
 to recover Renton, and the rest of Zexis can only wonder what the hell is
 going on.

 Meanwhile, who should show up but the R-Daigun.  The Trinities are nowhere
 to be seen, and it seems the R-Daigun's pilot is determined to settle the
 score with the Nova.  She insists that it will be her who saves the world,
 though how defeating Nova would achieve that is far from clear.

 The R-Daigun is not easily cowed by the D Team's newfound bravado.  Its
 pilot fires back, damaging the Nova's generator and starting it running amok.
 The other Zexis folks urge them to break their combination lest they get
 themselves killed, but the D Team are adamant that they're still very much
 alive and very much committed to fighting for their own sake.  None of them
 want to lose to the R-Daigun, and the Final Dancougar appears and tells them
 to prove it!  Best believe that!  The R-Daigun's pilot has no choice but to
 retreat in a huff, leaving the Nova pilots reeling from the heat of a new
 sensation they feel welling up from within.

 Shinobu tells them that this is the power of "instinct", the fundamental
 force behind all life.  He tells Aoi and her teammates to master this new
 power they've discovered, and prove they're using their generator to the
 utmost via God Beast Mode.  Saying he'll report all he's seen to F.S.,
 Shinobu leaves his "underclassmen" to their battle.  As more Emerges join
 the fray, the question turns to Simon: can he overcome the wall in front of
 him as the D Team has done?

 Simon mutters that he simply can't become Kamina, and Nia says that that's
 just fine!  He doesn't have to be anyone but himself, the self that managed
 to save her.  He needn't try to make up for Kamina's absence all alone: he's
 got a whole team to help with that.  Simon needs to remember what Kamina
 taught him: to believe in the self that Kamina believed in.  Right then!
 Both Simon and Daigurren are now online, and Simon vows that he will keep
 drilling through whatever wall stands before him until the very end!

Net result: Simon grows a pair (and becomes the Gurren Gang's new leader) and
the D-Team starts acting like the A-Team.  I love it when a flan comes
together.  So does Shinobu, who reports Nova's exploits to F.S. after the
battle finishes.  Of course, Nova has lots of work to do before living up to
their true potential, but they've taken a very important step forward.  What's
more, WILL has had this planned all along: F.S. knows very well that WILL
deliberately leaked the plans for the R-Daigun.  They've been working together
quite a while, after all, and although F.S. doesn't agree with everything WILL
has planned, they both _do_ agree that Nova and the R-Daigun must continue
fighting until one of them surpasses beast, man and even God himself.

Elsewhere, Holland is hearing it from Hap of all people for letting Renton
slip through his fingers.  Why not just drug the damn kid and see their
plan to fruition?  Holland protests that he didn't want to force himself upon
another kid, and is sure that he can still get Renton back with a little
help from one of his friends.  He assures his shipmates that his resolve is
still firm as ever, and says that anyone not on the same page can leave now.
OH AND GUESS WHAT, they're in league with Eim, who ordered them to bail on the
last battle in the most disruptive way possible.  In return, Eim promises
to put in motion the recreation of their little fairytale...


CHAPTER 34. [Route Split]

Renton briefs the team on what Holland told him, and unsurprisingly the team
find it tough to believe that an old myth holds the key to artificial quakes.
What is obvious is that the mess at Warusawa lab has been kept under the
strictest of secrecy, and even Veda has little information.  It's agreed that
the Gekkostate folks can be left free for now, as presumably they'll need to
come (try to) get Renton sooner or later to complete their plan.  Renton
actually wanted to go off alone to find the Gekkostate first, but yielded to
the argument that he was better off sticking with Zexis and relying on Elgan's
information services.  As it's likely Elgan knew something about the
Gekkostate's scheme -- perhaps including them into Zexis to keep an eye on
them -- the commanders plan to insist that he do the dirty work of tracking
the Gekkostate down.

The Imperium meanwhile continue their rampage of destruction unabated: they
can now claim eleven nations as casualties.  The Trinities also remain active
in the shadow of this hideous parade, emboldened enough to even skirmish with
Britannia's Overflags base (this time, for negligible damage).  Sumeragi
announces that the CBs are going to take a bit of a sabbatical from Zexis to
hunt down their cousins, and try to persuade them to stop their military
interventions so the world can get busy fighting the Imperium.  She'll have a
backup plan too, in case persuasion fails.

In the spirit of solving one's own problems, Zero decides to take the Black
Knights back to Area Eleven, and the rest of the team rapidly draw up plans for
a three-way split.  Suzaku will be going back with Zero, though everyone
expects him to return to the Britannian army once he gets there.  Zero and
Sumeragi both hope he can be persuaded to reconsider, as his combat skills
trump most stratagems and his mere existence is of value in uniting the
hearts of the Japanese.  Crow as usual will get to choose for himself.

 [For Japan, go to 34J.  To hang with the CBs, go to 34C.  To return to
 Area Eleven, go to 34E.]

In any case Esther and Traia do their best to get Crow pumped up for the next
phase of his assignment, heavily indebted though he is.  He's actually
getting paid a decent amount for this stint, though Traia coyly rounds off
the payout and then cuts off the call before explaining why.

Now, the Zexis pilots are made of stern stuff, but not so civilians like
Shoji.  He's been laid up in a hospital bed ever since the attack on the
party, and while he's been out Louise has returned to Spain on account of her
parents' death.  It was arranged for her medical care to take place there,
and an agonized Shoji cries out for his sister or anyone else to explain why
the CBs' Gundams have started attacking non-combattants.


CHAPTER 34J. The Father Inside One's Memories

For the daughter of the Gurren Gang's arch-enemy, Nia cuts a superbly
nonthreatening (and endearingly naive) figure.  Kitan is doing his best to
"question" her amidst the hurly-burly of the mess hall, but it seems he's
answering more questions than he's asking.  If Zero and Sumeragi combined
couldn't get anything useful out of her, there's little hope for any of the
other team members (as Julie knows all too well).  The team tries to imagine
what the lord of the Beastmen might be like, eventually concluding that he
must, like Nia, at least look human.  Many on the team have fathers formidable
in their own ways, with Crow possibly the only product of a losing family.
That's not to say that there aren't family issues to go around though: many
on the team have had to come to terms with battling their fathers' killers,
as Takeru himself must before long.

The talk of family has Ibuki in a bit of a funk, and as she stalks off Akagi
makes the lamest attempt in history to cover for her.  Fortunately for him
the team gets distracted by a little surprise waiting for them in Japan...
which turns out to be a mountain of expense reports and other paperwork.
While all that's being hammered out, Crow takes part in a little cash-for-info
swap with Domeki, that mad scientist girl with glasses.  Who, as it happens,
also has business with Ibuki.

Domeki slyly fills Ibuki in on the fact that she's following in Ibuki's
father's footsteps research-wise.  Domeki is a self-proclaimed genius, and
the Heterodynes are the first subject she's ever encountered she couldn't
comprehend on sight -- this of course will _not_ do.  She asks Ibuki why
she changed her surname, and Ibuki says that her mother remarried after her
father's death.  Her father actually named the unit of energy in Fractal
Knot theory the "Breath", after the translation of Ibuki's name.  Ibuki admits
to having something of a father complex, and is piloting Dai Guard in part
to get revenge for his death.  If only the world had been quicker to believe
his results, maybe he wouldn't have felt compelled to run the experiment that
cost him his life.  Maybe more of the world's people could have been saved.

Domeki finds Ibuki's take on her father rather funny, and asks if she ever read
his famous book.  After considerable jargon, she explains that her father, the
consummate scientist, must have been an inveterate problem solver.  And to an
inveterate problem solver, the Heterodynes would not have represented an enemy
so much as the final piece in the puzzle he was trying to construct with his
theory: seeing them in person would have been the ultimate validation.  Ibuki
protests that her father was certainly trying to protect mankind, but Domeki
counters that all scientists are children at heart.

As proof, she shows Ibuki footage of the actual incident when the Heterodynes
appeared.  Pictured is her father, grinning like a kid who just got 100% on a
math test.  For him, the Heterodynes were nothing more and nothing less than
a fascinating object to study.  He was _not_ a hero, and Ibuki's known it
damn well ever since reading his book.  Domeki tells Ibuki that she's been
repressing that knowledge ever since, blaming the Heterodynes for everything
that's wrong with the world.  The alternative, accepting the truth, would
also mean knocking her father off the pedestal she'd built inside for him.

Despite all the incisive lunacy, Domeki knows when to stop pushing.  As she
goes to fetch her a cup of coffee though, she does warn that unless Ibuki can
rid herself of her hangups, she'll never truly wear the "Momoi" surname at all.
No sooner does Domeki walk off than Eim shows up!  He tells Ibuki that her
father was indeed a hero, and it's her father's work that led him to his
ability to produce Quakes.  That is, it's her father's fault that the Lord of
Destruction is here.  Ibuki's cries of despair bring Crow and her teammates
running, and Crow demands to know what Eim's trying to accomplish by
traumatizing Ibuki.  OF COURSE, knocking Crow himself for a loop!

When the Daigurren shows up, Nia's been installed on the bridge as a full-
fledged member of the Gurren Gang.  Trider's updates have finished too with
some help from Lee Long, and that's a good thing because Dai Guard doesn't seem
to be in any hurry to show up.  Kokubouger will have to help pick up the slack
as Ibuki works through her demoralization, just like Eim drew it up.  He wants
to see what Crow looks like when he decides death is preferable to watching
his friends get fucked over, and has even brought the newly-embittered Margret
to help.  Eim cautions that her heart is black and full of hate, so instead of
letting her rule the universe with it, Crow vows to simply kick her ass, and
hard.

 Ibuki does get her shit together and prevails upon her teammates to launch,
 but Eim's got a nasty surprise waiting for her: the same kind of Heterodyne
 that killed her father 12 years ago.  Ibuki loses all track of the little
 chat she and Domeki just had, and vows to destroy the thing and let her
 father rest in peace.  Or something.

 When Margret gets ousted, her final words before fleeing are regrets that
 she couldn't avenge her brother.  But who would that be, when her forces only
 seem to have beasts?  The signature Heterodyne offers no words, preferring
 instead to dish out vicious beatings to anyone unwise enough to get near.
 That would include Dai Guard, given that Ibuki is all distracted by the
 thought that her whole war with the Heterodynes will be useless if she lets
 herself believe that her father himself wasn't at war with them.

 With Ibuki flailing, Akagi has no choice but to withdraw.  Eim is very
 happy with this debacle, and promises to do the same to every one of Crow's
 comrades until Crow begs for mercy.  Does this guy really think people are
 that easy to manipulate?  If so, he's in for a serious lesson as the
 21st Century staff scramble to repair and refurbish their damaged mech.

 The damage to Ibuki's psyche, however, won't yield to legions of mechanics,
 or well-meaning officemates.  Back comes Domeki to talk more facts: even if
 Eim's claims are true that he turned Ibuki's dad's research to evil ends,
 it is the USER that's evil, not the research itself.  She's proud of herself
 for showing Ibuki what her father really was, and uncowed when the rest
 of the team are horrified at her callousness.  But that's the psychological
 stuff.

 The physical stuff comes when Akagi grabs Aoyama and drags Ibuki back into
 battle.  He tells her that he's not going to pretend to understand what she's
 going through, but if there's one thing he's certain of it's that she is her
 own person.  Better she fights for her own sake than for her father's,
 and better yet to fight on behalf of the team and of mankind as a whole.
 That's what Simon learned, after all.  Eim is unthrilled by this turn of
 events, but Crow and friends tell him no uncertain terms to go fuck himself
 if he doesn't like it.

Eim sounds conflicted when his final pawn goes down: even if the scales of
Crow's soul are swaying, the stand supporting them is rock-solid.  Something
to ponder until later.  For now, Watta has a final word of wisdom for Ibuki:
if her scientist father was anything like his, he'd have had no regrets about
dying in the midst of his work.  Ibuki agrees, and vows to keep up the fight
with Zexis until she discovers a new purpose for her life.  She tells Crow
that she's really not all that disappointed about her dad, and to her surprise
he admits he's not that down on his father -- deadbeat though he was -- either.
Is that why Crow opted to shoulder his father's debts?  No commento!

The love-fest doesn't last long though: word comes in that Ashura has just
declared war on all of Japan.  Ashura's been ordered to commence an all-out
attack on Japan in just 24 hours, unless both the Japanese government and Zexis
unconditionally surrender.  Think that's happening?


CHAPTER 34C. Memorial Debut

Tracking down the Trinities is going to be hard work, since even Veda hasn't
figured out what they're up to.  Sumeragi thinks there's hope though: the
marauding trio seem to have a far more personal agenda than is usual for the
CBs.  It's as though someone party to the CBs' technology is using the Trinities
for his own ends... which is a pretty terrifying thought in fact.

As the Zexis commanders deliberate, Ranka is having issues of her own off in
Rome.  It's eating her up that she's been saved by Alto so many times and yet
has never been able to return the favor.  Her new companion Eiyda tells her to
cheer up -- she is after all on the brink of becoming the world's top idol star
with the release of Bird-Human.  After all, how can an idol star lift
everyone's dreams if she herself is weighed down?  Eiyda does confide to Ranka
that she's got her own lovelorn moments, but she's not going to say who it is
she loves lest it cause some major scandal.

When her date shows up, no further words are needed: it's Johnny, with Alto
in tow.  Eiyda's figured out who it is Ranka loves, and had Johnny drag him
out here for a date of his own.  NOT THAT HE AND RANKA ARE DATING, we hasten
to add.  Ranka starts to mope and apologize, but Alto tells her she needn't.
He's seen an advance copy of Bird-Human, and assures her that while her acting
could be better, the emotional content was spot-on.  The theme song rocked too,
but that won't be Ranka's debut single.

Before she can say what will, a fellow member of the Saotome acting clan
appears: Yajirou.  This is clearly an awkward reunion for Alto, and it gets
worse when Yajirou tries to insist that Alto will be an actor for life,
piloting-play aside.  He adds that their teacher Ranzou is in poor health, and
tells Alto to stop by if he can bring himself under control enough.  Yajirou
strolls off, leaving a fuming Alto to answer a call from Michelle: Sheryl needs
a bodyguard.  Is that going to kibosh his "date" with Ranka?

Yup, but at least it's for a good reason: Sheryl is still concerned about his
emotional wellbeing.  She manages to both encourage him and remind him that
there is at least one person who will really suffer if he gets himself killed
(at least two in fact, between Ranka and herself).  He's supposed to take her
to the Galia base so she can give a "comfort" concert, though as she walks with
him toward their mech she seems to suffer a moment of dizziness...

The Galia base has a considerable Frontier army presence as part of the
fleet's cooperation with the UN, most notably the infamous 33rd Marine corps.
This is mostly made up of Zentraedi, and Klan scowls that they're just the
sort of ruffians who'd request a "comfort" event.  She explains that she and
Nene hail from a part of the Zentraedi empire that readily joined forces with
mankind after the First Interstellar War.  However, other parts of the
Zentraedi treated the collaboration like a forced occupation, and the 33rd
turns out to be an ineffectual force comprised of members from both factions.
In fact, the whole crew probably demanded the concert under threat of just
quitting wholesale.  What, precisely, was the Frontier government thinking
by sending such a band of misfits to the Earth?  And does it have anything to
do with the mess in Limonecia, which may have used stolen Fold tech?

One thing Ozuma won't be checking out is Ranka's new movie, including as it
does Ranka's big kiss scene.  Several of the pilots know how he feels, and
the banter quickly turns to Ozuma's relationship with Cathy.  Kei has one
hell of a nose for women, and correctly determines that Cathy and Ozuma are
_former_ lovers.  And there's nothing better, in Kei's view, than romantic
drama on the bridge!  The real question is how Alto's love polygon... thing...
will pan out.  How's it going in Galia?

Off to a good start, it seems.  Major Ogotai thanks Alto for bringing escorting
the "comfort" folks, and hopes that the concert will get his men to shut up
for a while.  Some of his malcontents have openly challenged him to defeat
them with the power of the Protoculture, that is, music -- which is the real
reason for this concert.  Ogotai sighs and says that most of his men were duly
impressed with their direct infusion of Earth's culture, but the rise of the
Imperium has stirred their old warlike instincts.

As Sheryl is being introduced to the troops (including an unimpressed Temjin),
she once again feels dizzy and complains to Grace of a sudden headache.  She
collapses at the worst possible time, and led by Temjin some of the Zentraedi
start to riot.  Alto and the other humans are quickly taken hostage...

The demand a ship from the Frontier fleet, and as the Zexis pilots digest the
news they all agree that the timing was too perfect: there has to be some
kind of mole behind Sheryl's (im)perfectly timed collapse.  The problem for now
is how to end the crisis, and a solution comes from a very unlikely source:
Ranka!  She's heard Alto so many times that it's better to run headlong into
one's problems than to sit and regret, and has finally found a possible way of
paying Alto back for all he's done for her.

It turns out Sheryl's been in bad shape for several days, but has quietly
insisted on trying to go on singing.  Alto furiously tells her that it's part
of her job as a pro to look out for herself, and for once Sheryl can do nothing
but feebly agree.  She says that she has nothing _but_ singing, just like Alto
has nothing but his flying.  Fine then: time for Alto to do some of that
flying, while Grace watches Sheryl to make sure she doesn't try anything
stupid.

Ogotai demands to know what Temjin and friends want with a spaceship, and
Temjin slyly says that he wants a way to satisfy his boiling Zentraedi blood.
A way like joining the Imperium folks, for instance.  He preaches to his men
that partaking of the Imperium's orgy of theft and bloodshed will help
restore the glory the Miclones [the humans, that is] stole from the Zentraedi.
His men in a frenzy, he smirks to Ogotai that the "producer" should be
satisfied now.  It seems Grace is the mole in league with him, and has let
him know in advance that Alto is coming.  That sucks for Alto, but he's still
got to try to face down these goons.

 Alto is up to the task of downing a few of the rebels, but he's certainly
 in no shape to take them _all_ on.  Temjin mockingly recommends he try
 singing -- maybe that would work!  Well why the hell not, especially when
 Alto has a little backup in the form of Ranka, special delivery from
 Michelle?  Lo and behold, the better half of the rebels throw down their
 arms at once and join the audience for this impromptu concert, a repeat of
 the legendary Lynn Minmei for all to see.  Even Ozuma has to hand it to his
 little sister for suddenly becoming a full-grown woman, just as Bobby figured
 she would.

 Faced with the prospect of his men defecting to watch the birth of a new
 legendary idol star, Temjin reminds them why he's known as the Ally-Killer.
 Anyone who tries to flee will have to deal with him first.  Seeing Temjin
 won't surrender, the rest of the team wades in and leaves Michelle to
 guard Ranka's concert.

 Temjin maintains that his actions are all his blood's fault, and that he
 was Born This Way.  He thinks space isn't big enough for both humans and
 Zentraedi, which is pretty foolish if you think about just how big space
 is.  Doubly foolish when it appears that he doesn't have his ejection seat
 turned on...

After the rebels all surrender, Alto flies over to Ranka.  He's angry with
worry for how dangerous it is to come onto the battlefield sans mech, but
Ranka happily tells him that that was the only way for everyone to see her.
She's glad he heard her song, and Michelle tells Alto with a smirk to
consider just how much guts Ranka displayed by insisting on throwing this
impromptu concert.  Even Sheryl is up out of bed to join Alto in thanking
her, and Grace has to hand it to Ranka... for SCREWING UP HER SCRIPT!

Explosions ensue, thanks to -- who else -- the Trinities.  It turns out that
the Zentraedi revolt was supposed to be _theirs_ to suppress, as an odd sort
of balance for the mess at Overflags before.  It appears that Grace is now
in cahoots with them and Ragna Harvey, and the Trinities don't much like
being used for other people's plans.  Neina decides to take her frustrations
out on Sheryl and Ranka, but before Ozuma or Alto can intervene, the R-Daigun
itself swoops in and shields them.  Its pilot manages to tell Ranka to run,
just before... even more explosions!

This time it's the Vajra, and Tifa can tell that these space monsters' hearts
are somehow all united.  The Trinities wisely pull out, with promises of
mayhem for the R-Daigun's pilot when they return to base.  On the way though,
the pilot commends Ranka on her singing -- and Ranka suspects who that pilot
might be...

As the team prepare to take on the Vajra, Alto has to take either Ranka or
Sheryl on board for safety; the other will ride with Michelle.  Quite a quandary
in fact; either one will work fine for collecting the hidden item [seekritz!]
later.  In any case, the Vajra force doesn't stand a chance against this group
of bad-asses.  The bigger question is what brought them to the Earth, and how
many more might be waiting in the wings.  Is there no way but for mankind to
fight them till one of the other is extinct?  Off on the sidelines, Grace
laughs with glee: the "Little Queen" has awakened, and from now on the Vajra
will swarm around her.  This is, sort of, what Grace had planned, and in thanks
she vows to make the Little Queen's dreams come true: she'll spread her songs
throughout the world.

Alto gets a bit of recreational flying in with whichever girl he chose, after
the obligatory pep talk of course.  Afterwards, the other pilots pester him
to find out which girl is actually his main squeeze.  He protests vociferously
that it's _neither_ of them: they and he have just been thrown together by
circumstance.  If his colossal display of denseness about love is just an act,
it's a _damn_ good one.

Just then Luka runs in with big news: someone managed to make a pirate video
of Ranka's concert, and has spread it all over the net.  Who had the camera,
the Trinities?  If so, why'd they put the thing on FrouTube?  In any case, this
is about the best free promotion Ranka could hope for for her debut album...

Speaking of Ranka, she's either elated or depressed over Alto's treatment of
her, and has a lot to think about in advance of her formal debut tomorrow.  Her
manager isn't 100% thrilled about what he think was a publicity stunt of hers,
but tells her it turned out okay and to not sweat it too much.  As Ranka gets
left alone, she finds a cute little critter stowed away in her stuff.  ...We
see where THAT is going...


CHAPTER 34E. Captive Heart

Suzaku is dead-set against joining Zero's band of outlaws, and before parting
ways requests that Zero disband the Black Knights and use his leadership skills
to make Area Eleven easier for Britannia to govern.  Zero isn't interested in
that kind of peace, believing instead that change is needed.  Alas, cooperation
seems like a bare impossibility, though in recognition of their time together
on Zexis the two agree not to spread each others' secrets too outside forces.
Lloyd rather wishes he'd had more opportunity to work with Zexis' mecha, and it
starts to dawn on Suzaku that it's not just Zero he has to fight -- it's all
the other pilots as well.  Crow and Katou both tell Suzaku that if he truly has
conviction about his version of the truth, he needs to fight for it to the
best of his ability.  Karen is less magnanimous even when Suzaku promises to
tell the other Ashford Council members that she's out sick: she wants him to
get his ass out of here already.  As Zero gets briefed on the state of Area
Eleven in his absence, it becomes clear that Euphy wasn't able to effect any
major changes.  It also seems that the Black Knights may have a traitor in
their midst...

Suzaku may not be inclined to aid the Black Knights, but Roger Smith is a
different story.  He tells a skeptical Dorothy that the state of the Elevens
reminds him of Paradigm City; Dorothy replies archly that he should consider
keeping his "romantic" notions to himself more often.  Robert isn't out to
force anyone to share his views, but as he's accepted a contract with Zero he
means to learn all he can about the state of this Japan's people.

Amazingly, the two run into... Mao!  Mao's captivated by Dorothy's empty
heart, saying that she seems almost like a doll, and Roger tells him to desist
any and all insults at once.  Mao easily reads Roger's thoughts, and tells
the Negotiator that he has no interest in him -- it's other prey he's after.
Mao walks off, leaving Roger uncharacteristically stunned in his wake.

Back at Ashford Academy, Lelouch and Suzaku greet each other warmly, both back
from their extended absences.  Rilina explains that the Council has been down
by several members, most notably the badly injured Louise, now back in Spain.
Shoji's gone to Spain too to look in on her, leaving the remaining members to
set up for the school festival.  Even Milly is busy entertaining a noble from
Britannia -- the rumor is that he and she may be contemplating marriage.

Shirley of course still doesn't remember Lelouch, and the person who made
him Geass away her memories turns out to be unaccounted for.  Maybe that has
to do with the Black Knights' difficulties?  If so, Lelouch is hoping to lure
the culprit out by openly returning to school -- and sure enough Mao phones
him up in short notice.  Lelouch isn't interested in chatting with the
psychopath, but when Mao says he wants to discuss Lelouch's sister, Lelouch
scowls furiously and rushes off to somewhere private.

As he does, several other Zexis members turn up, assuring Suzaku that the
resistance are on vacation today.  Instead, they're here as "bodyguards" for
Karen, who they've more or less forced back to school.  With Zero nowhere to be
seen, Suzaku asks the group why they're helping the Black Knights: do they
think Zero's in the right?  Duo thinks hard and answers that the Colonial
Gundams' job is liberating the colonies, necessitating jolting Britannia a bit.
Strategically, liberating Area Eleven would set off a chain reaction of
resistance in the other Areas -- and in fact such resistance is already
beginning to grow thanks to news of the Black Knights' exploits.  Having
said all that to explain why Duo's helping Zero, he then adds that he does NOT
think Zero is in the "right".  Then again, neither is Britannia... if the
terms "right" and "wrong" even apply to combattants in a bona fide war.  Crow
agrees and tells Suzaku to spend more energy worrying about his own ideals
and less about the perceived shortcomings of his opponents.  And heck, Suzaku's
time in Zexis showed that he and Zero's approaches could be complementary.

That seems to turn a lightbulb on, and Suzaku runs off to "help a friend",
leaving Karen the task of helping set up the school festival.  Hiiro, ever
the cautious one, hurries off after Suzaku en route to an "errand" he has on
campus.  Karen is reluctant to fraternize with Britannians, but Crow tells her
to be more honest with herself -- and her hand is forced when Shirley and
Rilina run into the group.  She finally smiles in spite of herself and heads
off to help with the party, leaving Crow pleased at helping her make a little
peace with her inner demons.  He may have an aversion for women, but a) he
does not have an aversion to his fellow humans, and b) despite Karen's
unavoidable proportions Crow sees Karen as very un-womanly.

Lelouch withdraws to the library to phone Mao back, and learns two things.
First, Mao's kidnapped Nanaly and is holding her somewhere on Ashford's
campus (since he can apparently read Lelouch's thoughts).  Second, the reason
he's still alive is Astrageus medical tech: he's used his Geass to convince
the peacekeeping forces that he's a high-ranking deep-cover agent of theirs.
Mao tells Lelouch that he should have ordered them to "kill" and not just to
"shoot", and says that he's planning to take everything from Lelouch.  Not
only must Lelouch find and save his sister within five hours, Mao's also
ordered the peacekeepers to burn the Ghetto to the ground.

What a dilemma: without Zero at the helm the Black Knights could easily lose;
yet if Nanaly dies the Black Knights themselves would hold no further meaning
for Lelouch.  Enter Suzaku, who guessed from Lelouch's haste that something
must have happened to Nanaly.  Lelouch tells him that Nanaly's been kidnapped
by a lunatic with no direct connections to the Emperor -- though their
identities could well be spilled to the police if Lelouch tried to involve
them.  Suzaku resolves to handle the mess just the two of them, but it will
be at least three when Hiiro (and Rilina) overhear the conversation.  Rilina
joins Suzaku in asking for Hiiro's help, and he reluctantly agrees.  The sound
of running water Lelouch heard on the phone suggests the sewers beneath the
school, so the trio split up and start searching.

Zero shows up late to the battle, furiously telling the troops that he can't
tell them the plan yet except to say that he's attempting to smoke out a
traitor.  Karen is grateful to Crow for insisting she spend some time with
the Council members, though she still struggles to admit it openly.  Hiiro
won't be joining the battle at all, off on a civilian rescue mission with
Zero's approval.  Mao phones up Zero to gloat a bit, vowing to kill all of
Zero's friends on the battlefield if he insists on entrusting them with
Nanaly's rescue.  C.C. demands to know why Zero didn't mention Mao's return to
her, and Zero growls that there's no telling what Mao would do if she entered
the equation -- Mao might even just kill Nanaly summarily.  C.C. accepts this,
telling Zero to let her know if there's anything she can do to help.

The Astrageus troops are still mostly convinced that Mao is a real secret
agent.  They've sortied Proto One again, ordering her to capture Kiriko
without fail.  Kiriko for his part is more than happy enough to face her again.
As Mao must have come close enough to observe (and direct) the battle, Zero
announces that smoking the traitor out demands that he not give any orders,
except to commence the attack now.

 Hiiro and the others find Nanaly in short order, and Zero rushes to the
 scene.  He asks his teammates to believe in what he'd doing and puts C.C.
 in charge of the Gawain, and when he reaches Nanaly he finds her tied to a
 bomb.  Every second he spends here is a second where Mao is helping his goons
 dismantle the Black Knights, so time is _definitely_ of the essence.  The
 bomb is a pendulum, kept in motion by a solenoid counteracting its frictional
 loss.  Hiiro will figure out where the detonator linkage is, and Suzaku
 will use his exceptional athletic skill to sever the line without disrupting
 the bomb's motion.  Rilina refuses to get to a safe distance, on the theory
 that her departure would make Mao expect she's gone for help.

 Hiiro tells Lelouch somewhat bemusedly that he doesn't precisely know why
 he's helping Lelouch out.  He recommends Zero get moving and try to track
 down where the cameras in this room are connected to.  Wherever "there" is,
 will be where Mao's hiding.  Opting to believe in his friends, Lelouch
 rushes off to face Mao.  Mao's set up a hideous chess game, which will
 detonate the bomb if Lelouch loses.

 As the Black Knights struggle to hang on, it seems like everything Lelouch
 tries fails.  As checkmate nears, Lelouch breaks down and begs Mao for
 mercy, which of course doesn't come.  However, the bomb blast doesn't come
 either, and before Mao knows it Suzaku rushes in and kicks his ass.  Seems
 Mao was concentrating a bit too hard on the game, but even then he should
 have known to expect an ambush by reading Lelouch's thoughts.  AHH, but
 Lelouch did something sneaky: he Geassed himself to forget the whole
 operation!  Desperate to escape, Mao accuses Suzaku of murdering his own
 father in the childish hope that it would stop the fighting.  Good thing the
 adults all around lied about it, huh?  The whole business about committing
 suicide was just a sham, and one thing Mao doesn't want to hear is some
 post-facto excuse from Suzaku -- especially given how much Suzaku seems to
 want to die.

 In fact, Suzaku's whole bent for saving people amounts to an ongoing
 attempt to throw himself into as much danger as possible.  What he wants is
 to be punished, and punished with death -- and here Zero went and bound his
 heart with that directive to "Live".  As Suzaku shudders, Mao worms free and
 runs off.  Now Zero is _pissed_, and he and Hiiro return to the battlefield.
 Hiiro is beginning to suspect Zero's true identity now, but that will have
 to wait till later to pursue.  Though Mao thinks he can win easily by reading
 Zero's thoughts, Zero is far from defeatist now.

 Zero's strategies rapidly turn the tide, to Mao's immense consternation.
 Zero explains to him that unlike the turn-based strategy of chess, a battle
 is a _realtime_ affair... and Mao is a rank amateur as a front-line
 commander.  Zero will always be at least one step ahead of him, and the
 harder Mao tries to keep up, the more confusion it will sow in his ranks.
 Zero doesn't need a Geass to have Mao's heart in the palm of his hand now.
 He drives Mao into a frenzy by driving the difference in experience, and in
 the quality of his troops, home at every turn.

 Oh, and remember Kiriko?  He's decided to free "Proto One" from her masters
 by defeating her mech in battle.  He at least knocks her out of control, and
 rushes off toward the crash site with Zero's blessing.  As the last of the
 peacekeepers buy the farm, Kiriko radios in that he's got the red A.T.'s
 pilot in custody.  That just leaves one loose end: Mao.

It is C.C. who reaches him first, finding him nearly incoherent with rage
over his inability to defeat Lelouch... and retake her for himself.  Instead of
a warm embrace, he gets a gun pointed at his head.  C.C. tells him she loved
him, and tells him to go and wait for her in the "C" World.  Lelouch runs
over just after she pulls the trigger, and she tells him that now she -- like
him -- has no choice but to move forward.  As the two soak in Mao's death,
Lelouch ponders what he's learned of Suzaku's past: he and his Geass have
stolen from Suzaku the one wish in his life.  Lelouch can do nothing to make
amends for now, and despite all that's happened he still wants to bring
Suzaku to his side, to help ensure a better world for Nanaly.

Imagine Iskui and Boro's surprise when it turns out that Mao was in fact
totally unrelated to their organization!  Even worse, they've figured out
that Proto One has fallen into Kiriko's hands, which in their book marks
Kiriko as a member of Proto One's creators, the PS Army.  In panic, they
decide to mobilize the entire peacekeeping force to eliminate the hapless
guy...


CHAPTER 35J. Sortie!  The Great Mecha-Beast Operation...

Things are bad in Atami, with all tourism slowed to a standstill due to
Ashura's ongoing barrage.  Tsubasa has some secret collaborators with a
countermeasure in the works, for which they expect to be compensated in
all-they-can-eat food and beverages.  Whatever the item is, Tsubasa wants it
ready in time for the next battle -- and though the item itself may be ready,
the launcher for it ain't gonna make it.  That means more work for Tsubasa's
nearby charges...

Ashura is prepared to stake his/her life on Dr. Hell's next operation, which
involves simultaneously attacking the entire Japanese island chain.  (S)he'd
better be, since Dr. Hell will reward failure with a most unpleasant
execution.  Dr. Hell orders Ashura to demolish Zexis and capture Mazinger Z,
eager to return to more pressing concerns.  Data from Saghoul about the
Imperium's actions has just arrived, confirming Dr. Hell's worst fears: what
the Imperium is doing is merely prologue to what will follow.  He's got to
hasten his own plans, and unless he captures Mazinger Z this planet and its
inhabitants are toast.  Does that deserve an exclamation point?  Maaaaybe.

The region-wide attack is fully expected by Zexis, who is divvying up its
forces in an attempt to be everywhere at once.  Kouji seems somehow out of
sorts, almost too eager for a showdown with the (wo)man who killed his
grandfather.  Gainer senses his wavering and tries to volunteer to shore up
Kouji's squad, but Shiroda has to keep him busy elsewhere to avoid opening a
hole in the defensive strategy -- and Kouji bristles at the notion that he
should somehow need help.  He of course will need plenty of help, which is why
Shiroda has wisely paired Crow up with Kouji and Sayaka -- Crow assures her
that they'll have Kouji's back if his enthusiasm gets the better of him.

Unfortunately, the plan isn't to target Kouji directly: instead, Ashura is
gunning for Sayaka.  (S)he takes her hostage as a way to try to force Kouji to
surrender Mazinger without a fight.  Kouji surely doesn't want to hand over his
grandfather's robot, but he also realizes that sacrificing Sayaka, even if he
can eventually beat Ashura, is too steep a price to pay.  He ultimately decides
to accept Ashura's invitation to Dr. Hell's hidden base, apologizing to Crow
for his hot-headedness and promising that he isn't going to let this stand.
Neither, for that matter, are the rest of Zexis...

For losing his cool, Kouji gets to fester in a cell, taunted by Ashura with
visions of all his comrades already slaughtered on the battlefield.  Ashura
will _not_ release Sayaka, and there seems to be no chance of informing Zexis
of this base's whereabouts.  Fortunately for Kouji, help has already arrived
in the form of, of all people, Boss and friends!

Back on the surface, Crow informs the rest of Zexis what's transpired.  To the
team's delight, he thought to put a tracking device on Mazinger, which should
allow the team to pinpoint Dr. Hell's base's location.  As for the hostage
problem, Crow counsels the team to trust that Kouji can make good his escape,
and to concentrate on attacking Dr. Hell.  If he's to pull this off, as Gainer
did with the Overdevil, he'll have to come to the realization that he's not the
only one fighting.

The strategy session is interrupted by the arrival of a bunch of identical
beautiful girls, the killer androids known as Gamya-Q.  This might be menacing
to your average yokel, but Zexis is overflowing with combat veterans with
axes to grind.  Evidence rapidly mounts that four Gamya's is NOWHERE NEAR
enough.

Meanwhile, Ashura has discovered that the Pilder is nearly impossible to
control.  (S)he stalks off in a huff, vowing to dismantle the damn thing once
Dr. Hell officially takes ownership of Mazinger Z.  That leaves the fugitives
a clear path to the Pilder, to make good their escape.  It seems Tsubasa
figured out long ago what Dr. Hell was up to, and sent her three new lackeys
ahead to infiltrate.  They've been doing every menial task in the book in
return for their meal chits, and they're overjoyed to be out and about again.
Kouji's gratitude knows no bounds, and to even accounts Boss wants Kouji to
finish their long-interrupted duel fair and square when they all make it out
alive.  One of the Gamya-Q's is here to make that harder, but Kouji's one
heck of a shot with the Photon Power laser pistol Tsubasa's sent him.

There's still the problem of escaping from the ocean's depths, and Kouji sends
Sayaka on ahead to get help while he holds Ashura's goons off.  This is a
pretty tall order, but Kouji doesn't have to hang on too long till the rest
of Zexis show up in response to Crow's homing beacon.  Gainer springs into
action, reminding Kouji that he's got teammates to help and using his Overskill
to make a pillar of ice for Kouji to climb back to the surface.  Waiting for
him there is Tsubasa's little present, a ginormous pair of red wings that
Daigurren physically tosses in Kouji's direction.  This is the Jet Scrander,
and with it Mazinger Z can _fly_.  The three scientists introduce themselves
as longtime research assistants of Juuzou's, and Tsubasa proclaims that with
the Jet Scrander, Mazinger Z is truly unbeatable.  Ashura panics and sorties
all the remaining mecha that were assailing Japan, the better for Zexis as a
team to take them all out at once.  So get to it!

 What Ashura doesn't realize is just how much he's managed to piss off the
 world's most dangerous fighting force.  The hostages, the would-be
 assassin robots, the far-flung mayhem... all made even more unforgivable
 by the fact that even Crow couldn't prevent it.  All the more reason that
 Ashura isn't walking out of this in one piece.  Ashura tries to ram Mazinger
 as a last resort, but in his/her moment of deepest crisis all Ashura's
 powers fail.  Dr. Hell is far from angry though: Ashura had Mazinger long
 enough to gather plenty of data to fuel a future victory.  Ashura
 gratefully ejects and begins the journey home.

Commendably, Kouji recommends _not_ pursuing Ashura: as a member of Zexis,
he knows that his job is to win in battle, not pursue his personal grudges.
The next big step to becoming a true bad-ass will be learning to think more
strategically, and he'll have his choice of teachers with folks like Hayato
around.  The first order of business though is a victory banquet, and given
the proximity to the hot springs all the usual jokes about peeping and
washing each others' backs get made.  The three scientists even get their
dinner and a "show", which features the ancient Okiku -- quite a beauty in the
days when she and the scientists were young.

The Getter Team aren't doing much celebrating though: Saotome has called them
back to base to help test a new powered-up Getter.  After all, the Invaders
are still, um, invading.  Ryouma promises Kouji to continue his training with
air-to-air lessons when the team get back.  Kouji knows he needs to go on
getting stronger... _though_, he's already plenty strong enough to have laid
Boss and his lackeys out at the conclusion of their duel.

Tsubasa is not among the revelers, conferring instead with Professor Yumi.
They've examined the remains of the killer androids, and their design would
be beyond all but two men in this world -- one of whom died before Tsubasa's
eyes.  That means that Tsubasa has a bit of an errand to run in Germany once
things settle down: an errand to see Stroheim Heinrich.  What will the
ties between Tsubasa, Juuzou and Dr. Hell do to influence the battle to come?

Dr. Hell meanwhile has realized that the Super Alloy Z that Juuzou took from
Bardos Island is in and of itself half the secret to Mazinger's power, the
other half being the Photon Power it emits.  He's calculated that Mazinger
didn't require the full quantity of the alloy though, and he declares that his
men's objective must be to recover the rest of it.  And they'd better hurry, as
the countdown to the world's destruction has just begun.

Zhul then stops in for a chat, having figured out the significance of Bardos
Island itself.  Zhul names himself as one of "Those Who Know the End", and
gives Dr. Hell a phrase to ponder: "Black Wisdom".  The day Dr. Hell fathoms
its meaning is the day he will be a true equal of Zhul's.  This stirs some
forgotten memory within Ashura, but Dr. Hell has no idea for now what Zhul
meant.  The implication is that it's time to get his ass in gear though,
and he means to undertake the dangerous inspection of the deepest unplumbed
depths of this island.  It's a task dangerous enough that he's got to suspend
the world invasion for the duration -- though if he can find the "Arm of Zeus"
that Juuzou's hidden, the world will easily be his.  He's got no other choice
if he wants to consolidate the world before "they" return...


CHAPTER 35C. The Brunt of Malice

Shoji makes it to Louise's bedside, bearing the rings he's worked so long and
hard at the pizza store to afford.  One problem.  Remember how Louise was
so badly injured she had to be shipped home to Spain?  It seems she no longer
has a left hand to put an engagement ring onto.  After a moment of grief,
she pulls herself together and encourages Shoji to return to Area Eleven and
resume school: he'll only regret it if his dreams of becoming an astronaut get
ruined by staying at her bedside.  In return, she asks him to fulfill a dream
of hers...

Elsewhere in Paris, Kinue has phoned Isabelle with her latest report.  She's
realized the Gundams that attacked the party were of a different lineage than
the ones acting as part of Zexis.  Kinue means to track down whoever is really
pulling the CBs' strings by following the three rogues, figuring that the Zexis
CBs have adapted their mission too much to be of direct use.  She's gotten some
clues from the Britannian soldiers who tangled with the Gundams, but still
needs more proof.  Isabelle warns her twice not to press her luck, especially
since her brother's injury may have her not thinking straight.  Kinue is
prepared to take the risk to figure out if Ragna Harway is really the one
behind the CBs, and get some revenge with her pen for all those like Louise.

Alejandro issues Sarchez new orders, having decided that Ragna is suddenly
expendable.  Alejandro avers that Ragna is too wedded to personal profits,
and hence unsuitable as a leader of the new world order.  So much for the
"plus-alpha" effect of having the R-Daigun on the force.  But hey, as long
as Alejandro keeps the paychecks flowing and keeps Sarchez busy killing other
people, he'll have no complaint.  He describes himself as the lowest form of
primitive humankind, but Alejandro still has uses for people like him.
Sarchez has apparently noticed Kinue sniffing around, and Alejandro tells him
to handle her "however he sees fit".  Yikes.

After he hangs up, Alejandro checks to see if Ribbons will defriend him for
relying on lowlifes like Sarchez.  Course not: every feudal lord needs hunting
dogs now and again.  Ribbons is a bit more skeptical about giving Ragna the
old heave-ho, but Alejandro says its part of preparations for stage three of
the master plan -- preparations that the Imperium has forced him to
accelerate.  He means to share the quasi-Solar Reactor tech with all the
world's nations in preparation for the Federation's army to crush mankind's
common enemies.  It's only after the chaos is quelled that Alejandro means
to sit in the president's chair; not Schneizer, not Treize... Alejandro
himself.  To further assure his position, Alejandro means to use Grace (who
Ribbons has enabled him to contact) and the Frontier fleet, despite the big
question marks hanging over Grace's head.  The final piece of Alejandro's
puzzle will be getting his hands on the CB's Veda system, and Ribbons sounds
confident he can make it happen.  Assuming, that is, that Ribbons isn't playing
games of his own...

Tielia's access to Veda has been basically unfettered... until now.  Somebody's
been tampering with some very high level data, and that can't be good for the
CBs' mission.  Neither can the mystery surrounding these "Throne"-type Gundams:
they still use Solar Reactors, but not the TD Blanket that goes along with it.
This means limited runtime, and makes the whole thing more or less worthy of
the name "pseudo-Solar Reactor".  And it's notable that this pseudo-Solar
Reactor drive system emits radiation toxic to human cells: the pilots are
receiving irreversible, full-body doses with every mission... and everyone
nearby is getting the same.

Even if the plans for the Solar Reactor were stolen from Veda (their only
repository), it would still take a long time to actually build the drives:
hence, there must be a traitor within the CBs.  And if Veda has been
compromised, the CBs will have no choice but to carry out their plans without
its aid.  Crow comes into the meeting at this point with an idea on how to
track down the Trinities.  His mech is made for hunting the DBs, and comes
equipped with tracer munitions -- one of which Crow successfully planted on
the Trinities' mecha during the last battle.

To the CBs' astonishment, Crow offers up the current location for free...
provided they let him and the rest of ZEUTH go along to kick some ass.  Let it
suffice to say that Crow isn't inclined to go easy on those who mix civilians
up in their warmaking.  Sumeragi wants a little time to consider Crow's
proposal, and the stress is enough on Setsuna that he has to go outside for
some air.

In fact, Setsuna goes all the way back to his apartment at Ashford Academy,
where he runs into Shoji.  Shoji tells him of Louise's sad fate, and by this
point some of the sci-fi-ists in the audience may have been wondering about
regeneration therapy.  No can do in this case: seems something about the
rogue Gundams' weaponry has greatly lessened the doctors' ability to treat
serious wounds.

..AND as if that wasn't enough bad news for one day, Shoji then receives a
phone call, informing him that his sister's been killed.  Shoji knows that
she was following the CBs and that she claims she'd gotten very close in the
aftermath of the party.  What the fuck is these "Gundams" problem, anyway:
aren't they only supposed to kill the bad people who are making war?!?  Setsuna
shouts out that these aren't real Gundams at all!

The Trinities meanwhile are getting antsy awaiting orders for the next
mission.  Neina and Mihael would love a chance to crush the R-Daigun, but
Johann is trying to keep some semblance of his wits about him.  He'll need
them, as Setsuna arrives and rapidly designates them as an attackable cause
of warfare.  Neina protests that they're on the same side, but Setsuna yells
back that they aren't Gundams at all!  Tielia then joins in the fray, and
Lockon stops him just long enough to help organize the three of them into a
more effective formation.  He tells Johann that Sumeragi's orders are to try
to stop the Trinities from fighting if he can, but to value his on-the-spot
judgement above all else.  And he judges the Trinities in need of a LOT more
lead in their diets!

 Tielia and Setsuna are kicking ass by doing something they never thought
 they'd do: formation fighting with Lockon.  Alarmed, the Trinities try to
 pull off their big combo attack... only to have Tielia pull out her mech's
 trump card: he can control all mecha linked to Veda!  No wonder Gundam Nadare
 and its "Trial System" were kept top secret.  Tielia is about to execute the
 three as unsuitable Gundam Meisters, but Nadare's control abruptly cuts out,
 maybe something to do with that altered data deep within Veda.  Johann
 manages to convince his charges to retreat, telling Lockon that he's got
 bigger fish to fry than the Trinities.

 He calls Lockon by his real name, adding that he got the personal data
 straight from Veda.  According to Tielia, that should be among the deepest
 of deep dark secrets.  Johann adds that one of Lockon's comrades became a
 Meister in the name of revenge -- a former anti-Cursis Union guerilla named
 Solan Ibrahim.  That would be... Setsuna!  This is awkward, as that group
 of guerillas are the ones who killed Lockon's family.  As Lockon demands to
 know if this is true, the Trinities bugger off safely.

 Setsuna refuses to answer Lockon's question, and he gets a reprieve of sorts
 in the form of a battalion of mobile suits from the PMC Trust.  Setsuna
 recognizes Sarchez' mech, and Sarchez is spoiling for a chance to pay Setsuna
 back for the previous fiasco.  Lockon warns Setsuna that he expects an answer
 after this battle, and will shoot Setsuna from behind if he attempts to flee.

 The CBs are in a "state" when the rest of the team arrives, and all they can
 do is help fend off the PMC forces for now.  Sarchez is smart enough to
 recognize when he's outgunned, and intends to bug out as soon as things go
 south for him.  Even so, he barely escapes with enough power to keep his
 original mission -- which seems to be pursuing the Trinities -- on track.

With the enemies gone, Lockon turns to his grim discussion with Setsuna,
which he warns may result in his leaving Zexis and indeed the CBs entirely.
That sounds dire, but Sumeragi tells the rest of the team to let him and
Setsuna have it out.  Lockon asks Allelujah and Tielia to be witnesses, and
tells Crow that he may have to take his place as a CB depending on how this
all turns out.

After Setsuna confirms that he was indeed the boy guerilla in the KPSA, Lockon
tells the tale of his parents' death.  They were researchers into solar power,
trying to free the world from the grip of fossil fuel shortage and the
geopolitics that causes.  The Middle Eastern potentates had the most to lose,
and touched off what they called a "holy war" in the Holy Land.  Lockon knows
full well that this twisted state of affairs isn't God's fault, or the
Church's, or Setsuna's for getting swept up in events beyond his control or
comprehension.  The fact remains however that Lockon's family now rest in
peaces thanks to a terrorist's bomb.

He's decided that the world needs to be changed at its deepest firmament, and
to do that he's willed himself to do much the same violent things as those
same terrorists did, becoming a CB as a result.  He fully intends to take his
punishment for perpetuating the cycle of killing, but only after the world is
altered.  For now, he wants to shoot Setsuna in the worst way, his only chance
at even an iota of closure for what his family suffered.

Setsuna says that he used to believe in God, or rather was made to believe in
Him.  He was also forcibly shown that God doesn't exist.  A single man was
responsible for both: Ali Al Sarchez, the leader of the KPSA and now killer for
hire.  This warfare addict and Setsuna met in Azadistan, when Setsuna tried to
figure out one last time where Sarchez' God was.  Tried to figure out what the
point of everything he's done is if Sarchez wasn't God's emissary after all.

Lockon demands to know one thing: what is Setsuna gonna do with his Gundam.
Put an end to the causes of warfare, unless of course Lockon pulls the trigger.
That would be fine with Setsuna so long as Lockon makes good on his intent to
change the world for the better in Setsuna's stead.  But if he's allowed to
live, he means to fight... as a Gundam.  Lockon grimaces, growling that he
can't bring himself to shoot a Gundam-fool like Setsuna, and when Setsuna says
that's the best compliment he's ever received, Lockon breaks down laughing.

That pretty much breaks the spell, and brings the rest of Zexis over to breathe
a collective sigh of relief.  They won't get a full accounting of what passed
between the CBs, but the general consensus is that camaraderie and the good of
All Mankind(tm) has won the day.  Crow of course did hear the whole thing,
eavesdropping on Lockon's past just as Lockon snooped into Crow's past.  Lockon
notes that Crow's old unit, the Firebugs, have quite a lot to answer for too.
Crow asks if Lockon means to shoot him too, and Lockon smiles and says he's
not in the habit of shooting fools of any stripe.  That's the worst compliment
Crow's ever received, for sure.

Graham and his men go to visit the grave of Howard Mason, an admirer of
Graham's test piloting prowess.  Now the poor guy can truly fly the skies,
using the skills he learned in his beloved captain's shadow.  Graham observes
that the guy loved the Flag squad even more than Graham himself, and swears to
the fallen soldier to use the Flag force to strike the Gundams down.  He'll have
his men to help, but first there's some big news: someone in one of the Great
Nations is about to leak the CBs' most cherished technical secrets!  That's
what most of the "football" fans of the world refer to as "The Equalizer".


CHAPTER 35E. Flames

The charade continues at Ougi's house, where Viletta remains amnesiac and
has settled into a happy life as Ougi's surrogate wife.  She loves her
new name "Chigusa", and seems willing to overlook Ougi's strange nervousness
as regards her past.  Ougi for his part has grown quite attached to her too,
no longer caring about the fact that she might still know Zero's true identity
beneath the amnesia.

Suzaku seems to be in reasonable shape, all things considered.  His physical
indicates a certain lack of sleep and symptoms of stress, and given what he's
been up to lately that's little wonder.  Lloyd knows Suzaku was absent during
the School Festival, mainly because he was there as Milly's mystery suitor.
Lloyd's never made a big deal of his noble title, too busy thinking about
SCIENCE and his team for petty politicking.  For example, he noticed that
Milly's little bespectacled friend is working on something quite interesting;
maybe Suzaku could formally introduce them sometime?  In any event, Suzaku
hesitates to talk about whatever stressful event kept him from the festival,
earning him a reminder that he's a key ingredient in the Lancelot's success.

Euphy shows up around this point, and Cecil drags Lloyd away to give them
some privacy.  Suzaku gets down to business pretty quickly: he's been forced
to remember the patricide in his dreadful past, and feels unworthy to live,
much less be Euphy's knight.  Euphy digests this for a moment, then commands
him to fall in love with her.  In return, _she_ will will love him with all
her heart, even with all his awkwardness and lack of self-confidence and
tendency to get bitten by cats.  Suzaku can do nothing but smile at this
point: Euphy's genius for spur-of-the-momentness would melt just about
anybody's heart.  She's realized while he was on dispatch to Zexis that she
can't approach things from a big-picture "better world" standpoint.  What she
can do is get people to smile, and he is more than happy to help.

Suzaku heads to Lelouch's place to pass on the news, and as Lelouch is
initially out he fills in Nanaly first.  Lelouch arrives and notices that
the shock of Suzaku's ordeal seems gone.  His takeaway from learning of
Suzaku's past is that both he and Nanaly need Suzaku: if he can get Suzaku to
leave the army and guard Nanaly instead, everybody wins!  Hmm, that may be
harder given that Euphy has decided that they're more than friends...

Elsewhere, Kiriko's brought Phantom Lady to the Black Knights' hideout.  When
she comes to, he tells her that she is at long last free.  She relates what
she remembers of her past, starting with the first memory she ever made: him.
He tells her that he was part of an army unit assigned to attack the base
she was in: he was merely a soldier following orders.  She's lived a similar
life till now, as the prototype for the Perfect Soldier program.

As they speak, Kiriko's opponents are getting a tongue-lashing from their
boss.  He wants Proto One recovered and sent to HQ _pronto_, and has sent
some help to deal with the Black Knights.  Above all else, he wants Kiriko
dead before he causes any further trouble.  Borou has heard that their boss was
the very one who originally sent Kiriko on the mission to Proto One -- clearly
there's something special about Kiriko in his boss's eyes.

The rest of Zexis has noticed the positive effect a SO has on Kiriko, and
before long the banter turns to who else could benefit from a little quality
relationship stuff. Ougi is a bit too hasty in his confirmation of his
bachelorhood, but fortunately for him Phantom Lady is a far more interesting
subject.  Wufei has realized just how superlative her combat abilities are,
and Crow figures she must have come from some of the rumored experiments at
creating super-soldiers that keep swirling around.  Certainly this isn't good
news for Kokona, who had a hard enough time winning Kiriko's heart versus a
normal girl.

Kiriko at length emerges and joins the conversation, and both Roger and Zero
ask Kiriko what's so special about him that the peacekeeping forces would
focus all their efforts on him in particular.  (Zero is doing a good job of
hiding his disappointment at losing Suzaku to Euphy completely.)  Kiriko
eventually relents, and takes up the tale of how he saw Something He Shouldn't
Have(tm) back before coming to Earth.  The Perfect Soldier program, the last-
second betrayal after Proto One was taken into custody, his captivity by the
Gilgamesh army and subsequent failed interrogation, his flight to the ghetto...
all of it comes out.  The PS program probably feels like the Astrageus
refugees'  ace-in-the-hole for securing and even improving their lot on Earth.

The consensus is that the PS program is an egregious violation of human rights,
and more than one person on the team can relate to the theme of spiritual
bondage and the quest for redemption.  Having said his piece, Kiriko announces
that he's taking Phantom Lady and leaving this town, even if it means parting
from the Black Knights.  He tells Banira and the others that they're welcome to
come along and begins to leave, but before he does Zero produces the money
to have Phantom Lady's mech to be repaired.  As time for this escape is
obviously running short, the rest of the team decide to pitch in and help with
preparations -- including Zero, who's a fair hand with software.  C.C. knows
that her partner-in-crime is seeing much of himself in Kiriko, and Roger goes
so far is to give Kiriko a small (unseen) token of their time together along
with wishes for his success.  This is the first time Kiriko's heart has been
warm in who-knows how long.

The two move warily towards the edge of the city, and as expected the peace
keepers turn up to stop them -- not many this time, perhaps due to the losses
they suffered in the last battle.  Kiriko sends PL (that's her moniker from
now on) coordinates for where they need to break through to, and the battle
is on!

 The enemy suck, so our heros make it to the designated spot quickly.  There
 is of course an ambush, and as Kiriko rushes to his ladyfriend's aid he
 inadvertently shouts out the name "Fiana".  Is that the name he's chosen
 for her?  Explanations will have to wait as the Red Shoulders arrive, and
 once again capture PL.  Riemann blames Kiriko for screwing everything up
 with the PS program, and recognizes Kiriko's latest custom mech setup as
 something Gregor Galosh once drew up for fun.  It's got a red shoulder flare,
 and Riemann won't stand for Kiriko bearing it.

 ...AND the Black Knights won't stand for Riemann not standing for it.
 Kokona and friends in particular aren't willing to just cut ties with Kiriko
 so easily, and with a bit of the money Zero's procured they've made a few
 preparations of their own .  Riemann is quite sure that Zero's men are too
 far away to intervene, but intervene they do despite deep misgivings and
 borderline cowardice from Kokona's copilots.  Zero's planned it all out:
 the military action has drawn a crowd of curious spectators, and Kokona
 pitches 300,000 bucks out the window in a fly by, the crowd starts to riot.
 For this lot, money means even more than life!

 At the sight of it, Crow goes a bit bonkers himself, zooming over to help
 throw money in all directions.  This provides the distraction they need to
 get Kiriko back on sounder footing even as the Red Shoulders muster for a
 counterattack.  They represent the last impediment to Kiriko, and Fiana(?),
 making a clean break with the past, and insofar as they're allied with the
 peacekeeping forces, they're on the Black Knights' shitlist too.

 Wouldn't you know it, interlopers from Britannia show up.  The rather sorry
 state of the ghetto gives Dalton the excuse he's been looking for for finally
 firing the peacekeeping forces, though he's not as quick to simply strike
 down the Red Shoulders as well.  It seems that having dealt with the pet
 dog, the Black Knights will have to deal with the owner next.

 Dalton is often hailed as Cornelia's right arm, and seeing him here doing
 this kind of dirty work raises hopes that Cornelia herself might appear soon.
 Zero definitely wants to meet her, due to her possible connection to his
 mother's death.  As Dalton's forces are driven back, an even bigger problem
 occurs though...

Euphemia has taken the mic at the unveiling ceremony for the Clovis Memorial
Library.  She gets right to the point, making good on the promise she made back
in Mt. Fuji and announcing that henceforth: the Elevens will regain their right
to call themselves Japanese, and the Britannians will enjoy no more special
privileges over the Japanese.  She calls upon Zero to help her build and
nourish this new approach to Japan, regardless of his past or true identity,
and to help forge a new future _within_ the Britannia Union.  She thinks
inwardly to Lelouch that this is the answer she's reached, meaning to reward
his faith in her (and Nina's love for her(!!)) to the best of her abilities.

This amounts to, if not an admission of defeat, at least an agreement to
disagree and let the Japanese get back to their lives.  Or... not, in Zero's
view.  He shouts that no special privileges Britannia might grant mean a thing;
or, has the team forgotten the humiliation of the "honorary Britannian"
system?  Inwardly, Zero knows that whether he complies with or fights against
Euphy's new regime, the Black Knights are finished -- disbandable, at best.
And most of the common people will probably take Tamashiro's view that the
announcement is a victory in practice if not in principle.  And any opposition
he shows will just sap him of his supporter.  How could this happen so easily??

If this is how Euphy means to take everything from him, she's seen nothing.
_Understood_ nothing.  There's no way the two of them can go back to the way
things used to be, not with him, a masked terrorist!  GWAAARGH!

Gwarg.  As Zero stalks off, mind in tormented overdrive, the rest of the team
mull what will happen next.  They too know that the Black Knights are soon to
be disbanded, and ponder the possibility that they'll have to fight Britannia
on their own.  It's also not clear that all the ghetto-dwellers' problems are
over -- though Euphemia mentioned rights for the Japanese, she said nothing
about the Astrageus folks.  They seem likely to remain ghettoized for the
foreseeable future.  And then there's Kiriko, who breaks his habitual silence
to thank his friends for saving his bacon.  He even manages about 10% of a
smile for about a tenth of a second.  The question in his mind is why he
called PL "Fiana", just before she vanished into the flames.  He knows now
that instead of running from the past, he's got to face it head on.  That
means taking out the Red Shoulders, and their founder Yoran Perzen.


CHAPTER 36J. What Lies At the End of a Life

Adeene has volunteered to get revenge for Chimilf, seemingly uncowed by the
old adage that "even a cornered armadillo can bite back".  Armadillos can just
get squashed underfoot, right?  Gwarm finds this hopeless, and Sitmandra
tries to curry favor with Lowgenome by taking the mission himself.  Adeene
insists though, saying that Chimilf shared a bond with her that transcended
gender.  Um, is that as in the old in-out-in-out?  Gwarm as much as calls her
a slut, but what interests Lowgenome is that these beings -- all creations of
his -- should have developed feelings for each other beyond what he originally
designed.  He gives Adeene the assignment but with an additional condition:
she is to kill Nia in whatever way she can.  Lowgenome senses a bit of
dissatisfaction from his other lieutenants, but none of them dare contradict
their creator openly.  He dismisses them and muses over the sorry fate of
humanity, who bring themselves closer to destruction with every step they take
toward the light.

The Getter team are warmly received back at base.  Benkei's been busting his
ass and could well fill in for Musashi any time he has to.  Genki (not looking
terribly happy, in fact) Michiru and Shikishima are on hand too, all eager to
get cracking at testing the new Getter.  A taller order than Ryouma might
think, in Saotome's mind.  He kindly sends Genki off to his room so that he can
yell at his team in peace, and after the ruckus dies down he tells them that
what they'll be testing today is not the true next-gen Getter, but rather a
stepping stone.  Getter Rays contain infinite possibilities, and it's up to
the pilots whether they can keep up with Getter Robo's evolution.

Musashi might have a bit of trouble staying atop the food chain, given how
much of it he gobbled down at the farewell banquet.  Benkei's piloting is too
erratic to yield useful data, so Michiru gets to pilot Poseidon for the
combining test.  Saotome knows that the best way to motivate his crew is to
talk massive amounts of trash, and maybe it really is best that Genki not be
around to see it.

Nia is doing her best to help around the ship by learning to cook -- a rather
un-princessly thing to do.  She announces happily that she's no longer a
princess, and tells the team that her father isn't likely to come to get her
after she made him mad.  What did she do, exactly?  Asked why she was born.
Clearly this beast lord guy has some issues.  The pilots mull that over as they
dig into breakfast, still chatting about Ranka Lee's Lin Minmei impression.
It's a big mystery who taped her "first live concert", given it was happening
during an attempted coup d'etat.  It seems many fans have already started
turning their back on Sheryl, who it seems isn't permitted even a single day's
tummy troubles or anything lest she get thrown to the wolves.

They say wolves will eat anything if they're hungry.  So will the Zexis pilots,
up to a point.  Nia in her guileless way has moved past that point, creating a
dish so outlandish, so traumatic, that even the iron-stomached Jiron can't
begin to describe.  Roshiu couldn't bring himself to warn the others after
seeing how happy Nia was at the stove, and it seems Nia has only one sincere
fan of her cooking: Simon!  Either this is a miracle of love, or Simon has no
tastebuds left at all, but in either case it's good to see Nia integrated with
the team.

Except... maybe for Youko.  Though she brushes off questions if she's alright,
Gain's seen her look at Nia with a sniper's eye more than once.  Crow's
noticed the same, and figures that Youko is still going to need more time to
accept the girl as part of her extended family.  Gain, frankly, is glad that
Crow's fear of women isn't part of a larger misanthropy.  Awww.

But enough with the mushy stuff: Invaders have, um, invaded Tokyo and need
their asses dismantled.  Roshiu is feeling sick as a dog, and Simon tells
Buuta to do his thing... that thing being offering his tail to Roshiu to eat.
Bizarre?  Yes.  Delicious?  Also, yes.  The usual words of encouragement are
said by the battleship pilots, and Youko just can't abide Nia's plain old
"good luck".  Something's got to give...

 A bit into the battle, Getter shows up -- and immediately it becomes clear
 that something is wrong.  VERY wrong from how upset Ryouma is.  The immediate
 problem is Adeene, who appears in her ginormous Daigunkai as soon as the
 first wave of cannon fodder are toast.  Adeene seems to know something about
 the "naked ravagers" (i.e. the Invaders), but she certainly won't divulge
 her lord's knowledge so easily.  Nia wants to go and try to talk Adeene
 into stopping, and Youko testily tells Kitan to do it: maybe they can all
 finally figure out what's _really_ going on inside Nia's head.  This sounds
 hostile, but Gain and Crow advise going through with it.  Simon gives his
 okay, and Youko warns Nia that her rifle is aimed squarely at her back.
 Should Nia try anything funny, Youko won't hesitate to pull her trigger.

 Adette confirms to Nia that her people's mission is the slaughter of all
 humans on the surface -- at Nia's father's orders.  Nia demands to know if
 Adeene in any way questions this order, and Adeene sounds almost puzzled as
 she replies that she would no more doubt orders to kill humans than she
 would orders to kill any other form of worm.  Adette then informs Nia in no
 uncertain terms that she's been thrown out by Lowgenome, and is to be cut to
 ribbons just like all the other pathetic humans -- and no she doesn't get to
 talk to the guy and appeal.

 At least this explains what Nia was doing locked in that box that Simon
 saved her from... as well as why they haven't tried to mount a rescue.  Nia
 can't believe her father would order her death, and asks if Adeene hates her
 too.  Adeene sniffs that her own hatreds have nothing to do with it: she's
 doing no more and no less than carrying out the Spiral Lord's orders.  Oh,
 izzat so?

 If Lowgenome ordered Adeene to die on the spot, would she?  How can Adeene
 just blindly follow orders like that, when those orders mean the deaths of
 zillions of innocents whose only crime is wanting to live on the Surface?
 Adeene starts getting into it now, saying that Chimilf's death is certainly
 crime enough -- but again Nia counters that the humans lost Kamina too.
 And that loss was _deeply_ painful.  Can't Adette see the fault in their two
 sides causing each other such heartache?

 As it turns out, no!  Adeene says that she now understands why the Spiral
 Lord cast Nia away.  Nia's friends rally to her cause, and Nia won't brook
 Adeene insulting them.  Adeene therefore grabs Nia to use as a hostage, and
 there are only two options for snipers that might be able to set her free.
 Gain's been wounded in the previous battle [actually no he hasn't with me at
 the controls, but whatever], so the job falls to Youko.  She doesn't want to
 help Nia out, but Crow tells her sternly that it's either that, or put Nia
 out of her misery.  Youko protests that he's not being fair, and Crow tells
 her that that's the kind of guy he is.  If she wants to hate him for it, so
 be it.

 That flips a switch for Youko, and as she takes aim Nia is actually the one
 that calls for her to fire.  She blasts the arm holding Nia perfectly, and
 Nia jumps to safety with a little help from her friends.  Once she's safely
 back on board the flagship, Youko asks why Nia told her to fire, and Nia
 says happily that she knew Youko the genius sniper would hit Adette.  That
 is, she believes in Youko, even if the feeling hasn't been exactly mutual.

 Right, that's got the making-friends part out of the way, and wonder of
 wonders Gain isn't quite as wounded as he made out.  Time for Adeene to see
 if she'll be any more successful at smiting all these annoying humans than
 her paramour was.

 A new wrinkle shows up in short order: the three pieces of the new Getter
 Robo, zooming around shooting anything and everything in sight.  Is this
 Saotome's doing, maybe due to Michiru's (accidental) death?  Ryouma blames
 himself for screwing up and costing her her life, and the normally-placid
 Hayato is stunned at the thought that the good doctor is trying to take his
 life.  Ryouma yells at him to calm down -- that even if Saotome is out for
 blood, it sure as hell won't be his.  Even though the new Getters are more
 powerful, they don't have the three united pilots aiding them.

Fighting the rogue Getter mecha is a major shock to the system, even if they
aren't so hard to fend off.  After the battle Saotome phones up to explain
what's going on: he did _not_ sic them on the Getter team because of Michiru's
death.  That was a _small_ thing compared to the looming threat of the end of
the world.  He's turned them on the Getter team because of their incompetence,
and shouts that he needs neither them nor even Zexis to fix this rotten world.
Let all who here prepare for the END TIMES!!!

That doesn't sound at all ominous or anything.  Back in the hangar, Ryouma and
the others relate what happened during the combination tests.  Though the two
of them berate themselves, especially Hayato, Musashi repeats that Michiru's
death was an accident: Shikishima looked at the data and proclaimed that
Ryouma and Hayato piloted perfectly.  That might make it Michiru's fault that
she got killed.  Or it might be Musashi's fault for not being at his usual
post.  In either case, it's Ryouma who points out in agony that nothing will
bring Michiru back -- and that's something ALL of them will have to bear.
Saotome has shut off communications with his lab, and it's beginning to look
like he really does mean to start a Getter War with the world.

As though that wasn't bad enough news, worse comes in from Area Eleven.  A
large crowd of people had gathered for the official enactment of Euphemia's
Japan-permitted zone... only to be all executed, apparently on Euphemia's
orders!!  The Black Knights burst in to try to stem the tide, but after the
Imperium further muddied the waters the whole scene ended indecisively.
Britannia itself has issued no statement regarding Euphemia's actions, and one
can certainly expect resistance to Britannia to get stronger in all its
occupied territories.

Calling this debacle hard to believe would be the understatement of the year.
Terrorist activity in Britannia's territories is escalating even as the pilots
jaws drop, and from what Elgan's found out, the Imperium is stoking the chaos
by inserting its forces into the war zones.  Elgan has summoned Zexis back
together to combat this new fiasco, leaving the peacekeeping army's watchful
eyes on the Saotome lab.  Ryouma is adamant that Saotome isn't going to do
anything to bring the world's armies down on him: he made Getter Robo to
_save_ the world!  He and his teammates will join the convocation at Dragon's
Hive, and Ryouma really hopes that he doesn't have to fight his mentor.

Indeed, back at the Saotome lab the good doctor is grieving over his daughter.
He vows to Genki that he will not let him die too.  Benkei gently leads Genki
somewhere to rest, and Saotome's howls of anguish are interrupted by Corwen
and Stinger phoning up.  Hardly the bearers of sympathy, they observe that
he's about to become like them.  Won't it be nice to research stuff together
once more, just like old times?  The remind him of his mission: creating
the ultimate Getter as a signpost toward their comrades.  Yes, that is the
truth, that is his legacy, his life's work, his ultimate mission, etc. etc.
Whatever's really going on, you have to feel for the poor guy...


CHAPTER 36C. Tested Resolve

Sumeragi is really getting worried, enough to request an OS upgrade for the
CBs mecha from other members of Zexis.  Kira and the others know that Tielia
doesn't much like outsiders fiddling with his gear, but Tielia says that he's
trusted them all this far -- it's a bit late to start distrusting them now.
With prompting from Aslan, it seems even Tielia is beginning to come out of his
shell.  Meanwhile the other pilots are musing over the CBs' modus operandi:
is taking all mankind's weapons away really going to stop all the infighting?
And if it did, what about protection from external foes like those Imperium
yarbos?  Who knows.  All Shinn knows for certain is that the look in the CBs'
eyes when they talk about wanting peace is genuine.

Harry buys that, but what he can't get past is how reckless the CBs' strategy
seems.  Surely they realize that their powerful mecha aren't unrivaled, right?
Unless Sumeragi and whoever she reports to are total idiots, the only
conclusion can be that the CBs' plans for world peace actually revolve around
something _other_ than stirring up trouble militarily.

Tielia meanwhile is most worried about whoever the CB's traitor is, and what
the consequences for the world would be if this person gained unfettered access
to Veda.  He admits his anxiety to Lockon, and wonders if the CBs are up to
battling their fellow mecha without Veda's aid.  Well, they still have their
Gundams, and they still have Sumeragi.  Crow's never known her to be wrong, but
apparently she's made one, very major, mistake in her past.  The sort of
mistake that can turn one into an alcoholic to ease one's broken heart.  Lockon
knows that it's hard times like this when team unity is most important, and
though he doesn't see it immediately, Crow assures him that even Setsuna has
learned something about that.  Not that they should expect the guy to suddenly
turn into Duo or whatnot...

So, about Veda... it's got visitors in the form of Ribbons and Alejandro.
The time has now come for the Conner Clan's long-cherished dream to come true,
and Alejandro refers repeatedly to Ribbons as his guardian angel for locating
the CB's base... on the moon of all places!  Alejandro's waited 200 years for
this moment, and is prepared to wait a little longer while Ribbons makes the
necessary preparations for what's about to come next.

Liumei is in an interesting position as an intelligence agent, neutral regarding
the squabble between the two factions in the "implementation" part of the
Celestial Beings.  She's not siding with Johann and friends as such, but she
is willing to give them some of the help they desperately need.  She pledges
to make preparations to send them and their mecha to space, and will phone back
when all is ready.  In the meanwhile, they'll need to keep moving and try to
avoid getting themselves killed.

Right about then is when Sarchez of all people wanders up to their camp, sent
by his employer to take care of them.  Mind you, the last several people he
"took care of" are now six feet under, including the famous Ragna.  Sarchez
does something somewhat unexpected: he simply shoots Mihael dead!  Johann tries
to fight back bare-handed, and manages only to demonstrate that he does _not_
know kung-fu.  Sarchez orders them into their mecha so he can have the
satisfaction of killing them properly.  Even more astonishing, he hops in
Mihael's own mecha -- whose biometric locks are all inoperative -- and starts
blasting.  Johann protests that the Trinities are Gundam Meisters: they're
supposed to change the world!  How could Veda cast them aside?!

Sarchez gets sick of this in a hurry and demolishes Johann and his mech in one
fell swoop.  Sarchez finds GN particle-fuelled explosions particularly pretty,
and is about to finish Neina off too when the cavalry arrive.  They quickly
figure out that Sarchez has stolen Throne Zwei, and as Sarchez' friends arrive
Neina vows revenge... and then wisely buggers off.  Lockon warns the rest of
the team that Sarchez is a bloodthirsty animal, impervious to any rational
arguments to stay his hand.  Sumeragi orders everyone to attack the PMC forces,
with special attention paid to blowing Sarchez away.  This is just fine with
Setsuna, who won't stand for a Gundam falling into the hands of evil.

 Even the ferocious Sarchez can only do so much when piloting a strange mech
 for the first time.  Luckily for him, Veda's assistance to the CB's Gundams
 cuts out right before they can strike the final blow -- just like that
 fateful day in Cursis.  Setsuna is stunned by the fact that even though he's
 piloting a Gundam, he doesn't get to _be_ a Gundam!  He then gets unstunned
 when his teammates point out that a) he's still alive, and b) he's got help
 this time around, and c) he needs to get his head out of his ass already.

 And let's not forget d) the Veda-like combat OS that Kira and friends
 whipped up, which entirely makes up for the abrupt loss of everyone's
 favorite quantum computer.  Lockon and Setsuna are with the program, but
 Tielia is a quivering wreck at the thought of being cast out by Veda.  And
 wouldn't you know it, Eim's shown up to rub more than a little salt in his
 wounds.  Sarchez seizes the opportunity to attack the defenseless pilot,
 and only a very valiant move by Lockon saves him from being cut entirely
 in half.

Setsuna is next on the menu, and though he's hanging in there like a trooper
Alejandro is confident that Sarchez will prove the victor.  Meanwhile Ribbons
has breached level 7 of Veda, meaning the whole system is now his.  That
means it's time for Alejandro to have a face-to-face meeting with... Ioria
Schoenberg!  The guy put himself into cold sleep while believing that his
successors would revolutionize the world... which is a lot of risk to
undertake.  Alejandro gloats that Ioria's plans for a unified world and his
Celestial Being minions won't cut it, and that Ioria himself won't live long
enough to see the sort of unification Alejandro has in mind.

What neither he nor Ribbons seems to have considered is that someone might
have planned for a break-in.  A voiceover laments how foolish mankind is
still clinging to its warmongering ways and driving the world toward ruin.
Going all multidimensional isn't going to help either -- a 200-year old
prophecy that sounds eerily true.  Even so, Ioria's faith in mankind remains,
and he means to ensure that it has the tools it needs to answer.

As Sarchez finally corners Setsuna, Setsuna vows that neither he nor his
Gundam will lose to the likes of this jackwagon.  Suddenly the Exia begins to
glow, and Setsuna goes to ludicrous speed as it slices Sarchez' mech to
bits.  Ioria's voice then comes to the Gundam pilots, hoping that they're
friendly to his cause and telling them that the full power of GN Drive is now
theirs to use to further root out the causes of all warfare... not as Celestial
Beings, but for their own sake and by their own will.

In short, the "Trans-Am" System, installed only in those Gundams with the
original Solar Reactors.  Tifa realizes that Ioria must also be the one
responsible for beaming energy to Garode's mech.  Eim isn't so thrilled, and
since he didn't manage to crush the heart of any of Crow's comrades, he
resorts to brute force.  Imperium forces flood the area, and Lockon isn't in
very good shape to do anything about it.  Tielia takes him off the battlefield
before he gets killed, and Eim does his usual gloating about wanting to see
Crow wish he was dead.  Fat fucking chance, even with Margret as part of the
forces Eim's arraying against him.  Margret seems serious this time, and that
is just fine with Crow.

Margret is bent on revenge for her brother.  She's also fighting _totally_ the
wrong people to wreak vengeance _on_, and once again gets sent packing without
so much as a souvenir.  Just who this brother of hers is is a mystery to the
team, given that as far as they know the Imperium's only ever fielded
Dimensional Beast troops except for her, Eim, and the Lord of Destruction(tm).
In any case, Crow's scales may still be swaying, but his base is rock-solid...
which means that Eim will just have to go sulk and dream up some even more
sadistic plan for next time.

There's no time to celebrate the victory, as bad things (see 36J) are brewing
in Area Eleven.  Watching from his study, Treize can't help but furl his
impressively aristocratic brow.  The trigger Euphemia pulled will exponentially
escalate the violence that the Imperium and other common enemies of mankind
has started.  Amuro tells him that he should have the power to stop it, but
Treize smiles ruefully and says the only power he's got is to ride in the
slipstream of world events.  Amuro demands to know if Treize prefers the world
this way, and Treize answers that as one of the people who helped get things
to their present state, he it would be rather illogical to be otherwise.
Amuro figured Treize for a smarter individual than that, and though he himself
lacks a master plan to restore order, he does have something he can do: join
Zexis and take out the trash as a pilot.  Treize means to honor his promise to
let Amuro depart freely, and when Amuro says he wanted to believe in Treize's
way of doing things, Treize says that he will believe in Amuro... that he
become one of the Defeated.  Now, what about Quatro?

As the pilots deliberate Euphemia's unbelievable act, the commanders inform
the troops that Zexis is being reconstituted again.  The CBs will go with a
heavy heart, certain now that they've got a traitor in their midst and that
Veda must be considered thoroughly compromised.  Fortunately Zexis will be
their support structure now, and the CB's enemy is surely an enemy of mankind
at large.  Lockon sounds like he'll pull through okay, which is very good as
the CBs are in desperate need of an elder-brother figure.  As the meetup will
be back at Dragons' Hive, the Nova team look forward to forcibly extracting
some answers from F.S. about what's really going on with the R-Daigun and
the whole True Dancougar business.

And let's not be too hasty about Lockon, who as they say is (barely) living
proof that things have moved past the "all fun and games" stage.  He insists
that with Haro at his side, his fabled sniping will outlast the loss of one
eye.  The problem is Tielia, who feels that he's lost the only reason he was
made a Meister now that he can't direct-link with Veda.  That comes as a major
surprise to Felt, even as it explains why Tielia's funk caused the new OS to
crash on his mech.  How the hell can a living human directly access a computer?
In any case, Lockon points out to Tielia that they can still carry out their
mission, even if it got a bit harder without Veda's help -- just look at all
the people they've got around them to help?  And anyway, about the eye: to err
is human, after all.  It's a computer what's needed to _really_ fuck things up.

Yet even with the computer Veda at his disposal, Alejandro won't be able to
overturn Ioria's carefully-laid plans so easily.  All data about the GN Drive's
true capabilities is absent from Veda's records... and now so is all data
regarding the CBs' identities.  Alejandro rages that he won't be undone by some
200 year-old idealistic fuckhead playing God, but Ribbons thinks that Ioria may
be more than just _playing_ at godhood.  However, the information about Ioria's
good friend that Ribbons found in Veda may yet provide the key they need.
Trying to catch his breath, Alejandro growls that his plans have entered their
final phase: now they just need to eliminate those few people left standing in
the way.  He means to take out the CBs and the rest of Zexis with his own
hands, which sounds like a great way to ensure that they get blown off -- but
what do I know?


CHAPTER 36E. Bloody EUPHY

Schneizer and Cornelia hold a teleconference over Euphemia's incredible coup,
and opinions are sharply divided.  Cornelia doesn't like how Euphy dreamt
the whole thing up herself, but that apparently didn't stop her sending her
top lieutenant Dalton to help.  Then again, Cornelia maintains that Dalton's
presence constitutes a standard security measure such as anyone would take
for an announcement with such wide-reaching implications.  Schneizer tells
Cornelia that he wants to believe that Euphy's gambit will pay off -- mankind
has far too many external enemies to be fighting among themselves.  Cornelia
blanches but holds her tongue, managing to hang up without emitting a squawk.

Schneizer does sympathize with Cornelia's mixed feelings, but he's mostly
relieved that he won't have to send the experimental Combination into
Area Eleven.  Instead, he and the experimental gear will be sent to the
Rosenburg lab.  The time has come to focus on getting rid of the Imperium;
the Kaminejima incident and all other matters can wait till stability is
restored to the land.

"Chigusa" wants to go participate in Euphy's Japan Free Zone, and Oogi knows
that he and she will be able to live there without regard for their ethnicity.
He promises to go with her after taking care of just a bit more business.
He's not the only one thinking along those lines: most of the civilians and
even several of the Black Knights are finding Euphemia's proposition far more
appealing than Zero's brand of liberation.  Even the Kyouto organization are
rumored to be in favor of the Free Zone, which is only natural if their goal
is to restore the Japanese way of life.  And who can really blame the public
for wanting the shortest route to a safe, secure society?

The real question is, should the Black Knights sign up to help?  Wufei asks
Roger's opinion, and it's very true that freedom, equality and promises all
sound very nice.  It's precisely that pleasant sound that should inspire
distrust of the speaker... unless that speaker is of impeachable character.  In
his estimation, Euphemia fits the profile.  Tamashiro demands to know who's
side Roger's on, and Roger smiles and replies that he's on the side of the
truth.  If the Black Knights participate, they'll be forced to disarm and
relinquish their independence.  If they resist, they'll become enemies of
freedom and equality by default.  So what's Zero's verdict?

He'll tell them when they all arrive at Mt. Fuji, the site of the Free Zone.
Zero arrives in full regalia and takes to the stage to address Euphemia.  He
requests a private conference for the two of them before making a public
statement.  Suzaku doesn't like this idea, but Zero tells him he hopes for
Suzaku's trust -- after all, Suzaku is in large measure responsible for all the
(would-be) Japanese gathered here.  Zero inwardly blames himself in part for
Suzaku being someone else's standard- bearer.  Euphy agrees and the two
retreat to the bridge of her flagship.

Zero is slow to remove his helmet, accustomed to a life of paranoia thanks
to a certain empire's good offices.  He's managed to smuggle in a needle-gun,
made of ceramic and bamboo, and does _not_ mean to shoot Euphy with it.
Rather, he wants _her_ to shoot _him_, in public.  Both know what that would
cause: Zero would be a martyr, and Euphy's plan would devolve into chaos.
Euphy, alarmed and perplexed, repeats that she wants him to help her build
a proper Japan, but he counters that a Japan-by-fiat would be no different
from what Clovis tried.  He tells her that all the conditions are ripe for
the public to kowtow to a miracle -- the miracle of his resurrection after
three days in the Cave.

As she hesitates, Lelouch feels his Geass powers swelling.  He turns away
from her, shouting that he wants no more of her pity.  He IS going to achieve
his goals with his own hands, and he WILL see the princess defiled to make it
happen!  His rage is frozen in its tracks, though, when she tells him she's
renounced her title -- the least she could do for getting him to buy into what
she's trying to sell.  Scowling, he asks if she did it for his sake, and she
smiles at his self-confidence.  Not for his sake, but for Nanaly's!

She relates a conversation she had with Nanaly in secret, while Zero was off
with Zexis.  Nanaly told her that she wants nothing more than to be with her
brother, and that made her mind up.  After all her agonizing and consulting
Marina and Rilina, she's come up with the best way to restore everyone's smile.

After all that, Lelouch has to smile.  Ever since they were kids, her guileless
optimism has always stood her in good stead, even in the face of Lelouch's
strategic brilliance.  That never changed, even after she became a public
figure and vice-governor.  He tells her that she's the most vicious opponent
he's ever faced, and graciously admits defeat.  He'll do everything in his
power to help make this Free Zone succeed, though he cautions that he isn't
going to become her subordinate.  She teases him for thinking that she'd
actually shoot him, and he tells her that if he'd genuinely ordered her to do
it, she'd have had no choice.  Hell, he could order her to kill all the
Japanese, for example, and she'd have no choice.

Um.  Remember how Mao eventually lost the ability to shut his Geass off?
Ever heard of Shakespearian-grade tragedy?  Well, the ante has just been upped,
as Lelouch accidentally Geasses Euphy and, after a brief yet agonizing
struggle with herself, she sets about the project of slaughtering the Japanese.
She reemerges onto the stage, and tells all those calling themselves Japanese
that she has a favor to ask: for them to die.  Seeing that they don't
commit suicide on the spot, she orders her soldiers to fire.  Zero is powerless
to stop her as she fires the first shot, and mass chaos erupts as the
gunfire begins.

All this time the Black Knights have been parked nearby, waiting to see what
the Britannians are really up to.  Toujou thinks Zero has already guessed what
they're really up to, and has a plan ready to stop it.  Roger says they're
all about to find out if Zero prefers independence within a box, or
independence at the end of war.  With Diethart and his cameras at the ready,
is it possible that Zero means to actually do Euphy in?  Zero certainly is
one difficult man to read... as are all those who tread the King's Path, as
Eim would have it!

Eim claims to be here to help celebrate the Black Knights' involvement in
the Japan Free Zone, and figures that it's just about time for the main event
to start.  And whaddya know, Ougi gets word from Diethart that Euphemia has
just ordered the wholesale slaughter of the Japanese!  In fact, what Diethart
is seeing is beyond his wildest dreams, and all thanks somehow or other to
Zero.  More eye-catching, anyway, than Euphy shooting Zero as he told his
people might happen.  Lakshata can't see how this much carnage strikes Diethart
as fun, and he gushes that now the whole world will turn against Britannia
and rally around Zero.  To him, Britannia is just grist for his camera -- and
that grist is now well past its expiration date.  Lakshata originally signed on
to this outfit to gather experimental data, but she isn't inclined to back out
now... and besides, Zero's a pretty interesting guy.

As for Zero, he knows full well that he and (or) his Geass are responsible for
this hellish turn of events, and that there's nothing he can do to turn back
the clock.  Therefore, it's time to make the best of a very bad situation.
Dalton runs over to Zero and demands to know what he's done to Euphy, but
Zero vanishes in a flash of pyrotechnics.  Meanwhile, Suzaku is frantically
searching for Euphy without success.  He tells Lloyd and Cecil to search
for the two of them while he tries to lead the people out of the arena, but
just then an unfamiliar voice tells _him_ to go find Euphy and get her to
reverse her orders.  The speaker will lead the remaining people to safety...

Eim intimates that this whole mess is somehow Zero's fault, which of course
Karen and the others are not ready to believe at first blush.  In fact, he
admits openly that he's trying to make the Black Knights falter -- as usual,
he finds it ever so much more fun to debase Crow's friends before taking Crow
himself out.  He makes no move to stop Crow as he and the others rush to the
the battlefield, knowing that the aftermath of this tragedy will affect them
all deeply.

Toujou orders the troops to breach the walls of the stadium so the people
inside can escape.  That means going through the Imperial soldiers, who are
bent on obeying Euphemia's orders.  Fortunately they've got an ally: Banjou
of all people, who easily breaches the stadium walls and begins the evacuation.
He gives his "circle of the sun" speech to the Imperials, which of course
means mayhem.  He knows as well as anyone that the chains of hatred and rage
will only lead to more fighting, but he also knows that the immediate chaos
must be stemmed before anyone could listen to reason.

 Many among Zexis are quite stymied by Euphemia's out-of-character act.
 Roger in particular vows to get to the bottom of it.

As for Zero, he's found Euphy still babblingly happily about killing the
Japanese.  When she sees him, she confusedly proposes working with him to
create a Free Japan Zone, and he murmurs that he had hoped to do just that.
Instead, he shoots her, crying beneath his mask over the lost of what was
probably his first love.  Suzaku and C.C. arrive at around this point, and as
Suzaku screams out Euphy's name, Zero and C.C. wisely withdraw.  Euphy
seems to regain some of her senses as she recognizes Suzaku's face.

Back in the Gawain, C.C. tells Lelouch that she never expected he'd go _this_
far.  He tells her that he didn't _mean_ to Geass Euphy, and she realizes that
his Geass has begun to elude his control.  Lelouch genuinely thought he was
prepared for how dangerous this power would be, and can probably be forgiven
for things getting _this_ far out of hand.  He asks for a sitrep, and Diethart
proclaims that he's shown the whole world what happened here today.

Crow asks if this was part of Zero's plan, and Zero carefully replies that
he never anticipated Euphemia to take leave of her senses like this.  Crow
asks again: did Zero induce Euphemia to do this?  No, is his reply.  Zero
forestalls any ranting at Euphemia's expense when he states flatly that he
killed her himself.  Eim, still watching from the sidelines, says that this
accumulation of sins is every inch befitting the Devil himself.  He sends out
his shock troops to cause Crow more misery, and among them is a newly-enraged
Margret.  Zero orders the troops to thwart the Imperium forces and show the
Japanese gathered here at least one ray of hope.

See the other paths for Eim whining as he leaves.  Zero says that he's going
back to the ghetto to plan his next move, and asks if the Zexis folks will
accompany him.  Banjou's with it, and says he's got several things he wants to
check out along the way.  Zero knows that there is truly no way but forward
from now on.

Somewhere... else, Charles is somehow aware of what's been going on, and
cackles with glee that his son Lelouch, aka Zero, has finally gone and done
"it".  He proclaims that Lelouch bears the Power of the King, and it's entirely
up to Lelouch what result that will lead to.  He must dance, and fight, to the
utmost of his ability, till the day the world is unified!

Impressively, Euphemia did _not_ die immediately from her wounds: Suzaku has
gotten her to an Imperial hospital.  She seems stable enough that Lloyd can
leave her alone with Suzaku while they all wait for Cornelia to arrive.
Suzaku asks why she gave the order she did, and Euphy says she doesn't know
what he's talking about.  She asks if he too is Japanese, and when he agrees
she gets a gleam in her eye and seems to wrestle with herself over whether she
should kill him too.  She settles on "not", and asks Suzaku how the event
went -- were the Japanese people pleased?  Did she do a good job?  Suzaku
hesitates a moment, then tells her she did just great, and that Japan is
grateful to her.

Her sight begins to fail, and she tells him to be sure to finish school, which
she failed to do.  Tears streaming down his face, he tells her that they can
go to Ashford right now, where a fun party will be waiting.  She repeats that
he has to do what she could not.  She slips away, and the heartbroken guy
cries out to no one in particular, asking why she had to die.  A child then
walks into this presumably maximum-security hospital ward, offering to
explain.  The child names himself V.V., and says that Zero is to blame for
Euphemia going crazy.  He'll tell Suzaku all about himself, and about Zero,
one day soon.  For now, suffice it to say that Zero is someone Suzaku knows
well -- and if Suzaku wants to know more, he'd better go on fighting to change
the world...

As expected, all of Britannia's territories are in revolt after what they've
seen.  The Imperium has sent in dimensional beasts to intensify the fighting,
satisfying their lust for bloodshed and mayhem as Banjou knows well.  He's
been roaming the world on a mission from F.S. ever since arriving, and was
pursuing Eim when the two arrived in Area Eleven.  Eim is a menace that grows
daily, and must be stopped before he truly sends this world to hell.

Diethart has the gall to confront Banjou over saving most of the spectators:
he was trying to get a picture of utter carnage and instead got some kind
of humanitarian aid crap.  So he what, wanted loads of Japanese to die?  He
sniffs that all those gathered for Euphemia's farce are weak-minded fools
unsuitable for the new Japan Zero is trying to build.  The least they could
have done is lay down their lives for the Black Knights' cause.  Banjou asks
if Zero concurs, and Zero definitely does _not_: Banjou is to be commended
for his swift efforts to save lives.  He cuts off Diethart's protest by
pointing out that they're not shooting a fucking soap opera here: the last
thing this world needs is pointless bloodshed!

As Diethart clams up, a visitor to the compound commends Zero on his
thinking.  It is none other than Kagura, first daughter of the highest of the
Six Houses of Kyouto.  She is in a sense the highest ranking Japan-ist in the
land, and she's come here, as it were, as Zero's biggest fan.  He's taller
than she pictured [thanks to Mokona's character design style] but she promises
she can catch up to him quickly enough.  She states that when Zero takes over
Japan, he'll need a wife... one who doesn't mind that he can't reveal himself
to the masses.  She, self-proclaimed Goddess of Victory, has every confidence
that he'll win.

Zero tells her that while he appreciates the offer, he's already struck a
bargain with the devil -- he can't see himself making nice with a goddess too.
In fact, he's about to head back to Zexis, expecting a call from Elgan to
reassemble the full team.  He tells an incredulous Diethart that there's no
way Japan, or any corner of the Earth, can hope for peace so long as the
Imperium remains.  He now has _zero_ doubt in his mind that unless the Black
Knights exercise their mandate for Justice for the good of all, Japan can
never be free.

That sounds great to Crow and the G-boys.  Duo reckons that if the Black
Knights were to take on Britannia head-on right now, the result would only be
Japan getting ruined the rest of the way.  Zero is glad the Zexis folks and
he are on the same page, and orders Diethart to make preparations for proper
resistance against Britannia when the time comes -- and to NOT use the massacre
in the propaganda.  Any panic engendered in the public can only work to the
Imperium's advantage.  Diethart reluctantly agrees, whereas Kagura is very
enthused about being Zero's liaison to Kyouto.  Diethart does tell Zero that
he's going to regret passing up the greatest chance he's gotten at striking
Britannia, and Zero inwardly fumes that "regret" is a luxury he gave up long
ago.  His decision to confront the Imperium is in large part an effort to make
it up to Euphy for ruining her dream -- whether or not she forgives him, he
damn well intends to see at least one part of that dream come true.

Lelouch does return briefly to Ashford Academy, setting up another long
bout of "study abroad".  Suzaku asks if this has anything to do with Euphemia's
death, and Lelouch replies that the death of his childhood playmate is the
last thing he wants to think about just now.  Suzaku ponders a moment, and
asks Lelouch if there's anyone he hates enough to want them dead.  Lelouch
allows that there is, and Suzaku says that he used to believe that kind of
thinking was wrong.  That not fighting according to the rules was nothing but
murder.  He now finds himself driven by a murderous rage, and both of them
know that "Zero" is the target.  Lelouch, to Suzaku's surprise, tells him to go
ahead and hate Zero, especially if it's for Euphy's sake.  He himself decided
long ago never to turn back, and Suzaku thanks him for being his friend these
past seven years.  He doubts he'll be able to see Lelouch off, as he too is
preparing to travel into battle.  He bids Lelouch what sounds like a very
final "farewell", and Lelouch realizes that Suzaku is starting to suspect him.
So be it -- Lelouch has nothing left to lose now [unless you count Nanaly,
which is a pretty dreadful thought given how things are already].

Lelouch is now good and willing to fight his old friend if need be, far too
immersed in his path of destruction and loss to let his sentiments get in
the way: this destruction is what's necessary for new creation to flourish.
C.C. is waiting for him, inwardly mourning that the Lelouch too is willing to
make himself a victim of this unfolding tragedy.

[I kept the "C" route because I want Alto's upgrade later; I went with Sheryl
in terms of who to save.]


CHAPTER 37. Heroically, and Beautifully

The world is clearly in a sorry state after recent events, and it seems that
the Great Nations have finally decided to take drastic measures.  According
to news reports, they've just forged a military alliance and will deploy
their forces under the joint command of the Security Council.  This marks the
birth of the greatest army in history, which you might imagine would be a
good thing.  But you'd be wrong.  The alliance is supported not by an interest
in the common good, but rather by the sharing of the CBs' stolen technology.
The three Nations are mainly interested in preventing each other from getting
a leg up in the arms race... and in ensuring that none of the lesser nations
get to share.  Marina would like to believe that the union is still a partial
step forward, but forward into what?

At least four of the Areas have had their local governments collapse in the
wake of the terrorism and Imperium involvement touched off by the debacle in
Area Eleven.  Marina would never in her wildest dreams have guessed that
Euphemia would do anything like that, and still finds it very hard to accept.
The great irony is that the Imperium seemingly has done what the CBs did not:
united the world.  Xielin believes that the CBs' armed intervention was
ultimately supposed to force everybody together against the common threat
they pose -- as the ZEUTH Earth evidently did.  The main question is, with
an "Earth Federation" now underway, will Zexis still have a role?

They will in fact, if the "putting the paths back together debriefing" ever
ends.  Just read the above prose if you want to know what's being blathered
on about.  In the conference room with the top brass, the first piece of good
news is that the Ptolemeios has received a care package from space: armaments
both for its mecha and for itself -- maybe enough to fill the gap left by
Lockon's wounds a bit.  The CBs are feeling just a tad disenfranchised by the
fact that the Imperium, not they, have united the world... and Zero views the
newfound sense of global unity with profound distrust.  Whoever betrayed the
CBs and disseminated their technology is in the driver's seat of the new world
order, and that is a very bad prospect.

Sumeragi recommends leaving it up to Elgan to keep that entity's plans in check
-- for now at least -- and focusing instead on Moralia and the PMC Trust.
Signs point to the CBs' traitor using them for their personal gain, and taking
them out might lead to a few clues about who this "Mr. X" really is.  On the
other hand, it could also turn public opinion against Zexis, tying their hands
for future housecleaning in the new Earth Federation.  Tanaka seems not to
grasp this, so the commanders turn to F.S. for an explanation of what he's
really got in mind.  "You'll find out later" is not going to cut it this time.
"For the future of mankind" sounds too abstract, or perhaps large-scale, but
that's precisely the magnitude of threat F.S. believes the world faces.  "It"
isn't going to stand idly by with the world in the state it's in.

Before we find out what "it" is, word comes in that Dragon's Hive has a few
visitors: a bevy of idol stars!  Eiyda has somehow tracked the place down,
which even Grace proved unable to do.  Sheryl wonders if they should have at
least gotten an appointment, but Eiyda says that this is their big chance to
live a little without fear of the press or their fans reacting badly.  Plus,
she and Ranka have the power of love on their side!  Sheryl is trying to focus
on recreation, having brought her manager along for bad^Wgood measure and
fully intending to make up for all the concerts she's had to cancel.

Nia comes into the waiting room at this point, lost as usual in the Dragons'
Hive's twisty corridors.  Eiyda immediately takes a liking to her and asks
if she's ever thought about becoming an idol singer.  Certainly Nia likes to
sing, humming the song that Ranka sang as the theme to Bird-Human.  Weirdly
though, Nia says that her father sang that song to her when she was little...
and even more weirdly, Ranka affirms that that song is the only memory she
has of her otherwise lost past.  The mystery only deepens when Nia says that
her father is none other than the king of the Beastmen, the Spiral Lord.  So
what does _that_ mean??

We'll find out later.  For now, Alto gets to take both Sheryl and Ranka out for
a bit of joy-flying.  The Valkyrie's cockpit is a _snug_ fit for three to say
the least, but none of them mind.  Ranka wasn't originally supposed to be on
vacation just now, but her joint concert with Eiyda in Area Sixteen has been
postponed due to "regional instability".  In fact, Ozuma was the one who
suggested this flight, understanding more keenly than Alto how much the sorry
state of the world must be impacting the singers.  Also, Ozuma trusts Alto not
to get too hot'n'heavy with the guests... which is more than he could say for
Kouji or the other starstruck pilots.  Sheryl teases Alto a bit about being
insensitive to all the womanly charms crammed into close quarters with him, and
Ranka realizes that Sheryl's actually being more serious than she's letting on.

Now, the VF-25 doesn't have a sound system, but with two of the foremost
singers in the world, it doesn't need one: Alto is about to get his own private
concert from the finest.  You can pick whose song to hear, and if you're
smart you'll pick the same singer who you chose before on the CB path.  In
either case, Ranka hopes she can grow to be as forceful as Eiyda, grateful to
her for tracking down Dragons' Hive.  Eiyda didn't tell Ranka just how she
knew where the Hive is, and Alto imagines that Johnny will be sure to grill
Eiyda on that when they meet.

In the meantime, the pleasure flight runs into a bit of a snag when a group
of Beastmen attack.  Zexis forces will be on the scene shortly, but Alto will
have to hold the fort himself in the meantime.  Apparently the Spiral Lord
wants to take the singers captive, which will happen over Alto's dead body.
This, he figures, is his chance to pay them back for all the times they've
helped him out.

 Reinforcements arrive soon after, and all the menfolk loudly proclaim how
 much they're going to pound the bad guys -- presumably in a bid to curry
 favor with their famous guests.  This will be the first battle with the
 GN Arms, which Setsuna and Lockon will need to be close to the Ptolemy to
 use.  Grace muses that the Beastmen seem to have grasped how powerful songs
 can be...

 After the Beastmen are dealt with, Invaders show up next and make a beeline
 for Alto.  The R-Daigun suddenly shows up at that point and zooms in to
 protect, not Alto, but his passengers.  This has happened before back in
 Galia, and Ranka finally voices her suspicion: is the R-Daigun's pilot Eiyda?
 Eiyda confesses, and confirms that Johnny is one of Dancougar Nova's pilots
 too.  Ryouma cuts them off however, saying that the Invaders come first.
 Even Grace is worried that the Little Queen's awakening is causing more
 problems than she feared... unless Sheryl's power is to blame.  Nova and the
 R-Daigun declare a truce for now...

 And a good thing too, since in short order a new foe appears.  These new
 mecha are clearly not of Earth origin, and do not answer to hailing
 frequencies.  Only Banjou, who thinks of them as the long-awaited "lunar
 emissaries", and Eiyda seem to know who or what they are.  Eiyda is intent
 on fending these new foes off, though they seem to have her outgunned, and
 she tells the Nova team that she simply can't afford to lose.  Neither can
 they for that matter, and they steel themselves to charge into the fray and
 help her.

 That's what Shinobu likes to hear.  Final Dancougar appears, and its pilots
 explain that the feeling the Nova pilots are savoring is the power of
 Instinct that all Beast pilots share.  It's time for them to enter the fray
 for real: F.S.'s inspiration for Nova, and his hope for the future.
 Explanations will have to wait, but for now Shinobu gives Aoi a little lesson
 in how to yell properly: from the bottom of your guts!

When the last enemies fall, Eiyda reconfirms to Johnny that it's really her,
apologizes, and flies off.  The Final Dancougar folks say there's no need to
chase her: if she and Johnny truly walk the same path, they'll surely see
each other again soon enough.  F.S. has told the FD team to stick around this
time, and finish telling their comrades what F.S. began.  The "enemies to
come" have, well, come at last.

Eiyda's returned to Zolbrain HQ, where Urajimiel is ready to admit defeat.
Ragna's been assassinated and the Trinities are demolished, and that's not
counting how Eiyda hasn't exactly been 100% faithful to her orders.  Then
again, insofar as she managed to get the Nova team to discover God Beast Mode,
Eiyda and her R-Daigun have actually fulfilled their mission.  And heck, even
Eiyda's cover as an idol star seems to have benefitted her more than expected.
All this is according to WILL's master plan.  Unfortunately, the PMC Trust have
no use for losers, and have sent some soldiers to tie up loose ends.  Urajimiel
s ready to sacrifice her life to let Eiyda flee and fight another day, but
luckily that won't be needed: Sandman is on hand to incapacitate the soldiers
and open a path to safety.  He tells the ladies that WILL is waiting.

Back at Dragons' Hive, the Final Dancougar folks introduce themselves.  They
too came to this world thanks to a Quake, but in their case they've been in
this world for several years.  F.S. is the person they first met, still in
tatters after their war with Muge Zolbados, and he spent the intervening time
repairing their machine and caring for their wounds.  They actually had to
remain in medically-induced comas, and F.S. used the technology from the Beast
Machines to make the next generation of super robot to prepare for the next
Muge-like menace to come to the Earth.

There's a deeper method to F.S.' madness though, which explains why he's had
Nova always side with the loser in every battle.  Nova is tantamount to the
life force of the Earth itself, created by fusing data from countless organisms
the world over.  It can, if the need arises, revive every species on Earth...
though there were some gaps in the records of the most complex organism: man.
F.S. has been seeking pilots for Nova to learn mankind's ways from, as well
as ones capable of invoking its ultimate form of God Beast Mode.

Above all, Earth and its many life forms need more than just a conservancy:
they need a guardian, and that's why F.S. needed Nova to practice combat as
seriously as possible.  _That_ is why he's had the team aiding the losing side
in all those battles.  Having said all that, even at its best Nova can't hope
to protect the entire Earth against the worst conceivable foe.  It has
therefore been designed as a sort of fortified Noah's Ark, capable of fleeing
to space when the Earth finally becomes well and truly untenable.  In that
respect, it fulfills the same role as the far-flung Macross fleets.

Now what about the R-Daigun?  F.S. didn't make it; rather, a "comrade" of his
did.  It's mission is like Nova's, and the two were destined to fight and
improve each other, as iron sharpens iron.  F.S. neither knows nor cares about
its pilot, and says matter-of-factly that Nova has learned enough from Team D
by now to have human-level autopilot.  Team D are of course unamused by being
told this, but F.S. gets to the point: the Earth has a hell of a lot of foes
at present.  Nova is the only hope that Earth's life forms have for survival.

Aoi tells F.S. to take that rationale and shove it, but Shinobu cuts her off
with an even more impressive rant.  He's helped F.S. till now out of gratitude
for saving the team, but that's over now that F.S. has revealed that he
basically expects to lose.  The entire Beast Team agree, and transfer their
allegiance from F.S. to Zexis itself.  F.S. tells the two Dancougars to do
whatever they want, and as they leave he asks Tanaka if he's now disappointed.
Tanaka would never think of criticizing someone higher in the chain of
command... and besides, he rather doubts F.S. was being entirely forthright
just now.  WILL weighs in at this point, noting that Team D's toughness also
makes them prone to inflexible thinking.  Mankind _can_ be destroyed.  Humans
_have_ not only failed to abrogate warfare over their entire history, their
hubris has created menaces like the Imperium.  On the other hand, counters
F.S., there's much cause for hope -- including the power of Song.  The
trouble is that WILL's counterpart on the moon has evidently swung into action.

The CB's traitor has offered the new Earth Alliance 30 of the GN Drives, which
have been distributed evenly between the Great Nations.  That's not to say
that the _users_ will be the usual suspects; for instance, Zechs' Tallgeese
doesn't need the GN Drive to compete.  Graham is high ranking enough that he
could be in line for a new mech, but what he wants instead is to modify one of
his existing Flag mecha with the new GN Drive -- he's promised Howard Mason
that he'll see this war through with the basic design the Mason made.


CHAPTER 38. A Promise Kept

Elgan is facing a grilling from Corda Ravel about the true identities of the
303rd battalion.  She's been doing some research into the UN's anti-Emerge
efforts, Dewey Sorenstam's work with orphans.  Dewey himself was assassinated
in the aftermath of the Tragedy of Dohar, but Corda's learned all about his
use of those orphans as guinea pigs anyway.  Things got messy when she learned
that the Holland and company that made up the original 303rd, and who are the
acknowledged assassins of Dewey, aren't the same Holland and co. that are
currently out running loose.  Somehow this batch managed to trade places with
the 303rd, and Elgan's policy is to keep them where he can see them to avoid
any further complications.  That's all fine with Corda: what she wants to know
is what's really going on.

In a word, "Neverland".  Riddle me this: how can people aging at several times
the proper rate hope to stay alive?  By traveling to a land where kids remain
kids forever: a land of frozen time.  This Neverland is what Holland and
friends glimpsed during the Tragedy of Dohar, one of the possible outcomes of
the Dimensional Healing process that remakes worlds.  It was Dimensional
Healing that led the Emerge to this world, and Holland's party is trying to
resurrect the Emerge's creation myth [as it were] to save themselves.  Of
course, the Dohar unpleasantness has already established that improperly done
Dimensional Healing can result in entire worlds being destroyed.  Elgan reckons
that Holland and friends don't care of this world is destroyed, since they
can't exactly live in it in peace anyway.  By now they must have joined forces
with the Imperium, in the hopes of using them as a stepping stone to the power
of Myth.

Deep underground in the Vodala Shrine, the shrine maiden has received a
visitor.  It is Asakim, who won't give a straight answer to the question of
whether he is a hopeful or hopeless man.  She tells him that she knows of him,
or rather _knew_ of him and his suffering in a dream.  That makes sense, given
that she was born from "their" lost memories.  She suggests that he rest now:
surely it is peace he craves, not rage?  Just so, yet no matter what world he
visits, he cannot find peace.  He tells her to name his tormentor, the one
who plunged him into this Infinite Prison, so he can go kick their ass.  The
maiden's little companion, (non!-)innocuously named The End, doesn't like that
much, yet the maiden says that everyone has a right to the pursuit of
happiness.  She takes up the tail of the angel who helped forge this world,
the lost memory of the Emerge...

Back at the Dragons' Hive, the crew are crestfallen to learn that Sheryl has
gone home.  Some seem terribly torn between then, and Bobby tells them the best
they can do is to be true to their feelings.  Athena still hasn't come to terms
with a man with a woman's heart, even though she's seen the reverse at fairly
close range.  Kei warns Michelle nicely not to exploit Athena's naivete, and
after a little banter the time comes to decide who gets to take Ranka home.
You might think that job would naturally fall to Alto, but without Sheryl
present that would be dangerously close to a "date" or something.  Klan
certainly doesn't have any free space in her mech, and Ozuma can't just skip
out on his strategy meetings.  Ozuma doesn't trust Crow to not sell Ranka
off to pay his debts, and doesn't trust the long list of bishounen on the team
not to hit on her either.  Maybe Ranka should have some say herself?  That
sounds like a good idea, if she could be found -- at present, she's running
around in search of her pet.  ...Pet??

Said pet is now named Ai-kun, and it's taken an interest of some kind in
Nirvash.  After accidentally startling Ranka, Renton explains that Nirvash is
actually alive, and that he and Eureka can converse with it in their hearts.
Maybe Ai-kun can too?  The other pilots arrive at this point, and Renton's
blatant innocence convinces Ozuma that he's a safe choice for ferrying Ranka
back to the nearest town.  Ranka is hoping Renton can tell her along the way
more about this "Eureka" and how he hopes to get her back.

Upon arriving, Renton thanks Ranka for asking about Eureka.  Talking about her
helps keep his confidence up that he might actually be able to rescue her at
some point.  Ranka says that Eureka is lucky to have such a devoted guy as a
boyfriend.  She can only hope that someone will come to her rescue like that if
she ever needs it.  Which, again, is like TOTALLY non-ominous and whatnot.
In any case, Nirvash tells Renton to tell her good luck, and off she goes.

The first thing that happens when Renton is left alone is Holland attacking
and knocking him unconscious.  The second thing that happens is Crow showing
up to stop Holland, the plan all along being to use Renton as an unwitting
decoy to lure Holland out of hiding.  The _third_ thing that happens is
Holland calling in his own backup to keep Crow busy while he spirits Renton
away.  Margret insists that Crow call her by her proper name instead of
"sister", and tells him that she's out for revenge.  Revenge for... what
exactly?  Of course Crow isn't just going to let her kill him, and even Margret
acknowledges that her grudge is misplaced -- still, Crow inadvertently killed
the only little brother she's ever known.

Asakim shows up then, telling the Knight of Insalaum to stay her hand.  Killing
Crow here certainly wouldn't make Eim happy, as Eim has no doubt made it clear
that he and he alone is allowed to fight Crow directly.  Margret marvels at
this man whose presence has even her cowering in fear.  He tells her to run
along with a message for Eim: Asakim _will_ claim his soul sooner or later.
He even tells her his identity: the Accursed Wanderer, who now knows the
identity of his cursor.

Margret wisely runs off, and Crow tries to offer thanks to Asakim.  Asakim
says such things are unnecessary, as he too has his reasons for wanting Crow
kept alive.  He knows that Margret's talk of revenge has set Crow's "scales"
swaying, and doesn't care if Crow is stung by hearing it pointed out to his
face.  Asakim names himself as Crow's enemy, assuring him he won't attack
Crow now as it would serve no purpose.  Asakim has plans to break the
eternal Cycle, and tells Crow that he wants Crow's soul as part of the plan.
He tells Crow his comrades are headed to the Vodala Shrine, sharing the
information to make it easier to hunt both Crow and Eim at once.  Asakim's
path is illuminated, and now he just has to walk it.  Can Crow do likewise?
Asakim walks off, leaving Crow furious at himself for being unable to move a
muscle.  Just what the hell is at the Vodala Shrine that Eim and Asakim,
Holland and Renton would be all caught up in it?

Renton has been left to the none-too-tender mercies of Happ while Holland is out
doing God knows what, and to his credit the little guy is not rolling over
easily.  The others caution Happ not to get too carried away, as "Wendy" and
"Peter" have to be intact for things to work properly.  Renton demands to
know why he and Eureka are so essential to whatever Holland is planning, and
Stoner overrides Happ's brutality to offer him a straight answer.  The
Gekkostate's goal is to reach the Neverland they glimpsed back when, as the
only way to extend their foreshortened lifespans.  To do that, they mean to
reenact the experiment that led to the Tragedy of Dohar, but not the version
they all suffered through.  Instead, they're using the improved version the
Warusawa folks came up with: the Mk. 7.e Amended Myth Recreation Plan, aka
"Eureka 7".

Eureka, the Emerge spy robot, has embedded in her a crystal with the password
for accessing the Emerge embedded in it.  If Eureka can be fused with, the door
to all that pan-dimensional energy can be opened... and Renton is the means
to do it.  Stoner adds that Renton and Eureka are in the same boat as the
Gekkostaters: they've got no choice but to go to Neverland if they want to
spend their lives together.  He won't say more unless Renton agrees to help.
Neverland, by the way, is a world where time is stopped, where "now" lasts
forever.  Stoner gives Renton 30 minutes to think, and Happ promises more
torture and mind-control drugs if Renton won't help voluntarily.  The hell with
Wendy and Peter, Renton fumes once alone.  Why the hell can't he and Eureka
be together?

He gets an unexpected visitor just then: Nirvash in baby form!  Nirvash tells
him it's time to go kick some serious ass, which sounds like a tall order
without a full-sized mech to pilot.  Maybe he'll have some help though, as
The End shows up as well.

The Vodala Shrine itself is actually a surface building, beneath which is a
VERY deep base.  It's a mausoleum for #6, the peach-haired girl, and the sheer
scale of the facility shows how much the powers that be feared #6's powers.
Speaking of whom, the shrine maiden appears, whose hair is still perceptibly
peach-colored beneath the gray.  She is indeed Dominic's fiancee, Eureka's kin
which the humans call #6.  Her proper name is Anemone, and she's here
fulfilling her promise to Dominic, to keep the door sealed against any who
would come to her hopelessly, and to open it gladly for those with hope whose
arrival betides the advent of the holy white one.  She asks Eureka if she's
summoned her courage, and tells Eureka why it is that their kind cannot dream.

They themselves are dreams, fictions created by the Emerge's reaction to
what happens inside humans when they sleep.  Dominic is the one who stopped
the experiment back then, fearing to lose his beloved.  Even she doesn't know
where the Emerge came from or what they're up to... but what she does know
is that dreams will always remain dreams, and reality always reality,
whether or not human and Emerge can meet.  She offers Eureka no explanation for
why she, or the Emerge, exist as part of this fearful, hateful world.  But
it's true that they live with this world, and die with it.

Anemone reminds Eureka that Eureka has already decided to dream a dream of
her own, and at this point Holland interrupts to demand answers for how to
control the Emerge.  He won't get to finish his question though, as the
Emerge have discovered Eureka's location and sent in troops to get her back.
Holland intends to shoot down all the ones near the Vodala Shrine, ordering
Talho back to the Gekko in case she has to evacuate.  He doesn't give a
damn about anything other than carving out a world for Talho to be safe.

 Zexis shows up in short order, and Holland certainly isn't forthcoming about
 Renton's whereabouts.  The Beast Team are inclined toward doing Holland in
 first, but the commanders insist that the Emerge must be dealt with first.
 And beware the Imperium, who might show up at any moment.

 And show up they do!  Before fighting Margret, Crow asks how she thinks he
 killed her younger brother.  Eim says that Crow's old unit the Firebugs are
 responsible, and Crow doesn't attempt to deny it.  Eim's loving his reaction,
 and strikes as the light of the Seventh Maiden is about to pierce the sky.
 Before Eim can strike Crow, Asakim strikes Eim instead, not quite killing
 him.  Asakim smirks that the False Black Sheep seems to be a bit more Awake
 than the Swaying Scales, and Eim furiously makes to withdraw.  He orders
 Margret to cover his retreat, but instead she yells out to Crow that Eim is
 lying to him: her brother challenged Crow fair and square... and lost fair
 and square too.  She tells the infuriated Eim that she won't have her
 brother's death used as an instrument of foul play, willing to be punished
 for it later.

 The two withdraw, leaving a passel of DBs behind for the team to grapple
 with.  It's starting to dawn on the team that Eim and Crow are similar in
 some way, but the top priority must be capturing Asakim.  Ah, but not if
 Asakim claims Crow's soul first!  Asakim is about to strike the fatal blow
 when, out of left field, Amuro and his Fin Funnels intervene.  Quatro's
 with him too, and the two rally the troops to face the new DB menace.
 Asakim makes good his escape, telling Crow only that his soul is about to
 become worth Asakim's time to hunt.  The ZEUTH people tell Crow there's no
 need for him to pursue -- they know all too well what Asakim is after.
 Amuro knows it must be hard for Quatro/Char to take his eyes off the leaders
 and step onto the battlefield, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

One of the Emerges makes an end run around the team, blasting the Vodala Shrine
and interrupting the argument going on between Nirvash and The End in Renton's
cell.  Renton maybe gets knocked on the head by some debris, and he finds
himself dreaming and talking to... Dominic.  He apologizes to his former
teacher for not being able to keep his promise about protecting Eureka and
going to see the snow flowers -- it seems all he can do is keep running away.
Is that what he learned these past eight years -- to think only with his
head?  Dominic tells Renton that humans are stupid, and their world is the
result of their severely limited imaginations.  What the Emerge are is a
mirror, one that reveals the true form of whoever stands in front of it.
Renton knows what he must do with his heart, even if not with his head just
yet.  As Dominic vanishes, he leaves Renton with one final word to help
support him and his lovably awkward way of life.

Renton emerges from the rubble, shouting out that to him who asks, shall it
be given.  He's coming for Eureka, Emerge be damned, and Nirvash abruptly
returns to its full-grown form to help.  Reaching her, he proclaims his
love for her at the top of his lungs, and says he wants to win their future
together.  Hard to turn that sort of proposal down, right?  Anemone observes
that the two of them are about to surpass the laws governing the world, and
in the meeting of their eyes shall the white holy one be born.  Holland is
furious, pointing out that unless he can recreate the Myth he's going to die,
and Anemone tells him to stop being such a whining bitch.  Maybe he can, I
dunno, invent his _own_ goddamn myth for a change?  That's what Renton and
Eureka are doing at any rate.

This seems beyond Holland's comprehension, and the only option he sees left is
to go beg Eim for help.  At least Renton and Eureka are safely beck together,
and never to be parted again!  With a bit of power of love stuff, the remaining
horde of bad guys don't stand a chance, and that paves the way for the
obligatory "why'd you risk yourself for me?? 'cause I'm an idiot and I'm in
love" reunion speeches.  Renton may be a dunce, but he's _Eureka_'s dunce.

Eureka then fills the team in on her real mission as a Emerge spybot.  Within
her, or so she's heard, is a crystal that's been recording everything she's
seen and experienced in this world.  The people in the lab said that the
Emerge crave this data, presumably to help pinpoint humanity's weak spots and
facilitate their ultimate downfall.  Eureka is _not_ interested in seeing
mankind obliterated, and only went along with Holland in the hopes that Zexis'
counterattack would result in her death.  That would eliminate the Emerge
threat to humanity, and the Gekkostate threat to Renton.  Of course, she's with
the stalwarts of Zexis now, and the whole team pledge to fight to keep the
two safe and sound.  Anemone too gives them her and her beloved's blessing,
and the ZEUTH folks are tickled pink that the little spitfire they know is
going to grow up to be such an adorable grandmotherly type.

With the lovey-dovey stuff out of the way, the question turns to just what
these "Firebugs" did to become so notorious.  The Firebugs were a special unit
composed of the scum of the Britannia Union, and Crow would rather not
remember all the bad stuff he was mixed up in as one of them.  Rather, he wants
to know what it is the ZEUTH members know about why Asakim is after him.
Roger asks first whether Crow's noticed any physical anomalies of late, and
upon finding out that all is normal muses that there's still time to turn back.

The "VX" in Crow's mech must actually be what the ZEUTH know as a Sphere, a
mysterious generator of vast capacity.  Asakim has a history of seeking the
lives of those capable of activating Spheres, which Crow hasn't yet completely
managed.  That _potential_ is why Asakim has kept him alive till now, biding
his time till conditions are right.  The Spheres ZEUTH has encountered to date
were keyed off "Sorrow" and "Wounds", belonging respectively to the Maiden of
Sorrows (Setsuko) and the Wounded Lion (Rand).  Since Eim and Asakim keep
calling Crow the Swaying Scales, it's rational believe that something about
"Swaying" is the key to Crow's Sphere... though exactly what is anyone's guess.

It all fits for Crow now: he's being fattened for the slaughter by Crow, and
targeted for mayhem by fellow Sphere-owner Eim.  Nobody has been able to work
out just why Asakim needs to kill active Sphere users, but in the "smarter than
he looks" category, Kouji has just noticed a pattern in the noun portion of all
these sobriquets: they're all constellations of the Zodiac!

Roger tells Crow that every Sphere-user seems to undergo various sorts of
physiological change as their powers begin to active: loss of their five
senses, heightened pain sensitivity, or other oddities.  Crow clearly hasn't
awakened fully yet, but like the other Sphere-users, he has no intention of
dismounting from his mech now.  Granted, his insistence on repaying his debts
is the oddest reason yet for risking Asakim's tender mercies, but that also
speaks well of Crow's faithful character.  He does promise that he's going to
leave the Blaster behind once his debts are repaid and the Imperium overthrown.

Then there's Amuro and friends, who've been hanging out with the AEU's
mastermind Treize.  The G boys figured out that Treize and Schneider have been
planning all sorts of stuff in secret, with backing from the Romfeller
Conglomerate.  Treize wanted their input on world events, as neutral observers
from another world, and is in Amuro's estimation a "complicated" individual.
He does seem sincerely interested in guiding the world to a better place, and
especially in taking down the Imperium.

The G boys flat out don't trust Treize, or Schneider for that matter,
suspecting them of colluding in secret while pitting their armies against each
other in the open.  Treize even has ties to the PMC Trust, whose status as a
civilian defense contractor makes an outright assault hard to justify to the
public.  Duo thinks it's worth risking a bit of public indignation to avoid the
PMC gaining a dangerous advantage, and wouldn't you know it, an old friend of
Kiriko has just phoned in with the location of the Red Shoulders' secret base.
This sounds like the perfect link to finally bring the PMC down, especially if
the "secret base" is sold to the public as a "terrorist hideout".  As the
team marshals for launch, Quatro excuses himself to go rest up.  What must he
be thinking after his time with Treize?

This comrade-in-arms of Kiriko's must be a former Red Shoulder himself, and
he's offered to join up with the team for the assault.  There's every hope
that the Perfect Soldier lady will be at this base, Kiriko's would-be
girlfriend and seemingly the Astrageus folks' trump card.  The base itself
is a logistical nightmare, and only M-class and below mecha will fit.  Having
to face the Red Shoulders head-on with only the small mecha sounds dangerous...


CHAPTER 39. The Last Red Shoulder

The mission has received official UN clearance as an armed negotiation, but
of course there's about a 274% chance of combat erupting.  On the eve of the
mission to save his girlfriend, Kiriko is as inscrutable as ever on the
surface.  Beneath it though, he's thinking back to his sordid past and the
Battle of Sasan -- a past he must confront if he, Fiana and his old war buddies
are to have any future at all.  Those buddies are Gregor, Murza and Beimann,
and the first thing Beimann does is try to hit on Karen (bad move).  Zero
and Gregor get their folks to calm down, and it becomes quickly clear that
these guys have a serious bone to pick with the remaining Red Shoulders.

The men explain that they were considered misfits even within the Red
Shoulders, and given a variety of menial tasks as punishment from their
superiors.  Kiriko's tasks ultimately took him to that fateful day on Reed,
Gregor's got him filled full of lead, and Murza came back from one mission
to find his whole family killed (on the pretext that he divulged details of
the operation to the enemy).  Beimann is coy about his own mistreatment, but
the point is that all of them have axes to grind.  And the prime target of
that axe is Yoran Perzen, the Red Shoulder's founder.

Perzen's role in Kiriko's life came up when he was assigned to the Barkoff
detachment, named for its captain and his rumored history of cowardice in the
face of the enemy.  There was Godan "Grim Reaper" Shirasco, Kochack the Coward,
Zaki the Lunatic, and Kiriko -- a seemingly random group of lame-asses who were
actually put together according to Perzen's master plan.  It was them on the
frontmost lines of the invasion of Monad, a planetesimal outfitted as one
enormous fortress, shortly before the Quake that ferried Kiriko here.

Kiriko's past assignment to the infamous Red Shoulders came up as the Barkoff
forces reached the very core of the enemy fortress.  Kiriko protested that
he didn't enter the Red Shoulders because he wanted to; rather, he was put
there for observation as part of Perzen's research into "Abnormal Survivors":
beings with the one in 25 billion genetics needed to live through damn near
anything.  Just _how_ an Abnormal Survivor survives isn't important; they can
be super tough or super good at running from trouble, or whatever -- and isn't
it interesting that the lowly Barkoff squad's members have all managed to live
through some pretty harrowing stuff?

The Barkoff folks' initial skepticism gave way to belief, but as enemy forces
approached Kiriko warned them not to get cocky: even Abnormal Survivors bleed
if pricked.  That said, you should have every Bargoff squad member kill at
least one opponent to set a flag for later use.

 Sure enough, the squad got overconfident after downing the first wave of
 bad guys, and succumbed in short order to the second wave.  As Barkoff's mech
 sustained fatal damage, he ordered Kiriko and Zaki to flee if they're able.
 He grinned that apparently neither he nor the first two casualties were
 Abnormal Survivors after all, and said that this operation is a total
 failure.  Kiriko and Zaki made it to the space dock even as the "Quent"
 technology powering the base begins to tear it apart.

Zaki wasn't in a good way by this point, having grappled with an inexplicable
desire to kill Kiriko ever since he first saw him.  Kiriko guessed that
someone did something to Zaki's brain, and urged the guy to fight against
the instinct making him pull the trigger.  Zaki pleads with Kiriko to live
on, and to take care of whoever did this -- whoever it is who wants Kiriko
dead -- in Zaki's stead.  Zaki took his own life instead of Kiriko's, and
though Kiriko couldn't know directly who was responsible, there's pretty
strong circumstantial evidence that Perzen was behind it all.

If you got the flag set, Kiriko will get his mech tuned up by his mates.
They warn Zero that the Red Shoulders are likely to call in reinforcements
once they're cornered, and those reinforcements are rumored to include some
Gundams.  BINGO: this is the proof needed to link the Red Shoulders to the CBs'
traitor.  Gregor and friends don't care who's backing their targets, so eager
to fight that they start fighting each other... before, that is, the reason
for Beimann's grudge becomes clear.  He lost an arm to the Red Shoulder's
treachery and hid it from the others, but Kiriko's keen eyes can't be deceived
so easily.  Beimann professes that he's still more than healthy enough to
help take his hated foes down.  Kiriko knows that joining his old comrades
and reentering the hell of his memories is the only way to save Fiana.

Elsewhere, Fiana (aka Proto One) welcomes Upsilon into the world.  She's been
given care of the new PS by Aaron and Gran, who are confident that this time
they've gotten Upsilon's combat programming perfected.  What's needed to
complete his training is socialization and decision-making skills, which are
best learned from interactions with a female.  Whatever Proto One's faults may
be, she's perfect for this task in their view.  Perzen himself shows up to
insist on Proto One's involvement, but just then Fiana approaches them with
a concern of her own.

Since the PS's are born to be soldiers, wouldn't it be better for them to
remain apart from human contact?  Isn't human interaction, such as she
experienced from her contact with Kiriko, only going to make them sad down the
road?  Perzen tells Fiana to stop lying to herself, and says he's curious to
see whether love, that most fickle of emotions, can make a human transcend
human limitations.  He's spent half his life honing his Red Shoulders into the
mightiest humans he could, and yet somehow Kiriko slipped through the cracks in
his system.  Always suspicious, always resistant to others' leadership, Kiriko
displayed all the classic human weaknesses and yet has proven the strongest
human of all.  And though Perzen hates to admit it, all his resentment of
Kiriko and all his schemes to have him killed have come to nought.

His conclusion is that ideal soldiers cannot come from ordinary men.  He hopes
that if Upsilon can learn to act on judgement, not instinct, as Fiana can,
he'll become an even greater warrior than Kiriko.  Perzen wants Upsilon to
fight and kill Kiriko, saying that Kiriko must die by human hands or not at
all.  Riemann reports that Perzen's bait has led Zexis to them, and Sarchez
won't complain about having his prey come to him.  Perzen goes to spectate
on the battle, intending to see his sponsor's wishes for Zexis' destruction
fulfilled.  He will keep Upsilon out of this battle, preparing for the
unlikely possibility that Kiriko actually lives through this.

 Upsilon is close to going berserk at the sight of the battle, and Fiana
 tells him that he'll have to come to terms with this sooner or later.  But
 before actualizing his programmed battle instincts, he needs to know about
 something else first: love!  That doesn't compute for him, and it's all Fiana
 can do to restrain the kid from running off and joining the battle.

 The death of Riemann is more than Upsilon can stand, and he dashes onto the
 battlefield.  He doesn't respond to hailing frequencies, and his motions
 are clearly those of a PS.  Kiriko is sent to deal with him, and he wonder
 if it is Fiana at the controls -- if so, does she not recognize him?

 Kiriko realizes quickly that it's not Fiana, but another being like her.
 Upsilon can do no better than getting his ass kicked, and he flees before
 sustaining fatal damage.  Kiriko starts to follow, then becomes aware that
 Perzen himself is watching.  It is to be a battle between Kiriko and Perzen's
 ideals, and for a change both sides are actually talkative with each other
 (trash talk to be sure, but hey).  Upsilon unexpectedly charges back onto
 the field, swayed by his instincts to try to kill Kiriko.

 He doesn't finish the job at once, and as Perzen yells at him to fire,
 Fiana emerges and yells at him to stop.  She'll give her own life to save
 Kiriko's if she has to, which is what Love is all about.  Maybe, just _maybe_
 Perzen made an error in entrusting Upsilon to her tutelage, and Upsilon
 is frozen in agony between the two conflicting orders.  Perzen decides to
 kill Kiriko himself at this point, but Kiriko's mates are having none of
 that.  They fill Perzen full of lead, and with him dies the last of the
 Red Shoulders as a coherent unit.

What sucks is how Upsilon grabs Fiana and runs off, leaving Kiriko to go back
into power-save mode till a new plan can be hatched.  Meanwhile Perzen's
follower Rotchina laments Perzen's death, and thinks of the new god he's found
-- a mind even greater than Perzen's capable of altering even the fate of an
Abnormal Survivor such as Kiriko.  He pledges to use the full resources of this
new secret society to ensure that this time, Kiriko's fate will be sealed.

The base has been pretty well sanitized of useful clues about the CB's traitor,
but the nature of the battle itself revealed much.  This person, this TRAITOR,
is more dangerous than a hundred legions of Sardukar.  In league with the
UN, in cahoots with arms merchants and rogue mercenaries, and with access to
all the CBs' secrets, the world would seem to be this person's oyster.  What
little data Zero is able to resurrect shows that Perzen and his men were
merely instruments of a larger conspiracy, the same one that stole the PS's
from the Gilgamesh army and used the Shinjuku Ghetto as a laboratory for
gathering combat data via the "peacekeeping" forces.

The conspiracy is called, literally enough, the Secret Society.  No, really.
Perzen's liaison seems to be someone well-connected with the UN, and if it
really is the same person as the CB's traitor, really is someone capable of
uniting the Three Nations in this new Earth Federation, could it possibly
be... Elgan himself?

Back at the Secret Society's base, Gregor and friends are a bit amazed to still
be alive.  They were prepared to die, but as Beimann so aptly puts it, those
most concerned for their own life are those most likely to lose it.  The
three guys intend to head to Area Eleven and make names for themselves as
Battlers in Goat's stable, and ask if Kiriko wants to come along.  Nothing
doing: he's still got to fight for Fiana.  They part ways with a minimum of
goodbyes, which is what Crow describes to Karen as the "male" way.  In fact,
Kiriko is feeling pretty lonely with his comrades taking off and his woman
in the hands of Perzen's sponsors.  His path through fire and war looks likely
to continue for some time.

Asakim has come back for another chat with Elgan, in a pretty good mood due
to the discovery of two Sphere-bearers in this world.  Elgan proclaims that
he won't tell Asakim what to do, but both of them know that Elgan really wants
Asakim's power for his cause.  Asakim gives him a little tip that there's
about to be a major upheaval, and Elgan knows right away that he's talking
about the Saotome lab.  Asakim feels the heartbeat of one there who will
summon the end of this world...


CHAPTER 40. Advent of the True!

Strange things are afoot at the Saotome Lab, and Elgan wants Zexis to go check
it out.  Some on the team are starting to wonder whether Elgan is entirely to
be trusted -- maybe he hasn't lied to the team as such, but he doesn't appear
to be telling the whole truth either.  Ootsuka can't conceal that he has his
own reservations about Elgan's preternatural level of involvement in world
affairs, and Takeru asks him how Elgan learned of these "strange things" when
the Federation observers haven't noted anything unusual.

Ryouma doesn't actually care where the info came from, willing to take any
pretext available to go find out whether Saotome really means to destroy the
world.  He gives Ootsuka a warning to take back to Elgan: Zexis isn't gonna be
his lapdogs forever.  As Ootsuka hangs up, sensors detect a 5XL-sized flying
Gunmen heading toward the selfsame Saotome lab.  Game on then, it seems.

Saotome takes the air raid sirens with stoic aplomb.  THE WORLD IS ENDING AND
IT'S STARTING ENDING RIGHT HERE!!!!!!  His ranting quickly changes to
recriminations when he notices his son cowering in terror.  If ONLY he hadn't
ever gotten mixed up in Getter Ray research.  If ONLY his daughter hadn't
gotten crushed, then dropped from a great height, then exploded in a giant
orange fireball.  But he'll protect Genki, even if its costs him his life!
This seems hopeless, but Shikishima is confident that should Saotome turn
Getter Rays to evil, someone is bound to turn up who will use them for good.
He tells Benkei that they've got work to do to prepare for the worst-case
scenario...

At the controls of the flying Gunmen is Sitmandra, eager to impress his boss
Lowgenome.  Saotome decides to teach these stupid beasts to respect Getter
Rays, and launches a massive army of Getter robots.  It is to be a battle
between the forces of Evolution and the forces of... well, let's just say
anti-Evolution in the interest of avoiding a religious controversy.  Zexis
shows up before the fracas can begin, and the insane Saotome orders them all
one last time to stay out of his way so he can punish mankind for doubting the
power of Getter Rays.  He and the Beastmen both start shooting, and Ryouma
declares the hell with it.  He told Saotome once before that it would be him
who would finish Saotome off, and today's the day to do it.

 As the battle rages, the Invaders show up, and these ones have evolved to
 actually _eat_ the Getter Beam.  The only chance is to use Open Get, using
 the three Getter Machines' reactors in parallel to exceed the Invaders'
 absorption rate.  Unfortunately the Invaders have a trick up their sleeve
 too -- two in fact, named Goll and Brai.  The separate Getter Machines don't
 stand a chance, but the Getter Team members themselves are tough enough to
 survive a plane crash or two.  They mean to go confront Saotome in person and
 hope the rest of the team can hold the fort in the meantime.

 Sitmandra tries to obstruct them, but Simon runs interference with a
 brilliant plan: he actually coopts one of the flying enemies and uses it to
 fuel his own counterattack.  The Beastmen in fact cannot hope to hang with
 Zexis and Saotome's forces, and are forced to flee with their tails between
 their legs in short order.

 That lets Saotome focus his wrath on Zexis.  He deploys all his Getter
 reserves, which a mysterious man next to him combine into one _giant_
 monstrosity.  Saotome's maniacal laughter has gone into full incoherency
 mode, and Ryouma prepares to shoot the guy when Benkei stops him -- for
 Genki's sake if not for Saotome's himself.

 Shikishima shows up to explain what the hell's going on.  Saotome has been
 possessed, as it were, by the Getter Rays... which the beast Saotome calls
 "True Dragon" is emitting at an alarming rate.  It hasn't been fully
 determined what effect Getter Rays have on life forms, but it's clear that
 they aren't entirely innocuous.  Ryouma and the team need to somehow stop
 True Dragon, but that sounds tough without their mecha.  Fortunately for
 them, the good doctor has left behind one last token of his good will:
 True Getter Robo!

 Saotome doesn't think True Getter Robo stands a chance, and that's before
 more Invaders show up.  Hayato realizes they're somehow attracted to
 the Getter Rays, but Saotome declares that the realization has come too late.
 Of course Ryouma isn't having it, meaning to strike down Saotome's creation
 if he can't strike down Saotome himself.

 Brai and Goll are ugly as hell and constitute at least a minor roadblock on
 the path to victory.  Saotome is nice enough to tell the Getter Team that
 they're actually avatars of Ryouma and Hayato, created as part of his twisted
 master plan.  He promises vengeance for their deaths, but Ryouma means to
 wreak even greater vengeance for Saotome's audacity in trying to clone(?)
 him.

 As True Dragon goes down in flames, Saotome seems to recover a bit of his
 sanity, telling Genki to follow in his footsteps and apologizing both to him
 and to the Getter Team that the divine punishment he earned should fall on
 them as well.  This is the fate of all those who touch Getter Rays, and woe
 to him for not realizing the true enemy till it was too late.  The lab begins
 to explode, and the team are forced to flee for their lives.

Corwen and Stinger are quite nonplussed to hear of Saotome's defeat: the humans
are proving far more resilient than they expected.  They'll have no choice but
to slip their schedule, using the extra time to prepare a better countermeasure
for the humans for the next battle.  Elgan barges into their UN office at this
point, wasting no time in holding them accountable for their crimes by shooting
them on the spot.  They curse his insight, and tell him he'd better keep his
cleverness up until the world ends.  As Dorian comes running over to see what
the commotion is, Elgan laments that there's only so much he can do to stave
off the end of the world -- his only choice is to trust in Zexis to do that
for him.

In the aftermath of the blast, the pilots discuss Saotome's checkered legacy, a
legacy indelibly stained by the Getter Rays.  Hayato has finally figured out
something crucial: the Invaders, intelligent or not, are drawn to Getter Rays.
This explains why the Invaders preferentially appear wherever Getter Robo and
it's Getter Ray power plant go, as well as why they showed up on Earth in the
first place.  Did Saotome know this even before he built Getter Robo?  And
what was the purpose of True Dragon?  What is clear is that True Dragon, if
allowed to function, would act as a massive beacon drawing more and more
Invaders to Earth.  And given that current technology can't control the
combined output of True Dragon's many reactors, the whole thing was likely to
melt down and contaminate all of Japan with Getter Rays.

Benkei will take care of Genki for now, and Shikishima is planning to go hang
out with his old friends at the Photon Power Lab.  As the Getter Team pledge
to use Saotome's last bequest (True Getter Robo) to the best of their ability,
Hayato wonders about the Invaders: why are they only attacking humans and not
the Beastmen too?  Was Saotome doing something that specifically attracted them
today?  And what _was_ the deal with True Dragon, or that dude with Saotome?
For what, at the end, was Saotome apologizing?

The fracas has also attracted the attention of Gaiou, who plans a little trip
to Japan to see what it is that could trouble his mind so.  He will brook _no_
support from his lackeys, who he terrifies into leaving him alone.  He's hoping
to find something to jog his missing memories, though Eim isn't sure if that's
a good thing or not.  In either case, he's got to hurry with Asakim on the
move.

Meanwhile, it seems Saotome isn't as dead as everyone expected.  In a chamber
deep beneath his collapsed lab, he finds himself in a pile of rubble along with
a chamber, in which is a young man.  Gaiou shows up at this point, saying he's
got business with the scientist and his subject...


CHAPTER 41. The Life of Marg

With Sitmandala's boasting in ruins, Gwarm is the next of Lowgenome's
lieutenants in the firing line.  Gwarm actually wants the assignment, having
considered the threat posed by the humans' strange little Gunmen to be even
more urgent than the Getter Rays.  Lowgenome writes the Gurren Lagann off as
one more random thing the humans should never have dug up, but Gwarm isn't
so sure it's that simple.  Lowgenome isn't in the habit of having his
subordinates talking back to him, but is willing to give Gwarm his shot based
on how long the two of them have been together in return for the promise to
kill off the one with the power of the Spiral.  One of the Ones Who Know the
End, the Gishin emperor, has come to the solar system in search of power with
which to fight Baal in the True War to come.  The Spiral Lord, however,
thinks he can defend the Earth himself.

Back at Battle Camp, Crow is enjoying the best kind of coffee: free.  He's been
drinking nothing but water at the Zexis cafeteria in an effort to save money,
and even his fear of women seems to lessen if those women feed him.  All in all,
spirits seem bright given the number of problems Zexis (and indeed the world)
face -- even Takeru is able to laugh, despite his inevitable fretting over
Marg.

A guest arrives for the retro super robot pilots: Rui, from the eighth planet
(quite _which_ eighth planet isn't stated).  She encountered the Blue Fixer
and God Sigma teams before they reached this Earth, and has come in person
now as part of the interstellar resistance against Zhul's tyrrany.  Word is
that Zhul has come in person to the Solar System, proof of how important the
Earth must be to him.  Takeru has no idea why this might be, but guesses that
the team will find out if they meet Zhul in battle.  That will, of course,
entail meeting Marg in battle too.

As they speak, Zhul is telling Marg that he's changed his mind: rather than
destroy the Earth for the danger it poses, he now wants its power for himself.
Marg is therefore being sent to get rid of Mars and his pesky comrades, with
specific orders to finish Mars off _in_space_ so the Earth itself won't be
blown away.  Watching the exchange, Roze realizes that Zhul must have
re-brainwashed Marg entirely into submission -- at least, until the next
contact with Mars.  Zhul warns Roze that Marg is the only reason she's still
alive, and that another failure won't be tolerated.

After the last battle, the Daigurren has gained the ability to fly, which is
good since Zhul's goons show up in very short order.  Takeru is clearly
their target, and everyone expects Marg to show himself at some point in the
battle.  That's just fine with Takeru, who's itching for a chance to save his
brother.  His teammates assure him they've got his back, and say that it's
up to Takeru to make his voice heard through the brainwashing or whatever
ill treatment Marg's suffered.

 Note that this battle is happening in Atami, meaning Kouji's house is
 nearby.  If Kouji goes there, he'll find Ankokuji rifling through his
 grandpa's stuff -- all part of the investigation, of course!  Ankokuji has
 at least made himself minorly useful, and has unearthed some Super-Alloy Z.

 Takeru's words do indeed start to sway Marg, and it's all Roze can do to keep
 Marg on task.  Realizing the only way to get through to Marg is to separate
 him from his lieutenant, Takeru resolves to shoot down Marg's mech and
 bodily pry him out of the cockpit.  As it turns out, Roze sorties in her
 mech to try to buy Marg time to escape -- a plan that the rest of Zexis
 handily foil.

 However, this is where the Beastmen show up, led by Gwarm.  He tells Nia
 her death would have been so much less painful if she hadn't forced Lowgenome
 into this, and Kitan tells her not to listen to the hateful beast's words.
 That's MISTER beast to him, snarls Gwarm as he fills all these humans (and
 Roze) in on why Lowgenome is to be feared.

 Turns out the Spiral Lord is immortal, and many of his servants are pretty
 long-lived themselves (Gwarm for instance has spent a millennium in
 Lowgenome's service).  Ryouma flat out doesn't believe this, and Gwarm says
 that it's this sort of ignorance that's always driven humans to seek the
 forbidden fruits of knowledge -- as Saotome did, for example.  It seems
 that beneath Gwarm's shell lies all kinds of interesting knowledge.  He
 tells Nia that she was cast out for the same reason Lowgenome cast out the
 humans: he hates beings that are self-aware.  Beastly to the last, it would
 seem, and Gwarm is all too happy to face the irate Zexis members in the
 interest of testing their might.

 New units arrive from the Moon, apparently with a similar test in mind.
 Gwarm scowls that the moon's guardian has sprung into action, thinking that
 this might just be a bona fide emergency.

The rest of the team is fighting in part to buy Takeru time.  He doesn't need
much to overwhelm, then get through to, his brother.  The family reunion is
interrupted by Roze, but Marg vows to protect Mars even at the cost of his
own life.  Zhul is projecting his consciousness into her mech, and orders her
to fire anyway -- Marg is useless now that he's got his memories back.  She
can't help herself but fire, and Marg indeed shields Takeru with his body.
Takeru wigs out at this point, summoning Gaia and preparing for some serious
payback.  Gwarm senses Takeru's power and decides that it's far TOO powerful;
just what he'll be able to do about it is anyone's guess though.

 In the final analysis, Roze has been lying to herself all this time,
 voluntarily turning herself into one of Zhul's fighting machines even when
 she knows he's wrong.  Roze is going to ram Takeru with her last strength,
 but Rui pleads with her to stop -- turns out she's Roze's sister!

 Gwarm does get the data that he wanted, namely that the Gurren is capable of
 taking over and utilizing other Gunmen.  He also gets a hefty repair bill for
 all the mecha his team has just lost.  He retreats to file his report before
 Zexis can kill him dead, leaving Nia to lament how her stubborn desire to
 believe in her father keeps coming to naught.  Simon encourages her to live
 for her own sake, not her dad's, just as she taught Simon himself to do.
 Now that all four of the Spiral Lord's generals have shown up, there's little
 doubt that a showdown with Lowgenome himself is nigh.

Back to Marg though, who is bleeding out fast from his wounds.  He asks Takeru
to let him die surrounded by the Earth's oceans, and tells Takeru not to blame
Gishin as a whole for this tragedy.  Zhul is solely responsible, or so Marg
wants to believe.

Like a good little self-imposed robot, Roze has gone to face the music with
Zhul.  She expects, even wants, him to kill her for her failure as a Gishin
warrior in the face of the Earthlings.  Zhul sneers at the wench, telling her
that she fights for _his_ sake in particular, not for "Gishin" in general.
He orders her to get her ass back out there and fight Mars till her pathetic
little life is extinguished, just like any other machine in his inventory.
Ah well, so long as she can take revenge for Marg's death (which she, let's not
forget, caused in the first place...)

Takeru ends up on the beach, gazing out at the ocean and pondering revenge.
His mother finds him, guesses what he's thinking, and reminds him that he's
fighting for peace -- not for hatred.  But what was the point of Marg's life
then, so tragic and short?  "Point" isn't relevant -- had the two of them
traded places, the same tragedy would have unfolded.  Takeru bitterly says he
wishes he had been the one to die, and Shizuko softly rebukes him for
valuing their own time together so little.  She tells him that Marg is still
very much alive within him.  However sad a life Marg led, the onus is now on
Takeru to live that much happier a life of his own.

That seemingly gets through to him, and as he walks back to his teammates he
asks Rui to tell him about her sister.  After the fall of the Eighth Planet,
Roze was picked out from among the defeated inhabitants for her ESP, and made
to serve Zhul.  Rui asks Takeru to liberate Roze from her life of servitude
(via death), but what she really wants of course is for him to _save_ Roze.
Takeru hopes to appeal to Roze's affection for Marg, the one thing they share.
With Zhul now within reach, there's hope: defeating him will cut off the Gishin
threat at the roots, and hopefully set free all those currently part of his
war machine.


CHAPTER 42. [Route Split]

Things are not off to a good start for the Federation forces gathered at
Langley.  Patrick's attempt to enthusiastically greet the dredlocked Daryl goes
quickly awry when Daryl recalls how quickly Patrick got his ass kicked by the
Gundams last time.  Patrick's not impressed that the Overflags' top gun isn't
participating in the fight, figuring he must have gotten scared, and Daryl
nearly punches his lights out before a strange newcomer halts the argument.
It's Jeremiah, looking _very_ different than before and apparently with some
sort of mental glitchiness at work.  Patrick nearly starts a fight with him too
by calling him "Orange" before Suzaku quietly but firmly tells him to settle
down.

Daryl can tell that Suzaku has changed quite a bit -- become "forged", one
might say, like one of the signature swords from his home country.  Lloyd
confirms that Jeremiah is now part machine after his brush with death at the
hands of the Black Knights, and says that like Suzaku he himself wished to join
the Federation war effort.  Lloyd privately suspects that Jeremiah actually
joined because he's heard Schneizer's real reason for joining the Federation.

As though Patrick wasn't at odds with enough of his own army, he then gets to
squabble one-sidedly with Zechs about who's the AEU's top ace.  Zechs sniffs
that being the best "in the AEU" has become a moot point, and at long last
Jeremiah's superior _Colonel_ Cattie shows up and hints Jeremiah ought to
remember that everyone is one big happy Federation now.  In response, he tells
her he'd love a private lesson on the topic alone in her quarters (keep in
mind he's merely a captain, and by rights ought to be court-martialed by now),
saying he has no real interest in pondering the question himself.  Cattie
scowls impressively at this, and orders him to prepare a report on the state
of global geopolitics in the time until the next mission briefing.  Depending
on how he does, she may indeed have to deliver a "private lesson" (and not
one he'd like, though Patrick seemingly misses the threat in her tone).

As he runs off, Cattie fumes to the others how embarrassing all this is.
Sergei tells her that such youthful exuberance is, after a fashion, needed in
the new world order they're all striving for.  That goes for Pierce too, to
whom promises a victory toast once the war is over.  It is Zechs and Cattie who
has the perspective to wonder just who it is this victory will be over: the
aliens, or mankind's own self-destructive tendencies...

Meanwhile, Zexis has decided on its own to divide in half out of distrust for
Elgan's motives.  The Imperium has quieted down some after the fracas at
the Saotome lab, and the time seems ideal for rooting out the Spiral Lord and
Gishin emperor.  The spacebound forces plan to use Dragons' Hive as their home
base, partially in the hopes of picking F.S.' brain some more before heading
to the moon.  Traia agrees with the team's drive to take out these two threats
sooner rather than later so that the Imperium can be focused on exclusively.

Crow can choose which way to go; for the Dark Continent go to 42D.  For space,
go to 42S.  Either way, Traia tells him that his new info about the Sphere is
helping her make headway into unlocking its secrets.  Crow asks her to look
into just how Carlos got his hands on the darn thing, and Traia tells him
it's time to tot up his reward.  Esther actually provides a drum roll, having
installed a frigging drum kit in the lab to help her blow off steam, and
the pay for Crow turns out to be fairly generous this time.  He thanks the
two ladies for all their support from the lab, going so far as to all Esther
"cute" and almost instantly regretting it when she gets overjoyed.


CHAPTER 42D. A Victory March for Tomorrow

World events have Carlos majorly fired up: so many enemies to fight, so many
logistics to keep track of.  Sionny however has gotten even more pissy,
unsatisfied with piddling little battles in the borderlands.  She wants the
Great Nations taken down, and nothing less will do.  Carlos warns her that
she should try putting herself in the place of the residents of those
"piddling" countries she's helped destroy: if she wants this game to last,
she'd better calm down.  Otherwise, the Federation will simply focus their
power on the Imperium and wipe it out at once.  As it is, Treize is wiping
out every expeditionary force the Imperium sorties.  Sionny furiously orders
him to shut up "or else", and Carlos shrugs.  If Gaiou would just do "it",
all their troubles will be over.  For the time being, he announces that he's
headed to Japan to see what fun Eim is planning.

The Area Eleven residents get quite an eyeful when they visit the other Japan:
the peace and prosperity they see is precisely what they're hoping to create in
their own homeland.  As this is the last rest day before heading to the Dark
Continent, the womenfolk are looking forward to some quality spa time.  They
hope to get Karen and Ibuki into the act too, and maybe make them a bit more
feminine in the process.  "Feminine" is a relative term of course.

With the women off shopping, the men ponder Japan's current tranquility.  Dr.
Hell hasn't tried anything lately, and the Heterodynes aren't even acting out
of turn.  The Imperium is currently off causing trouble in East Africa, either
unwilling to pick a fight in a Federation stronghold or just acting at random
as they always have.  Though the Imperium appears to be playing with the
nations of the world, Banjou fears that there's a method to Eim's madness.

The peace, conveniently, doesn't last.  A new Heterodyne has appeared, the
size of an entire cloud formation.  There's an ongoing dimensional rift
through which more and more Heterodynes are pouring, and from Domeki's
calculations all of Japan could be overrun in a single week if something can't
be done to stop it.  Oh, and in a _month_, all the Earth will be in ruins.
She's figured out where the Core is inside the dark clouds, but it's certain
to be a rough journey getting to it.  21st Century president Taiganai has a
few words for the team before they sortie though.

He was in the JSDF 12 years ago when the first Heterodynes appeared, which
explains how he lost an eye.  He also made the mistake of using "OE Weapons",
special strategic arms whose immense power is only permitted by treaty under
very narrow circumstances.  Back then, Tokyo itself suffered considerable
collateral damage from the OE weapons, and the military is prepared to pay
that price again if Dai Guard and friends should fail.  Given the size of this
Heterodyne, the OE's required would probably level Tokyo completely.  Akagi
is adamant that this must not be allowed to happen, and even Zero is impressed
by his simple determination.  This battle will be all about preserving a
future and a home for all those currently-peaceful Tokyoites.

The entire Zexis detachment get a lift onto the airborn Heterodyne's surface,
as everybody fears an attack from Eim's forces on top of the regular
Heterodyne menace.  Heck -- maybe Eim is _summoning_ the Heterodynes?  As it
turns out, he's doing his damndest to try, though Eim claims that even he can't
gate something this size in unaided yet.  All this seems a bit overblown just
for Eim's grudge match with Crow, and Banjou asks what the value of two
Sphere-bearers fighting would be.  Eim says he's trying to gather the Twelve
Keys, though he won't say what that would result in.

In come the DBs, and along with them Margret.  Eim will give her one last
chance to clear her own name and avenge her brother's death.  What's more,
Zexis only has six minutes till the military will launch the OE Weapons and
blow the whole region to Kingdom Come... just as Eim wants.

 At the battle wears on, the Heterodyne Core transforms into... a black
 Dai-Guard!  That sounds intimidating until Domeki radios in with word that
 her latest superweapon has just been completed: the Great Knot Punisher!!

 You can either have Crow Persuade Margret, or shoot her down.  Either way,
 Crow demands to know what a noble knight is doing serving a lying bastard
 like Eim.  And what is the deal with Shane, the little brother Margret claims
 Crow killed.  What the hell do she and her brother, visitors from another
 world, have to do with Crow?!?  If she wants him to fight her, he has every
 right to know.  Margret can't answer, screaming incoherently as she rushes
 away instead.  Eim laments that Margret simply can't seem to cast herself
 away, and decides to summon a more faithful servant: Shubal.

 This loyal dog is all to happy to stand in for the disloyal bitch, and
 if for the guy's idiotically enthusiastically-tinged blood lusty speech
 [feel the wrath of my Grammar Bending!] if nothing else, Crow is all too
 happy to murderize his ass.

 The big scary black Dai-Guard sucks compared to the real one, mainly because
 it does not have the power of Teamwork(tm) in its corner.  Eim doesn't like
 what he's seeing one bit, and retreats in a huff to rethink his strategy.
 Akagi's joy reminds his teammates of monkeys they used to keep as school
 pets, though they can't agree if he's more a Japanese macaque or a chimp.
 The friendly argument is broken up by the disintegration of the Heterodyne,
 and the team fly back to the surface triumphant.

Back at the office, it seems that even Allies of Justice can get bogged down in
paperwork.  At least that paperwork is being done on the clock, so people like
Crow can actually get paid for helping finish it.  Tomorrow, the Dark Continent
beckons, and with it a load of Beastmen who likely won't appreciate all the
fancy clothing the women were hoping to shop for.  Oh well.

Margret, somewhat like Roze before her, has returned to base to get yelled at
by her superiors some more.  Eim informs her that she is now persona non grata,
but she is _not_ to be sacrificed(?!) to Gaiou just yet.  Why?  She's of no
value, intones the man himself as he strides onto the bridge.  In his massive
battle-hardened hands he clutches... a hot dog, courtesy of a street vendor
who was impressed at Gaiou's concern for Area Eleven affairs.  He's got some
Area Elevenese munchies as souvenirs too, but the hot dog is especially yummy
in his estimation.

His foggy noggin is starting to have substantial shafts of light shining in,
as it were, and he bellows at Sionny to set course towards the Dark Continent
to the South.  A certain dude there is likely to have some of the missing
pieces of Gaiou's past...


CHAPTER 42S. A Tower of Memories Leading to Space

The Dancougar teams march into Dragons' Hive with a vengeance, determined to
get F.S. to divulge everything he knows about the mystery foes from the moon --
the ones F.S. said at the time were "one of" the foes the Dancougars were
meant to face.  F.S. says that he has nothing to say on the topic, and doesn't
so much as bat an eyelash when Kurara pulls a gun on him.  Shinobu tells her
that F.S. isn't going to cave, and Ryou adds that Tanaka would take her down
before she could actually pull the trigger anyway.  The most F.S. will say
is that the team will find out "soon" what's really going on, and when they do
it will signal the beginning of a great trial for the Earth.

Guess the team'll have to wait for the trial to begin, huh?  Not Johnny, who
resolves to take matters into his own hands about Eiyda.  ...Which doesn't
really amount to anything beyond chatting with her the next time the R-Daigun
shows up, but at least he's got the determination thing going.  While he and
his teammates try to stay focused, Rolan and Kira ask Seimy and Rue to try and
track down Diana and Lacus, who presumably got sucked into this world along
with everyone else.  The Aquarion and Gravion teams don't bother putting in
a missing-persons request for their bosses, fully confident that they're happy
and healthy somewhere not too far away.  We hope so, since the Gishin have
decided to start attacking Dragons' Hive directly...

Takeru still has a lot to think about, facing the people responsible for his
brother's death.  Marin can only offer one piece of advice: the only way for
humans to evolve is to figure out how to overcome their hatred.  Marin learned
that the hard way, and would like to spare Takeru the same pain if he can.
Takeru promises to leave the Earth if he can't manage to control his hatred.

The enemy are led by Roze, who professes loudly that she's fighting to get
revenge for Marg.  Takeru incredulously points out that that's _his_ line, and
everybody knows that it's all Zhul's fault in the end anyway.  Shit gets real
fast, but F.S. is adamant that if humans can hate each other enough to kill,
they can also figure our how to quell that hatred.  Sure enough, the R-Daigun
shows up, and Eiyda is ready to help the team this time around.

 Takeru does in fact have trouble containing his lust for revenge when faced
 with Roze, who is fighting to repay the life-debt she owes Marg.  Marin
 intervenes at the right moment, pointing out that Marg isn't likely pleased
 with her and Takeru throwing down on his behalf.  Roze knows intellectually
 that Zhul is using her like a machine, but she's willing to go along with it
 anyway as a pretext for laying down her life -- a pretext the team won't
 let her get away with.  She finally relents to their logic and tells Takeru
 to do with her as he wishes.  Gritting his teeth, he tells her to get her
 ass out of his sight, and go wherever she wants so long as it's not here.

 Thus is one cycle of revenge broken.  More problems follow however, in the
 form of an armada from the moon.  They're headed for Dragons' Hive, and as
 they approach it a voice is heard as if from a long distance, calling out to
 the "Earth WILL" that there's still time.  The Earth WILL however isn't
 ready to see life on Earth wiped out just yet, and the other WILL says it's
 got no choice but to destroy Earth WILL and get on with business.

 Team D, and the R-Daigun, race to intercept, and fend off the first volley
 while taking heavy damage.  They know they've got to hang on somehow, and
 F.S. declares that the time has come for "Transcendence Mode"!  Enter
 Dancougar Max God, which incorporates the R-Daigun into the Nova for even
 more ass-kicking action.

 These suckers are actually somewhat tough, and making matters worse is who
 shows up next: a couple mobile suits equipped with Solar Reactors.  That
 makes them the Federations's new toys, and indeed Sergei and Peerless are
 at the controls.  They actually came to fend off the aliens, and are quite
 surprised to find a _base_ here.  Peerless wonders if they should be
 attacking what is surely the CB's hideout, but Sergei reminds him that,
 insofar as the Federation is supposed to be about the common good, it would
 do little common good to be tussling with Zexis.  Amuro and Quatro feel
 something like a Psycommu from Peerless' mech, and as Sumeragi accepts
 their aid Tielia watches with keen interest how well the new mecha perform.

 The Unknown fall in short (enough) order, but the victory is somewhat hollow
 given the knowledge that whoever is pulling their strings now knows where the
 Dancougars' base is.  Sergei and Peerless take off, and the CBs are all on
 edge over Peerless' strange psychic aura, and over the thought of how
 dangerous these new mecha would be if the CBs were to face them in combat.
 But that's a minor concern, compared to this "Moon WILL"...

Even F.S. can't stay quiet after all these goings-on, and he knows it.  When
representatives from all the Zexis components confront him, he admits that "the
time" has come for a full reveal.  He starts by introducing Urajimiel, who
actually turns out to be none other than Tanaka's ex-wife!  She's been away
from Dragons' Hive for some years, having found a sponsor to execute the
previously-constructed plans for the R-Daigun.  It was that sponsor's wish that
she and the mech aid the Trinities, which turned out rather badly when the
Trinities' true backer decided to cut ties with them all.  Result: Ragna
Harway's untimely assassination, and the near loss of Urajimiel and Eiyda as
well.

Unfortunately, even they don't know who the Trinities' backer actually is...
but Moon WILL does.  She, as F.S. terms her, will reveal all.  It was Earth
WILL who fished Final Dancougar out of the "red space" and drew up plans for
Nova and the R-Daigun (though not, apparently, the one actually responsible for
Final Dancougar getting there in the first place).  WILL is an inorganic life
form with limited control over dimensional energy, and when he actually greets
the team he does so by forming a temporary body literally out of thin air.
This is the guy who accessed Veda before, though even he is unable to do so
again at the moment.  Under certain conditions, such as when he rescued Final
Dancougar from Muge Space, he's capable of interdimensional teleportation...
and unable to control precisely where or when the target arrives.

In fact, WILL was actually Muge Zolbados's _prisoner_, given how Muge was some
higher-dimensional super villainous dude and whatnot.  The Dancougar folks were
nice enough to take Muge down, which set WILL free and let him get back to
regular space.  It turns out that there are innumerable WILLs spread across
space, time, and all parallel dimensions.  See, a long time ago, in a galaxy
more or less exactly known as this one (and yet, not!), there was this little
minor cataclysmic war.  Civilizations laid waste, walls of space and time ready
to crumble at any moment, that kind of stuff.

Those who survived decided to become guardians of spacetime, fanning out in
the hopes of averting any similar fracas from ever happening again.  Enter
Muge, who too could control dimensional power and was all eager to learn the
secrets of the decimated dimension Earth WILL called home.  Yes, the Dangerous
Death Ray(tm) was intended for _entirely_ peaceful purposes.

Now, what's it take to be a guardian of space?  First, understand that being
a life form means the constant struggle to establish your own place in the
world through constant butting up against other life forms.  This by itself
is an amoral process [that's "amoral", not "immoral", for those keeping score
at home], but once a life form achieves sentience, its self-assertion instinct
becomes a menace to the cosmos.  The WILLs are the observers of the rise and
fall of life forms on a universal scale, and this WILL has learned well that
humans are a particularly vigorous, inventive, expansionist, and warlike race.

However, and this is where Earth WILL differs from his colleagues, for all
their immaturity and barbarism, humans have a diversity and a restless
individualism that gives them a chance at being more than just another
lifeform to be gardened away.  This took some convincing, but WILL's had a lot
of evidence to weigh since coming here.  Take Takeru for instance, who isn't
even from Earth, yet learned both love and forbearance from its inhabitants.
Rather than menacing the cosmos, these are things that would promote peace.

WILL was still on the fence after the Dancougar team's heroics led him to
this Earth, and after chatting with F.S. at length WILL decided to make a
bet -- or rather, a hedged bet -- on whether the "bestial" nature of mankind
could bring mecha like the Nova and R-Daigun to their full potential.  If so,
the two would fuse and help defend the very ones responsible.  And, if WILL's
faith in humankind was misplaced, at least the Nova would still act as an Ark
and preserve Earth's life forms elsewhere in space.

All this preparation to fight presumes a foe,a nd that foe is Moon WILL,
held captive like Earth WILL by Muge.  Moon WILL is a proponent of Dancougar
itself, but rather more pessimistic about Earth in general.  What spurred
Moon WILL into action was the Imperium and the massive outpouring of
destructive ego it represents.  Fortunately, the Nova team have found out how
to access Max God mode, and Earth WILL's gamble has come out in favor of
saving mankind.  F.S. apologizes at this point for respecting WILL's wishes
to keep his rather unusual position secret till now.

While this all will require some time to sink in, it's now clear that this
great trial before the Earth is going to be one hell of a doozy.  The Nova
team however have grown strong enough to help face the challenge.  And rather
than wait for Moon WILL to send in more goons, both Dancougar teams are
strongly in favor of taking the fight to the Moon itself.  And wouldn't you
know it, Richard Biller of the Frontier fleet (he being the owner of the
S.M.S.) has sent a little care package.  It is the long-awaited Super Packs
for the VF-25s, making them fully space-combat capable.  Alto assures Ozuma
that he's going to master this new gadgetry, as the Nova team aren't the only
one's who've matured.  Eiyda wonders if this is the power of love talking,
and she quickly gets shushed up before Ozuma can start glaring too fiercely
at his protege.  In any case, the hopes of mankind hang on Team D and the
rest of Zexis now.


CHAPTER 43D. To the Capital, Tepperin

Lowgenome muses over the ancient proverb that God created the Earth in seven
days' time, with mankind's creation waiting till the sixth day.  If man really
was the final creation on Earth, does that mean he was best?  Sitmandra
certainly doesn't think so, and asks to be allowed to lead the assault on the
humans and other foes invading the Dark Continent.  Lowgenome gives him the
assignment, and after he marches off Gwarm scowls that this 200 year-old baby
still thinks of warfare as just a game.  He may be a kid, but he should still
be able to whittle down the Earthlings' forces some... at which point Adeene
and Gwarm are supposed to go in and finish the job.  Gwarm is worried though:
the humans have this habit of sprouting up again after being trampled, like
some kind of indestructible weed.

This is the power of the Spiral, and despite Lowgenome's best efforts to seal
the humans underground the humans seem determined to use that power for their
own destruction, unknowingly.  That ignorance is, in a certain sense, the bliss
that drives their will to fight.  Lowgenome thinks that that's about to come to
an end, as the one who oils the Spiral's turning is about to be laid waste.
And when the Spiral falls still, that will be the end of human progress...

As the Zexis detachment near the Spiral Lord's stronghold, news comes in of
the Imperium landing in Northern Africa.  It sounds promising at first that
the Imperium would be tangling with the Beastmen, but taken together with
the Unknowns from the moon it sounds like Zexis is at a disadvantage overall.
Why?  For starters, all the Beastmen scattered throughout the world will be
converging on Africa to defend their home base.  Simon however thinks this is a
good thing: if the goal is to settle the score with the Beastmen, the more
of them present, the more decisive the victory.

Zero has been thinking the same, and has requested that Simon be in charge of
the operation to come.  He knows the Beastmen better than anyone else on the
team, and is also the one most capable of raising morale.  Simon accepts the
responsibility head on, assuring his teammates that Zexis is mightier than the
Beast armada.  Their destination is the Beastmen's capital, called Tepperin!

Sitmandra is waiting with baited breath, and Simon identifies him to the team
as the foe most in need of being taken out fast: they can't waste time here
with the capital so close.

 Sitmandra, like Chimilf, has a customized Gunmen hiding inside his doomed
 flagship.  That saves him for maybe... four moves.  With him defunct though,
 a second wave of Beastmen arrive, including the absentee Viral.  Viral is
 fit to be tied over all the humiliation he's suffered since Chimilf's
 defeat, literally having to beg on his hands and knees to be allowed to join
 in on this battle.  Adeene is here too, resolved to settle Nia's hash once
 and for all.  Gwarm is taking the longer view, meaning to televise the
 gruesome execution of Zexis to all the other foolish humans in the world.
 Think that's going to go well?

 Of course not!  Faced with extinction, the three remaining Four Kings, plus
 Viral, combine to create "Dotenkaiser", a really rump-shaking, three-fold,
 four-directional death engine that has even Zexis worried.  It turns out
 though that it's the Four Plus-or-Minus-Epsilon Kings who should be worried:
 all their bad-assery has summoned none other than the Imperium.  Gaiou yells
 out to the combattants to ignore his crew for now -- they'll take on whoever
 is left of course.

 As they retreat to coo up some popcorn or whatever, Gwarm starts battling in
 fear.  Too late, he realizes the error in all this ass-bandinage, and that
 Gaiou is about to awaken to his true calling... which would appear to be the
 ruination of the world, and the Beastmen in it.  Neither side is sure what to
 do next, until Simon yells out that it doesn't mean a goddamn thing who's
 watching the fight.  If there's another wall awaiting after drilling through
 this one, he'll just drill through that too!  THAT is how to get to Heaven.

 Sion's ability to turn fear into strength, to tap into the very Power of the
 Spiral, has Gwarm shitting his already sodden trousers, or were if he were
 a high enough life form to wear any.  Maybe he wears a kilt instead?
 Anyways, the key to mankind's strength is their heart, the determination to
 move forward with every inch each turn of the drill affords.  And there's no
 end to how many times that drill can be turned.

 With his last breath, Gwarm tries to warn Lowgenome that something is about
 to happen to the Earth.  Who knows what though.  Adeene meanwhile gets a
 _severe_ comeuppance for calling the humans "trash".  Interestingly, Viral
 is the one who puts up the most fight, refusing to die till he sees Kamina
 dead first.  Simon points out that Kamina's been dead for ages, whereas Viral
 realizes that Simon himself is the one who's been kicking his ass.  For
 Viral, that means Simon is Kamina's spiritual successor, and the one
 deserving his wrath.  By this point though, Simon isn't one to just give up:
 he calls upon the spirit of Gurren Lagann itself for strength, and with all
 his teammates acting in concert he shows Viral what _real_ will is.

Defeating the last of the Beastmen here does not bring an immediate
counterattack from the Imperium, implying that they want to see whether the
team can take out Lowgenome too.  Why not show them exactly that?

Somehow, Viral managed to eject from his mech's colossal explosion, and makes
it back to Lowgenome with the bleakest of war reports.  He's crawled back here
with a burning question in mind, fully prepared to take his own life if
ordered once he gets it answered: what the FUCK is the deal with the humans,
anyway?  Hasn't Lowgenome always claimed they're the weaker species?  Lowgenome
gives something between a smirk and a snort, musing that the Beastmen are
truly an unfinished lifeform.  Their immense lifespan comes at the cost of
periods of deathlike regenerative sleep, from which the slightest awakening
means certain cellular death.  They are, in essence, evolutionless masses of
living tissue: nothing more.

But it was Lowgenome who fucking made them!  What the hell was he thinking?!
Lowgenome asks if he really wants to see what humans are (Viral does), and
tells him and his uninvited guest (that would be Gaiou) to wait a little while.
They'll find out soon enough...


CHAPTER 43S. Roze's Resolve

See the other path for Carlos' caution to Sionny, reminding her just how much
human cost she's already incurred in her quest to dethrone the Three Great
Nations.

Back at the Gishin base, Roze is seriously conflicted.  First it was Marg who
saved her shapely little behind, then it was Mars himself.  What's she living
for, exactly? Zhul has the answer in a hurry: she's alive for the sole purpose
of killing Mars.  And by the way, she's just run out of get-out-of-jail cards.
As she walks off to prepare for her final(?) battle, Zhul orders Saghoul to
keep an eye on her, and to destroy her if she does anything out of line.  In
fact, Zhul's chief of staff has already installed a remotely- triggered bomb in
her mech... after all, she is from a captured planet and her sister is the
leader of the resistance.  They both reckon that Mars' sympathies will be his
undoing this time around, and though Mars is but a pebble before Zhul's might,
Zhul isn't interested in Mars spreading ripples in his pond.  As it were.
Saghoul and his friend Wall both imagine themselves better than Roze in Zhul's
eyes, which is a _very_ optimistic view.

The Security Council's official position on Moon WILL is that it's an unknown
quantity that Zexis should investigate.  Reading between the lines, Elgan's
actual intent is quite clear: Zexis are to "investigate" Moon WILL with the
extremest of prejudice, and the largest caliber ammo in their arsenal.  Elgan's
doubletalk isn't winning him many friends among Zexis, but it's true that his
mission for this half of Zexis has granted them considerable freedom .
compared, at least, to the Earth-bound crew forced to deal with the Imperium.

In fact, the chat with Earth WILL has proved immensely cathartic for the team.
The Getter Team have always been aligned against the Invaders, but now Team D
know specifically who they.re fighting too.  And Takeru has Roze to save,
provided she musters the will to walk away from Zhul's war machine.  The
situation reminds Crow very much of Margret, and gives him all the more reason
to help out.

Setsuna seems a bit skeptical regarding such faith in the enemy, and Amuro sets
out to allay his fears.  Recall the goal of all this fighting: eventual peace,
which means joining forces with whichever of one's current foes are still
alive.  Maybe it was Amuro's Newtype powers that prompted the lecture, or maybe
it was just Amuro's own store of life experience on the subject.  To Amuro, the
Newtypes ultimately are a sort of humanity capable of perfectly understanding
each other... at least in theory.  In practice, coexistence doesn't require ESP,
just positive intent and maybe a reality check or two.  That's what all Amuro's
piloting has taught him, though unlike Setsuna he didn't become a pilot
specifically to search for such an answer.  Amuro assures the other pilots that
he sees himself as a resident of this world now and that he means to defend it
with his life, but in the back of his mind he worries about what Treize is up
to... and what Quatro may be up to as a result.

Zexis' next foes are more Gishin forces, and the Valkyries are still growing
into their new armaments.  Note the difference between the powerful but heavy
Armored Pack and the Super Pack: mastering the Armored Pack is the mark of a
true ace, something which Ozuma purposefully tells Alto is beyond his skill.  In
fact, Ozuma figures that Alto's development is helped by feeling like an
underdog, as recent events have already shown.

 Sure enough, Roze is among the Gishin forces, seemingly bound and determined
 to be Zhul's faithful battle robot come hell or high water.  Takeru isn't
 buying it, and vows to pry Roze out of her cockpit and melt the ice that Zhul
 has erected around her heart.

 Disabling Roze's mech is the least of Takeru's worries: the hard part is
 convincing her that she's got a reason to live.  Takeru explains that he
 derives his strength from all the loving people in his life, which sounds a
 lot better than Roze's motivation: fear.  What should she do now, so that she
 may live?

 She should, actually, die, at least of Eim has anything to say about it.  We
 know the drill by now: he covets Crow's Sphere and is prepared to pull any
 and every dirty trick in the book to get it.  The question is what happens
 should he manage to assemble all twelve of the Keys, and Eim certainly isn't
 saying.  He'll be happy if half of Crow's friends can be slaughtered here,
 which shows just how much Eim hasn't been paying attention to the way the war
 effort's been going.

 Takeru moves to get Roze out of danger, but of course Saghoul has other
 ideas.  He orders Roze to grab Mars so he can detonate her mech, proving that
 Zhul meant to use her as a sacrificial pawn from the start.  Rose finally
 decides that she wants to live, but since that seems unlikely she at least
 tries to get her mech as far from Mars as she can before blowing up with it.

 Lucky for her Mars is a mighty Esper, and he manages to teleport her safely
 to his mech just before the blast.  Risky? Yes.  Worth it?  Also yes. Crow
 points out that Margret's relation to Eim is just like Roze to Zhul, but she
 fails to see the analogy at this point.  Saghoul meanwhile is forced to go to
 Plan B, the one where he tries to vanquish Zexis and gets his ass demolished
 instead. Don't believe me? Then fight on!

 Despite all his threats of retribution against Mars and Roze, Saghoul can't
 mount more than the most token of threats. Mars refuses to kill him though,
 demanding instead to know why Saghoul is so determined to fight for an
 emperor who uses his people like puppets.  Saghoul is convinced that he's
 exempt from this treatment, right until the moment Wall shows up and tries to
 blow Saghoul's ailing mech up with him in it. All in the service of taking
 out Mars, of course.  Saghoul might have realized his mistaken allegiance to
 Zhul, but it comes far too late to save his own life.

Margret comes to the same fate as on the other path, forced to realize that her
allegiance to Eim is misplaced to say the very least.  Shubal doesn't fare any
better, and it would seem both Zhul and Eim will have some rethinking to do
before the next battle. Roze too has her life to rethink, and accepts Takeru's
invitation to see how Zexis does things to help her decide. It is Mars.
kindness that is perhaps his greatest strength, and none of the other pilots
oppose the addition of their new anti-Zhul .advisor.. Certainly the Blue Fixer
folks have learned from Marin that not all aliens are bad.

She drops a useful tidbit almost immediately: there are records of Zhul, over
his unbelievably long life, battling the WILLs at least once before. The Cosmo
Crushers offer Roze Takeru's old seat aboard their ship, and with increasing
enthusiasm she officially joins the war for mankind's survival. Just as Marg
would have wanted.

See the other path for the Imperium chitchat regarding Margret's latest cockup.
Not that it's her fault as such. Not that that matters to Eim or his barking
dog Shubal. It seems that the Imperium's next stop is the moon, though on what
errand even Eim claims not to know.


CHAPTER 44D. The Spiral Lord's Fury

Gaiou may be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but he's not
exactly an intellectual menace. To wit: though Lowgenome makes it clear that he
knows much of Gaiou's past, and even sounds willing to spill the beans, Gaiou
deliberately chooses not to ask. His reason? The missing memories are _his_, and
he'd rather recover them himself rather than take any shortcuts. Certainly just
the sight of Lowgenome hasn't shaken anything important loose, so Lowgenome's
advice is to head to the Shadow Moon. He's sure that Gaiou will find what he's
looking for there, though Lowgenome would personally prefer if Gaiou remained
amnesiac. Rather then beat an explanation out of him, Gaiou decides to help him
battle Zexis... just for the hell of it. Gaiou's compulsion to fight is a sign
to Lowgenome that those missing memories are about to return, and with it the
realization of why Gaiou is here in the first place. Protecting the Earth from
folks like him is why Lowgenome is trying so hard to destroy the Spiral man.

Timp is still helping out Lowgenome's side, confident that the Spiral Lord will
tilt things in his favor. Fleeing if the going gets tough is his motto, but
that might not work out today if Viral has anything to say about it. Viral's
undergone further surgery, now possessing a body capable of continuous fighting
without the need even for sleep. There's only one way to lure out the Spiral
Lord, and that's to trash all his troops.

 Timp, good as his word, bugs out as soon as his ass is in danger. That's more
 than Viral can say, whose loserious ways are causing him no small amount of
 mental anguish. Turns out there's a reason he sucks so hard: his undying body
 and prodigious strength were not gifted him by Lowgenome to fight the humans.
 No, certainly not the humans, who've harnessed the power of the Spiral. In
 fact, Viral's role is to be Lowgenome's mouthpiece, infinitely repeating how
 cool Lowgenome is as he gets incorporated into Lowgenome's body! ...Which, in
 fact, sounds rather crummy. Maybe Viral should be rooting for Lowgenome to
 lose?

 Well, at least we finally get to hear Lowgenome's justification/excuse/
 talking-out-his-ass rationale for mistreating the humans so much: he thinks
 he's saving them! More specifically, he thinks he's the custodian of the Earth
 (the only place humans can live), and informs the team that he won't suffer
 them trying to destroy everything any further. After all that buildup, he's
 just proven himself one more storybook villain, prone to spouting selfish,
 impenetrable excuses before silencing his critics. The tricky part is that he
 too has the power of the Spiral at his disposal, and a mech identical in every
 way to Gurren Lagann: the Razen-Gun!.

 Before the fighting can begin, a couple of Gaiou's lackeys show up to measure
 Lowgenome's power. Crow demands to know what Lowgenome knows of Gaiou, and
 instead of giving him a straight answer Lowgenome recalls a man who once
 fought as Crow fights now, not knowing this his actions were leading mankind
 to ruin. Lowgenome refuses to explain himself, which is basically an open
 invitation to the party to demolish his ass and force the truth out as his
 dying breath.

 Now, he does have some tidbits for Crow though, calling him one of the twelve
 Fragments of a Certain Someone. Said person's heart and knowledge were split
 asunder and fell to Earth in twelve places, and as someone who Knows the End,
 Lowgenome will not tolerate that power rising again. He has more cryptic
 stuff to say to the rest of the team, belittling hope as the destroyer of
 humanity, deriding the Getter Rays as hastening the Spiral, and basically
 talking smack to anyone within earshot. The real question is whether Simon
 would walk further down this path, knowing(?) that to do so is to plunge the
 Earth into an irrevocable fate. Like, duh? Duh.

 If it's a question of who's Spiral is bigger, let's just say that Lowgenome
 is well-named. He is, however, also surprisingly durable, and it takes a
 heroic speech from Simon AND heroic support from the rest of the team to
 finish the task.  When it becomes clear that in fact Simon's Spiral is
 bigger, Lowgenome sounds rather relieved: it is now Simon's burden to bear.
 He'll tell the team only one thing: "When ten billion monkeys shall fill the
 land, the Moon shall become the Servant of Hell, and lay waste the Spiral's
 Planet".  So saying, Lowgenome lets himself detonate along with his mech,
 naming Simon mankind's new guardian with his dying breath.

 Morning, it seems, has finally come to the Dark Continent, as the Beastmen
 will no longer threaten its inhabitants. Peace may be a long way off, but
 Simon's drill will reach it one day, and from there, to the heavens above.

It seems there's no rest for the righteous though: word has come in that the
Frontier fleet has discovered the Vajra's nest, and need the Earth Zexis to
help take it out. Lee Long, as fate would have it, has just discovered that all
the Gunmen (Daigurren included!) were apparently designed with space operations
in mind, and with a little duct tape for airtightness the whole fleet will be
ready to really take their drills to the heavens. Privately, he worries about
Lowgenome's last words, wanting to tear Tepperin apart for clues when time
permits.

As all this has been going on, Ranka's rise to fame has been meteoric. Eiyda's
abrupt disappearance from the idol scene has narrowed the public's focus even
further, and even Sheryl is feeling the loss of attention focused in her
direction. She's not one to let this get her down though, and is a week away
from returning to the stage. Grace, in fact, has asked Ranka to come as a
special guest . possibly as a prelude to luring her away from her current
manager. But that kind of talk can wait . for now, the two singers have much
preparation to do.

..Which would be a lot easier if they were, you know, conscious. Ribbons,
acting on Grace's orders, has other plans. Ribbons tells Grace that abducting
the two is a piece of cake. something which Grace herself should have been
readily able to do. He's not buying the excuse that the idols "needed to be
kidnapped violently", and wants to know why Grace asked for him in particular.
Grace coos that he's got brains to go with his pretty face, and says that he's
faaartoo good to be stuck serving _that_ boring man. This despite the fact that
Grace is cooperating with him (meaning Alejandro) too, even getting him named
as a special assistant to the Frontier fleet's president.

She orders Ribbons to see to it that the two idols are sent to a spot
perilously close to the Vajra nest, recommending that he not risk going
himself. She doesn't mean to sacrifice her little princesses though, telling
him that she'll post a bodyguard as extra insurance. She's mainly running a
little bet, and if she's right, the last thing the Vajra would do is kill the
girls. well, one of them at least . the other is just an "imitation" and may
not be protected by the warranty. She won't explain this to Ribbons until the
day he possesses the Earth.

Back aboard the Great Axion, Carlos asks Shubal if Gaiou's back yet. Shubal
shouts that that's "LORD" Gaiou to him, and Carlos slyly commends his slavish
devotion to the very man responsible for destroying his whole world. Is Carlos
casting aspersions on the Arcsabers?!? Carlos sniffs that he needn't cast
anything: with what happened to Margret, the Arcsabers have pretty much
aspersioned themselves. Sionny walks in at this point and tells the
increasingly infuriated Shubal to get lost. Carlos tries bantering with her
instead, but she orders him to get on his knees and beg forgiveness, lest she
have him killed on the spot. It seems the Imperium no longer needs him.


CHAPTER 44S. Flight to the Future

Gaiou has decided to have a nice little chat with Moon WILL. Moon WILL knows him
well, as both ally and enemy, and is rather surprised to have met him in this
world. Something in Gaiou's memories is stirred at the sight of Moon WILL. As
on the other path, Gaiou stubbornly refuses to actually let Moon WILL fill him
in on anything in his missing memory, as those memories are HIS. Logical? Not
hardly. What's more, Moon WILL won't allow Gaiou's memories -- that is, his
recognition of his mission -- to return. Rather than squish Gaiou here and now,
Moon WILL says that all will be solved once the Earth's humans are toast. Gaiou
will lose that mission, and slumber once more. Gaiou smirks at that, saying
that he's just gotten interested in whether Moon WILL can withstand Zexis
kicking her robotic ass. Moon WILL cautions that Gaiou's policy of fighting
poison with poison is going to come back to bite him one day.

Moon WILL's forces are raising hell on the Earth, but from the Moon's surface
the place still looks incredibly beautiful. Zexis encountered little
resistance in getting this far, but presumably that's about to change for the
worse. After a bit of psyching themselves up, the team demand that Moon WILL
get her ass onto the battlefield, and sure enough a bevy of the lunar mecha
appear. Time for Moon WILL to find out just how strong mankind can really be.

 Moon WILL's minions are some righteous cannon-fodder, but they fall in short
 order. Moon WILL then trots out her trump card: "Original Dancougar". A lofty
 title, especially when said to the faces of the original Dancougar team, but
 that's the kind of arrogance Moon WILL's come to these days.  She says that
 the power of Dancougar gave her hope for the Earth...  and that mankind
 dashed that hope.  Thus, she made a _new_ original for her very own... which
 shows a surprising lack of basic dictionary skills, given how long Moon WILL's
 been around.

 Moon WILL starts lamenting the inevitable destiny of organic lifeforms,
 bent on finding the slightest toehold with which to live and willing to kill
 anything in the way in the process.  She simply cannot grasp how such
 immature, uncontrolled life forms would be allowed to threaten the
 stability of the universe, and gestures as proof at the Vajra that have just
 turned up.  How foolish the Earth, where the powerful steal from the
 powerless.  How... biased the sample set that Moon WILL seems fond of
 excerpting, as Team D are quick to point out.

 In fact, they find it preposterous that a Guardian of the Universe(tm) would
 turn out to be nothing more than a know-it-all frosh.  The last thing Zexis
 will do is get killed on account of some metal-headed morality term paper,
 and though Moon WILL puts up one heck of a fight (with cryptic quotes like
 Lowgenome on the other path), even she soon falls to Zexis' might.

As she expires, Moon WILL tells Zexis that they'll regret rejecting her and
her protection as the Earth's god.  If the humans continue to evolve, "they"
will surely come... and when "they" do, this universe is dooooooooomed!

Doomed.  Or not, for all anyone on Earth knows.  What they do know is that it's
one menace down, N-1 left, and if any should prove too much for the team to
handle, F.S. and friends can always unleash Dragons' Hive's full power.  Let's
hope things don't get that bad.

Moon WILL seemingly took whatever info she had on the Vajra to her grave,
leaving the Macross Quarter crew to wait for the Frontier fleet's scouts to
find something.  Find something they do, though instead of "requesting"
assistance when the Vajra nest is located, Mishima "orders" the Quarter fleet
to intercept it (claiming he's got Elgan's approval).  This sounds like a
dangerous mission, but if it works, that'll be N-2 things for the Earth to
fear.

See the other path for the abduction of Sheryl and Ranka, and the obsoleting
of Carlos.

[I kept the Earth route.]


CHAPTER 45. Little Queen

Gaiou has gone on a little fieldtrip, making himself rather hard for Eim to
track down.  When he does, Eim reports that their plans are on schedule, with
40% of the world's military strength depleted and an open door for the
subjugation of the Three Great Nations.  Gaiou however cuts him off, saying
that the Nations can go fuck themselves compared to the opponent he's just
found.  When Eim asks slyly if Gaiou's memory's returned, Gaiou unleashes a
massive barrage in his direction -- a reminder that Eim is best advised to
_not_ get in Gaiou's way.  He's impressed that Zexis put paid to Lowgenome and
WILL, but says it won't be as easy to take out the Pan-Galactic Ones, or the
Embodiment of Evil.  If they _can_ make it back to Earth as the Champions
of the World(tm), they'll finally be ripe for the eating.  Either way, dinner
time is approaching fast.

Ribbons has meanwhile returned to Alejandro for a bit more mutual genital
fondling.  Alejandro is uber pleased with how well he's bringing the world
together under his will, and lavish with praise for Ribbons' key assistance.
Grace's little stunt has caused a massive uproar in the music biz, but Ribbons
is sure that Alejandro has the charisma to quiet it in time.  The question is
whether Veda really will let Alejandro manipulate Treize, Schneizer, Mishima
AND Elgan all at once, especially since Zexis' defeating the Vajra and Gishin
isn't a sure thing.  He is counting on using certain "strategic" weapons
Treize and Schneizer have dotted around the world, if it becomes necessary to
silence his critics.  And he's got the Federation army to deal with whatever
strength Zexis has left.  It all sounds so nice and neat.

Route rejoinings are never nice and neat, so if you want to know what all the
blah-blah is about, read the other path above.  The big revelation is the
ransom demand Grace has just "received" regarding the abduction of the two
idol stars.  That doesn't prevent the briefing on the Vajra raid from starting,
and it's immediately apparent that the Aquarion folks don't trust Mishima.
..Who, it turns out, is Cathy's fiancee -- explaining why she hasn't patched
things up with Ozuma.

Anyways, it seems the Vajra's Fold abilities permit crossing between dimensions
at will... though the weakening of the dimensional walls in this world due to
the Calamity Birth certainly isn't helping keep them at bay.  The Vajra seem
to resemble colonial insects like ants or bees, including their collective
organization and methods for sharing information.  As such, they possess at
least a _collective_ intelligence, which combined with their ability to
internally manufacture weapons and fly around through space-time makes them
a real menace.  In case that wasn't already clear.  The Vajra's adaptation to
its communal experiences has already been demonstrated to make them tougher
in combat, and if mankind can't keep devising newer, better ways to slaughter
them, the Vajra are sure to gain the upper hand in time.

The plan therefore is to take out the queen, and take her(?) out fast.  Alto
is not exactly in the best shape to concentrate on the particulars, but an
increasingly angry Ozuma yells at him to remember who he is and what his role
is.  Ozuma is in the process of (reluctantly, and irately) leaving Sheryl and
Ranka's rescue up to the regular Frontier forces when Mishima says that they
are a secondary objective for the team.  He claims that the Vajra themselves
did the kidnapping, and that odds are high that they've been taken to the
Vajra's nest.  The best way to do this is going to be to do the rescuing
BEFORE the full-scale fragdown ensues, and Alto volunteers for the obviously
dangerous mission.  Ozuma vows to kill his ass if as much as a hair is out
of place on Ranka's head, and that's just great with Alto.

 As the battle goes on, a new menace appears at the entrance to the nest.
 It knows enough to focus its attacks on Alto, but as things begin to look
 desperate he hears Ranka's song coming from the borrowed earring.  She must
 still be alive.  At that point, Brela appears and pitches in.  Nobody knows
 if he's really friend or foe, but his mech is of Earth origin and any extra
 set of hands is worth keeping at this point.

 Alto reaches the entrance to the asteroid housing the Vajra nest soon
 enough, and Brela follows him inside.  And not a moment too soon, as Ranka
 is starting to lose heart so far from everyone else.  Sheryl tells her to
 keep a grip on herself and to sing, the only thing left to them.  Alto pulls
 up and hastens them inside, but before they can make good their escape the
 Vajra queen(?) notices them.

 Fortunately Brela is there to draw its fire, since something about the Vajra
 queen has finally jogged Ranka's missing memories.  The Vajra queen certainly
 isn't about to let Alto (or is it Ranka?) escape easily, but Sheryl acts as
 his own personal cheering section.  She knows all she can do is sing -- it's
 Alto who has the power to actually protect them all.  Alto gets the message
 and manages to drop the two girls off at the Macross Quarter.  If you've
 fulfilled the right requirements, Alto gets the Tornado Pack at this
 point -- a firepower and maneuverability monster _just_ out of first-stage
 trials.  It's up to him to tame it, and come back alive.

Everyone is _very_ glad to see the giant Vajra -- the queen? -- gone.  Everyone
except Ranka, who sensed something very wrong at the moment it bit the dust.
Brela seems to know something too, but he's as laconic as ever.  In fact,
he does little more than name himself as a Galaxy fleet pilot, tell Alto once
again that he's not worthy of Ranka, and fly off.

Meanwhile, somewhere... else, news of the Vajra's demise has reached Charles
and V.V.  V.V. is quite impressed with the firepower of Zexis, and Charles
remarks that he'll soon be able to travel to the World Without Lies.  That,
after all, is the contract he and V.V. share.

Back aboard the Quarter, Sheryl greets Alto as he dismounts his Valkyrie.
She's clearly still ill, but is putting on a very brave face in the interest of
giving Alto some proper thanks.  He appreciates it, but when Sheryl tells him
to go look in on the stricken Ranka, he insists that she come along too for a
full-blown checkup.  Seeing as how he saved her bacon ten ways to Tuesday, she
relents, wryly "allowing" him to put his arm around her shoulders for support.
Along the way, they run into Amuro, who informs them that with the Gishin's
frontline base so close at hand, there won't be time to return them to the
Frontier fleet before the final reckoning happens.  That's cool with Sheryl,
who knows Alto will be helping protect her and the others.


CHAPTER 46. The Embodiment of Evil

When Ranka comes to in sick bay, there's no immediate sign of her recovering
her memories.  Johnny comes up with a convenient excuse to get Ozuma to stop
hovering over her bed (saying that Cathy is calling), giving Alto a bit of time
alone with her.  She asks how Sheryl's doing (asleep in the next room after all
her exhaustion), and stars fretting again about how much grace Sheryl showed
under pressure.  Alto recalls Sheryl's observation that "birds live to fly",
saying that Sheryl basically lives to sing.  And so, unless Alto is greatly
mistaken, does Ranka.  That gets her smiling again, and he repeats Ozuma's
promise that the whole team will do their utmost to protect Ranka and Sheryl...
and to all come back alive while doing it.

Johnny did a good thing by letting Alto and Ranka chat alone, but he may have
done an even better thing by giving Ozuma and Cathy a chance at a
heart-to-heart talk.  Johnny is resolutely _not_ taking sides in any of the
love triangles in question, but he knows that without dialog at all none of
the relationships will ever get resolved.  The rest of the pilots aren't agreed
whether Ranka or Sheryl is a better match for Alto, with Sylvia figuring that
the little-sister type seems well-suited for the composed older-brother type.
Certainly her love for her brother (based on past-game^H^H^H^Hlife dynamics
has stood up to the passage of 12,000 years, but as Reika points out there's
a vast difference between a little-sister type and a bona fide little sister.

Observing the Earthlings bantering about love, Roze marvels at how open they
all are.  Takeru has been thinking a lot about love himself, but in a larger,
more abstract way -- the love atop his mind is more like love for mankind as a
whole.  Indeed "love" seems to be the very heart of humanity, which is the
diametric opposite of Zhul.  Zhul is pretty much the anti-love, anti-Christ
embodiment of Evil, and the team is about to take him head-on.  Zhul's ultimate
objective is as mysterious as ever, seeming to vacillate between destroying
and subjugating the Earth, and discarding his underlings at will.  Nothing for
it but to beat the truth out of him, and maybe get some payback for Marg.

Word reaches Zhul's stronghold that the Earthlings are closing fast.  Even
Zhul seemingly can't decide whether it's a good or a bad thing that the
humans took out the Vajra -- he, as it turns out, it the one who leaked its
location.  Zhul reminds his subordinate that he knows everything, and that
he's even fought the Vajra before (mind you, a different "herd" than this
bunch).  He orders Wall to go strike the Earthlings down, which is sounding
like an increasingly dangerous assignment -- still, fleeing would put Wall's
life in even greater danger.  In fact, the only route he sees to live through
this would be for Zhul and Mars to take each other out.

Wall imagines that when (yeah, "when", uh huh) Mars buys the farm, he'll try
to take Zhul with him in the Photon Bomb's blast.  That means he's got to
engineer a confrontation between Mars and Zhul, avoiding the wrath of Zexis
in the process.  All the Zexis forces understand that until Wall is out of the
picture, Zhul won't show.

 Wall is quick to surrender when threatened, offering to help the team against
 Zhul.  This is hyper-suspicious, but Takeru wants to give him a chance to
 speak as a sign that Zexis aren't ruthless like Zhul.  Even Zero endorses the
 idea, though he orders the team to swiftly repay any treachery in kind.
 Wall professes to have been moved by the sight of the Earthlings fighting for
 their planet, and has realized that Zhul's way will mean the reduction of
 Gishin's populace to mere machines.

 This does nothing to build confidence in the team, though Takeru is
 convinced that Wall has no further will to fight... meaning Takeru is
 disinclined to simply shoot the guy.  As Wall had hoped.  Now all he's got to
 do is wait for Zhul and Mars to take each other out, and swoop back in to
 finish them both off.

 NOT HARDLY!  Zhul seems to know just what his slippery subordinate is
 thinking, and the only shred of mercy he shows is to kill Wall in a single
 shot -- thanks for fractionally whittling down a bit of the Earthlings'
 warpower.  He promises Roze a similar fate, and shows Mars a bit more of his
 power by teleporting everyone to some sort of subspace.  He's prepared an
 all-star cast of former adversaries, and a pair of avatars for the team to
 tangle with.  Only after _those_ are defeated will the real Zhul stand up.

 Trashing Zhul's little experiment in Body Divide does in fact bring the
 man himself to the battlefield, a ferocious assemblage of mechanism and
 malice whose only admitted mistake has been sending Mars to do in the Earth.
 He proclaims that the suffering of the humans or their pitiful planet is
 insignificant next to the rulership of the galaxy, and although he won't
 say outright why he bothered coming at all, he does tell Crow that his
 Fragment is part of the reason.  The Earth is a Singularity, prone to
 drawing the Twelve to it in every world.  They who have touched the Black
 Knowledge attract each other, which is why the General of Dimensions is on
 hand and why various other Earthlings are awakening to their power (hint:
 that means Ranka).

 Rulership of the Earth, says Zhul, breaking his own vow not to fill in the
 puny humans, means gaining control over the Spiral of Evolution, the
 uttermost primordial power of Life itself.  That recalls to mind Bernal's
 words, and Zhul's stubborn lack of sympathy for those lives he's crushed
 makes him the enemy of... pretty much everybody you could name.

 Zhul is overflowing with dire-sounding verbiage about how the Earth is going
 to become a threat to the universe itself if left unchecked -- the proof of
 which are all the dangerous-esque Zexis types facing him now.  This sounds
 like circular, or at least elliptical, logic, and nobody on the team with
 the possible exception of Roshiu really gives him any credence.

Sure enough, even someone as insanely powerful as Zhul is no match for the
Human Heart(tm).  His last act is to try to flee and leave Zexis stranded
between dimensions forever, but Takeru isn't having that.  As he goes to bodily
grab the fleeing despot, a recorded message from Idea appears on the screen.
He's predicted that Mars will eventually find himself fighting for his life
and driven to the brink of death, and observes that to truly fight for life is
to truly appreciate what death is.  Idea charges his son with bringing peace
to the universe, in all its unimaginable vastness, and says that vanquishing
Zhul will be the first step.  If Takeru can find it within himself to truly
fight for life, a miracle shall occur.

Getting the message, Takeru sets his Photon Bomb to detonate, informing
Zhul that he's going to take them _both_ to the next life, blowing open the
subspace in the process to let Zexis escape.  The other pilots are predictably
reluctant to leave their friend to commit this noble suicide, but Zero cries
to them to pull out and not waste Takeru's resolve.  As light envelops God
Mars, Zhul screams that this won't kill him: his cells will be scattered
across space and will eventually return in another guise.  In fact, even the
Zhul back on Gishin is just one of his numerous cells.  Is he bluffing?  IS HE?

Zexis find themselves back in normal space, and in a mere few lines of dialog,
Takeru returns too -- a "miracle" of sorts.  Somehow the Photon Bomb was
teleported from his mech to Zhul's body at the very last moment, leaving God
Mars intact and considerably less dangerous to everyone now.  Ignoring Zhul's
"last" words for the moment, it would certainly appear that victory is Zexis',
and the time has come to focus solely on the Imperium.  Goodness knows Mars
(and Roze) are fully committed to fight on till peace finally arrives.

Word of Zhul's defeat reaches Dr. Hell, who isn't 100% surprised that all that
power couldn't save Zhul's ass from demolition.  Given all Zhul's knowing
one-liners, even Ashura finds him/herself shaking in dread.  How was it that
this alien overlord knew the ancient Mikeene personally?  Such thoughts will
have to be put aside though, as Dr. Hell means to press forward to the utter
core of the island in pursuit of the means to control the world's fate.  As his
underlings repeat the usual pledges to protect him, Dr. Hell thinks to the
departed Zhul that he won't waste the Black Knowledge that Zhul so thoughtfully
shared with him...

Zexis' success is also the cue for Alejandro to kick off Operation Daybreak,
what he thinks is a surefire plan to bring dawn to the world.  Schneizer and
Treize know of Alejandro's ambitions, and that he thinks this will be the
end of the existing world order -- they, however, think of it as a new
beginning.  Elgan also visits them, and Schneizer asks if it was really best
for Elgan to silently allow Alejandro's plan.  Is he asking as a UN rep, or
as a Celestial Being collaborator?  Both.  Elgan snorts that Zexis wouldn't
have been worth assembling if they couldn't pass a test like this, which
explains why he asked Treize and Schneizer to keep Alejandro's plots from the
Zexis folk.  What Alejandro thinks as an ending, what he thinks is the
support of the Federation army, is really just the prologue to a new beginning:
a war in space that must be fought to the bitterest end.


CHAPTER 47. The Victors Opposed

As Zexis head back to the Earth, Crow finds himself musing over the
improbable (some say "miraculous") makeup of the team.  So many strange things
had to happen to bring the disparate members together, some of them natural
enemies, that one has to suspect a higher power at work.  Given that rational
discourse and appeals to the greater good haven't proven foolproof at bringing
people together over the ages, there would seem to be only one means left of
pulling a team like this together: a common enemy.  In short, Zexis' goodwill
towards each other could just be a temporary thing, lasting only as long as
external peace remains elusive.

Then again, "peace", "justice" and the like are concepts that depend on the
viewer.  Such concerns can be conveniently postponed until after the Imperium
is laid waste, and that is going to take a while.  When a herd of DBs show
up with Gaiou personally leading them, he informs the team that they're
by no means at the "finals" of this "tournament" yet.  All that throwdown in
space merely means they've made it through the semis, and before the "finals"
begin he means to have a little exhibition match.  The team has three minutes
to battle his forces while he watches, and let no one thing this is mere
caprice: Gaiou claims to be every bit as busy as Zexis themselves are.

"Exhibition" is a pretty good word for the carnage that ensues... carnage,
that is, for the DBs.  Zexis' pilots are still spoiling for a fight, but
Gaiou is nowhere to be seen after his three round timelimit expires.  It would
seem that the final stadium is to be the Earth itself, and the good news is
that Zexis are much stronger than they were the first time some of its members
tangled with Gaiou.

Runa proposes a little party before the fragdown commences, celebrating the
victories past and the further victories to come.  What better way to unify
everyone's hearts, and maybe salve the wounds that have occurred along the way?
As the pilots scurry around making preparations, something has just occurred
to Crow -- something he keeps to himself for now.  What if the "final round"
of the tournament _isn't_ against the Imperium?  Could it be that Zexis has
yet more foes to deal with?


CHAPTER 48. The Bells of Dawn

Before the "finals" or whatever they are, Crow phones in for a chat with Traia
and Esther.  Esther has added a triangle to her drum kit, and is apparently
prone to pounding on it at the thought Crow is out risking his ass so much
more than her.  To get her to stop, Crow tells her that he'd much rather she
use that than a tambourine or whatnot.  The news is good on the financial
front: defeat the Imperium, and his debts look to be well and truly clear.
Until that day, he's decided to postpone any sort of victory toast.
Unfortunately for him, there's a line of people behind him waiting to use the
videophone, and his ongoing fixation on clearing his debts doesn't sound very
good regarding his motives for restoring world peace.  Only Lockon seems to
appreciate his attempts at humor, and the two adults have a lot of encouraging
each other to do.

Morale is high as the team continue heading back to the Earth (again, except
for Roshiu).  The GN-X's that the Federation are fielding (based on that stolen
CB tech) are giving the Imperium fits, and all indications are that Zexis is
well-positioned to challenge the folks at the top.  The ZEUTH folks have all
resolved to stick with the war effort out of concern for peace in the world,
and are hoping to use Eim's knowledge to get home once all is said and done.
Of course, that will mean no longer seeing the friends they've made in this
world, but as Amuro says, best not to count those chickens before they hatch.
Renton is worried about the inevitable showdown with Holland and the other
Gekkostaters, since they're helping the Imperium, but that too is an
imponderable.

The party entertainment is provided by Sheryl, who as usual is stunning live.
Even Ozuma has to admit that she kicks ass, though he's still a fan of the
legendary Fire Bomber, a rock band from another Macross fleet whose music and
spirit defy easy explanation.  Ranka will be performing after Sheryl, and
she first asks Nia about the ancient song she learned from her father (the
Spiral Lord, let's not forget).  Nia doesn't know where _he_ heard it from,
but the Gurren team promise to let her know if their investigations in the
Dark Continent turn up anything.  Ranka asks everyone to sing the song with
her when it's her turn on stage, and as Liina reminds everyone, such songs
are more than just sound.  They're a means to stir the soul, crossing time and
space.

As the singing proceeds, some of the pilots on the sidelines confer about
their plans after the Imperium is overthrown.  The Gundam boys will go back
to their Colonial freedom work, but indications are that they won't have to
do it with terrorism.  Elgan appears close to actually brokering talks
between the Great Nations and the colonial independence folks, and one can
only hope those talks succeed.  The Black Knights too will be returning to
their liberation efforts, though they won't be able to count on help from the
CBs.  _Their_ ultimate objective, unifying mankind against a common threat,
has basically been met -- no need for military interventions anymore.  Rasse
and Lockon are sure that the CBs will still find ways to make themselves
useful regardless.

Ahh, if only the whole world could work together like Zexis!  Zero deadpans
that that's awfully idealistic, then notes that without ideals to follow,
people tend to just let their lives burn out without achieving anything.  A
living death is the easy road, and it's not the road he's chosen.  Sumeragi
then walks over and asks him to join her for a drink.  She appears drunk, but
when Zero politely refuses she notes slyly that he must indeed be a minor.
Zero barely manages to smooth that over, noting that Sumeragi is as sharp as
ever, alcohol or not, and she gets him to promise to finally share that drink
with her when their objectives are all finally met.  Setsuna and Hiiro both
have a lot to think about too: what sort of world do they envision once all
this fighting ceases.  Will it be the sort of peace Rilina envisions?

As the team draws near the Earth, its two moons come into view.  The Shadow
Moon is subject to severe dimensional warpage, and as yet nobody's set foot
onto the thing.  Still, the Black Continent eventually became reachable --
who's to say the Shadow Moon won't be open for tourism at some point too?
That's a distant, romantic worry... For now, there's a big problem to confront:
the Federation army!  They've been sent to apprehend Zexis on suspicion of
aiding terrorists, and Sumeragi is sure that the CB's traitor is behind it.

Even Zero would never have guessed that the person pulling the Federation's
strings would choose to tackle Zexis before the Imperium.  It's almost a
relief that there is _obviously_ to be no parlay that could avert this battle,
meaning that both sides can just get to breaking each other's heads.  Sumeragi
tells everyone to break through as fast as they can while she tries to get
through to Elgan and figure out what the hell is going on.  Something is
pretty fucked if the people who are supposed to cooperate to take out the
Imperium take each other out first, and Lockon tells Setsuna that it's their
job to straighten the world out.

 Here we have the usual panoply of enemies with grudges.  Jeremiah and Suzaku
 are both, in their way, driven out of their right mind with desire to take
 Zero out.  Jeremiah's cranial implants are an obvious source, but in Suzaku's
 case Zero quickly realized that someone must have told him of Zero's
 involvement in Euphy's death.  Does that mean he knows of the existence of
 Geasses too?  Zero knows Suzaku has begun to suspect his identity, but by
 this point Zero's gotten used to the idea of having to fight his old friend.

 Peerless freaks out if he sees Sergei in danger, but Sergei assures her
 that he'll escape safely.  Peerless fears being left alone more than anything
 else.  It's Allelujah who gets the shock of his life when Peerless opens
 her cockpit.  It's Marie, Allelujah's childhood friend, and though
 Hallelujah knew this all along, he kept it from his alter ego lest it
 endanger them both.  The thought that Allelujah has been battling his only
 friend is almost more than he can bear.

 Zechs and Noin know this whole thing is a farce, and only participated to
 avoid Zechs' enemies having ammunition to use against him.

 All told, Zexis has faced 19 mecha equipped with the Pseudo-Solar Reactor --
 there should be eleven more somewhere.  Sure enough, one of them is in
 Ali's hands, and he uses it to strike a severe blow against the Ptolemy.
 It spirals out of control, and Ali rushes off to finish the kill -- leaving
 a bevy of reinforcements for Zexis to tangle with.  The CBs rush off in
 pursuit, and the rest of the team vow to follow as soon as they can.

 Ali lets them catch up, and springs his grand ambush.  It seems that the
 Federation army attack was all a ruse to get the CBs alone: his employer has
 decided that they need to be eliminated out of hand.  The rest of Zexis will
 be dealt with soon enough.  Of course, if he thinks it'll be that easy, he's
 an even bigger fool than he seems -- especially since Hallelujah has agreed
 to help out directly

 Life is definitely not easy for the outnumbered CBs, and it gets worse when
 Alejandro himself shows up.  He orders the CBs to surrender and become his
 servants, claiming that he's the one who is truly bringing Ioria's plans to
 fruition.  Who but he has the power to oppose the Imperium?  How could there
 be any room for doubt?!

 Easily.  Not only did Alejandro's battalion fail to stop Zexis, he also
 misjudged how strongly they'd support the CBs.  Other ideology aside, the CBs
 are fighting for world peace, and that's something every right-thinking
 person can get behind.

 Sarchez is, predictably, harder to kill than he looks at first.  That's
 where Lockon comes in, making the best use of his one good eye to a) defend
 Setsuna, and b) get revenge for his family.  The effort leaves him
 unconscious and adrift until the battle ends.  And _that_ means taking out
 Alejandro, who is laughably proud of his mech.  It's got _seven_ Pseudo-
 Solar Reactors, which does him exactly jack shit in terms of good.

 Now, the million-dollar question: why has Alejandro inserted himself into
 Ioria's plans?  What is he after?  Destruction and rebirth!  He thinks he's
 got everything figured out with Veda at his control, even claiming to have
 a backup plan for smiting the Imperium with Zexis out of the picture.
 Before Alejandro can make good a clean escape, Lockon regains consciousness,
 shoots Alejandro's Pseudo-Solar Reactor, and sends Setsuna off to finish the
 job.  He promises to the rest of the team he'll be waiting for them...

 ...but actually means to call an end to it all.  Despite his Haro's
 pleas, he sends it and his precious Gundam back to base, leaving himself
 adrift among the asteroids.  From here, the flames of the war gripping the
 Earth can't be seen, only a promising tomorrow where someone like Lyle could
 live in peace.  Lockon expects to die from his wounds, die for what he's
 done, or tried to do.  His last words are a question -- are "they"
 satisfied with this world? -- and his own answer: hell no.

 Now maybe all Setsuna can do is fight -- but if he's going to fight, he's
 going to make damn sure to take out the source of all the world's distortion.
 Alejandro is forced to haul out his personal mech, loudly proclaiming that
 Setsuna's time has come!  What the hell does he think he can do all alone?!
 How about... demolish his ass with one shit?

 As the harsh reality begins to set in, Ribbons radios in to tell him that the
 plan he was fitting into was not Ioria's, but Ribbons' himself.  But what
 about the long-cherished desires of the Conner clan?!  Like any would-be
 world leader would care about something like that.

 Anyway, this result is thanks to the Gundam Exia's secret weapon, a special
 sword designed to ignore the GN Field and be used in the event that someone
 were to distort Ioria's plans.  That explains why Lockon was so insistent
 that Setsuna hurry ahead for the final battle.  Lockon's mech arrives along
 with the rest of Zexis, but of course he's not aboard.... only his Haro,
 plaintively repeating its departed master's name.  No sooner does the
 party start lamenting than Treize and Elgan show up.  It will fall to
 Elgan to explain how all this mess happened...

Setsuna sends a voice message to Marina, explaining why he's been fighting so
hard, so long.  Ever since seeing that Gundam back in Cursis, he wondered why
the world has become so warped -- where did that warping come from, and what
could be done about it?  Why do people seem to unconsciously hate each other
so often?  Why do they dominate, and be dominated?  Though he's going about
it differently than she, he knows the both of them are continuing to travel
toward that answer.  Neither Marina nor Rilina know whether this path of unity
the world is on will result in peace, though both can be sure their love
interests will do their damndest to try.  Just then a new _special_ ambassador
from the UN comes in, and Marina insists that Rilina stick around and join in
whatever talks result.  Said ambassador is none other than Diana Sorel...

As the pilots lament Lockon's untimely death, Elgan and Treize explain what's
been going on.  They and Schneizer had gotten together with Alejandro in a bid
to unify mankind and put an end to all the needless fighting.  Ironic that it
took an impetus like the Imperium to kick those plans into action.  The full
scope of Alejandro's treachery only came to Elgan's attention relatively
recently, but even Schneizer and Treize dared not reveal his schemes to Zexis
lest the setup for a unified Federation founder.  This was in fact the right
call, but it still led to the death of someone precious, and Sumeragi gives
Elgan a slap across the face to be sure he knows it.

Watching this unfold is making Zero extremely fidgety.  He realizes that Elgan
isn't focusing on world unification or even world peace... but something even
farther ahead than that.  What else is there??  A still more glorious dawn,
perhaps?  His reverie is cut short by an emergency communique from the Quarter:
a horde of Emerge have appeared at the South Pole.  Elgan cautions Zexis that
the Emerge's actions are sure to stir the Imperium into motion...


CHAPTER 49. Rainbow

It was two years ago when Setsuna was introduced to the other Gundam Meisters
by Sumeragi, and his tender years didn't exactly endear him to Tielia and
Allelujah on first sight.  Lockon, on the other hand, enthusiastically greeted
the guy, telling the others that age doesn't mean squat compared to piloting
ability and the desire to change the world.  That's a desire Setsuna and
Lockon definitely shared...

Back in the present, everyone would love to know what has brought the Emerge
to the south pole, and in such cataclysmic numbers.  Nobody knows precisely
what makes the darn things tick, but it's pretty clear that they're somewhat
intelligent and bent on the destruction of humanity.  This series of calamities
is so seamless that it's almost like it's... scripted or something.

Eureka observes sadly that the Emerge's actions are probably motivated by the
current state of the world.  Tifa adds that the Emerge have _curiosity_ about
humans, and one might conjecture that the Imperium's mayhem may have caused
them to give up on mankind.  The ZEUTH pilots recall their dealings with beings
much like the Emerge, and wonder if in fact these beings are the selfsame ones
who were "persuaded" to leave their Earth alone.

But as Crow puts it, "So what?" if some or even all of the world's populace
are to blame for the Emerge's despair(?).  He, and Renton, and indeed all the
team aren't just going to bend over and take it in the ass as the world gets
ruined.  Kouji says it best: if there are bad people in the world, better that
Zexis punish them than for the Emerge to get involved.

Setsuna and the other CBs are on board: the whole point of their mission has
been to ultimately benefit mankind.  Lockon's Haro even agrees, causing a
moment's disconcert when it almost seems like Lockon himself is speaking from
beyond the grave.  It is for Zexis, the living, rather to be dedicated here to
the unfinished work which they who fought here have thusfar so nobly advanced.

The key is Renton and Eureka, who can demonstrate to the Emerge what the better
angels of human nature look like.  Renton going along with her as ambassador
will serve a double purpose: he can protect her in case the Emerge try to
simply kidnap her and use her accumulated knowledge against mankind.  As the
pilots ready for battle, Felt and Setsuna reaffirm their commitment to the
cause Lockon gave his life for -- a life whose absence the other snipers like
Michelle will feel quite keenly.

Zero sees Elgan watching the preparations, and asks him if he's satisfied at
how his "pawns" are busting ass to save the world.  Elgan replies that he's
never once seen Zexis as pawns, which sounds a bit hollow to Zero.  Certainly
Elgan is the one who gave Zexis birth, but like children everywhere, Zexis
has developed a will of its own, one unrelated to its parents' wishes.  Jeffrey
and Sumeragi share Zero's view, and tell Elgan directly that they're acting
on their own initiative from now on.  Elgan tells them that all he's ever
wanted from Zexis is for them to fight to protect the world and its people, and
at least to Zero's eyes he's telling the truth.

He continues that Zexis will have to relate to the rest of the world somehow
in the days to come, and says that he means to have the Security Council
recognize Zexis as a truly independent force -- a bona fide guarantee of their
autonomy.  And to lead them, to gather them at need, Elgan names not Jeffrey,
not Sumeragi, but Zero.  Zero thinks carefully, and accepts this perhaps
ceremonial role, stating for the commanders all to hear that he does _not_
intend to use Zexis for the Black Knights' personal quest to free Area Eleven.
That settled, Elgan grabs Treize and heads off to deal with the aftermath of
the Federation Army vanguard's demolition.

Jeffrey and Sumeragi almost playfully ask Zero for his orders, and he tells
them that he knows full well that Zexis is bigger than any one person's will
should control.  But he's happy to represent the group's will, and that will is
to go to the South Pole and get the Emerge to lay off, by hook or by crook!

It should surprise no one who's been paying attention that where there's the
Emerge, there's also the Gekkostate.  The setup is this: Eim's promised Holland
that his special knowledge of the pan-dimensional Emerge will help Holland and
co.'s wish come true.  To make the Emerge understand Holland's desire to
rebuild the world into Wonderland, Renton and Eureka will be needed, and _they_
are presumably with the rest of Zexis headed to the South Pole.  Eim's
unctuous pledges of aid have Holland a bit suspicious: what's in it for him?
Eim wants to use the Gekkostate to psychologically destabilize Zexis, and
doesn't much care how the world gets reconfigured should Holland succeed.  He
lets it suffice to say that his interdimensional powers give him sufficient
immunity, though it's pretty clear he's not telling Holland everything...
especially when he says that the Imperium won't sent its flagship for something
this "trifling".  Remaking, and probably destroying, the world is "trifling"??

Talho is very worried from what she could hear of the conversation, but Holland
tells her to go back to sleep, especially with how ill she's been seeming
lately.  He promises to go after Renton personally while the Emerge take on
the rest of Zexis.  Holland intends to have the Gekko, and its precious cargo
of passengers, waiting at a safe distance.  And though his promise to save
everyone precious to him (especially Talho), Talho herself seems increasingly
uncertain that all this is a good idea...

Renton will need to take Eureka to the Emerge's Nucleus, and the vast number
of Emerge that, um, emerge along the way look to make that rather tough.  But
you know what they say about when the going gets tough -- I hope you've been
shopping for the right upgrades.

 As the team hack their way through the Emerge, a new and unexpected threat
 appears.  Remember Graham?  He's back, and his Flag has one of those
 Pseudo-Solar Reactors... and he's out for revenge against Setsuna.  In fact,
 his obsession with the overwhelming capabilities of the Gundams is a twisted
 form of "love", a love which Graham has sort of blown straight through on
 the way to hatred.  He even realizes all this himself, and yet can't make
 himself stop the idiocy.

 Speaking of which, it's Holland!  He's got a frigging immense booster on his
 mech to help him take Renton down, but Renton is through running away from
 the guy.  He can understand why Holland wants to remake the world, but ain't
 having the selfishness aspect.  Eureka tells Renton to go kick Holland's
 ass, and Setsuna means to do the same to Graham, as one more person whose
 ego has overshadowed his recognition of mankind's larger needs.

 The CBs are pretty confused when they blow Graham's ass to smithereens: is
 he a symptom of the distortion clouding the world?  And is that their fault?

 Holland meanwhile simply won't give his selfish quest for redemption a
 fucking rest, despite having his big-ass booster shot out from under him.
 The Gekko draws close to the battlefield at this point, and Holland hollers
 out for the rest of his crew to protect Talho while he goes and hog-wrestles
 Renton.  He means to activate the Compact Feedback System, which apparently
 has something to do with locating the souls of those around him.  What he
 discovers, to his shock, is the soul of the new life growing inside Talho:
 his unborn child.  NOW HOW DID THAT GET THERE OMG wtfbbq.  Talho says she
 kept quiet because she knew Holland would give up on his own dream to help
 her instead.

 This is where the ship's doctor speaks up: "It's worse than that, it's
 PHYSICS Jim!"  Actually, Misha says that the child's development is 100%
 normal -- that is, even if Talho herself is aging abnormally quickly, the
 unborn baby is not.  The Gekkostate will _not_ pass on their misfortune to
 the next generation after all.  Talho tells Holland that she's love to show
 the child both its mother and father's smiles, and Holland has to agree:
 maybe such a world wouldn't be so bad after all.

 Eim's had enough by this point, hauling out the troops and even dangling
 Margret in front of Crow to "sway" his scales.  If he thinks Holland is
 going to just fight for him blindly, though, he's sadly mistaken.  Holland
 tells Renton to shoot him in the back if he wants, but asks that Renton help
 defend Talho and his child from the Imperium... and the whole world besides.
 Yeah, that was pretty much the plan.  And by this point, Crow's "swaying"
 has stopped completely.  After telling domesticated doggie Shubal to go
 fuck himself, Crow aims his Do I Have To Choke A Bitch ray at Eim.  Today is
 the day that Eim gets that smug-ass face punched inside out.

 Margret just can't seem to shake off her quest for revenge for her brother,
 even though she herself knows she's Doing It Wrong.  She begins to see
 reason though when Shubal nears defeat though: what precisely are they,
 proud knights, doing serving the very person who destroyed their world
 (Insalaum)?  Surviving, that's what!  They're the last two members of their
 race, and the only way to survive is to sere Gaiou... or, is it?  As Eim
 is about to slay Margret for her unwillingness to fight, Shubal leaps to her
 defense and takes the fatal blow meant for her.

 In fact, all his bluster, all his bravado, have been an act all along.  His
 only loyalty was ever to Insalaum, and with his final strength he means to
 show Eim just how big a mistake it was messing with him.  This is the moment
 Gaiou's been waiting for, and he tells Eim to move so he can receive the
 blow himself.  Sadly for Shubal and his dreams of letting his former
 countrymen rest in peace, his blow is 100% ineffective.

 Gaiou's counterattack, on the other hand, is about 1000% effective.  In the
 wake of the blow Gaiou claims will shatter Shubal's very soul, a solitary
 white feather floats down: the birth of a new warrior, as Gaiou puts it.
 Shubal's last words are to Margret, to never lose her bravery, and to Zexis,
 to witness just how steep the cost of failure is.  His mech is absorbed
 by Gaiou, and converted into a new Dimensional Beast.

 This solves the riddle of who the "younger brother" Margret was obsessed over
 is: the same mindless killing machine Crow was on a quest to kill.  The herd
 of DBs turn out to be the remains of the Arcsabers, though none of them
 retain a shred of their former selves.  Crow takes the sight in with
 impressive calm, ordering Margret to leave Eim behind and help Crow kill
 his ass.  She reluctantly agrees, and Gaiou demands to know if Zexis has
 forgotten how badly he beat their ass the last time they fought.  Crow smirks
 and says that he's been feeling pretty senile lately.

 Gaiou figured Zexis had this kind of backbone, and promises to finish them
 off once and for all -- once he's finished a little errand.  They may have
 won the Tournament, but if they want to fight Gaiou, they'll have to get
 through Eim first.  As he squares off against the team, he starts spouting
 a stream of seeming gibberish: a Red Thread and Sand... Yea verily, the
 Sow.  Gentleness and on the planet's monitor, the three-headed night's night
 sky.  The bl-bl-bl-bl-black white singing UFO's clock's hair gives forth
 even the true intention's blitzkrieg.  And so forth.

 It does appear that our man Eim has blown a gasket, and Crow for one is
 sick of hearing the guy's shit.  Unfortunately, pulverizing him just makes
 the babbling get even worse.  Clearly the only humane thing to do is to put
 him out of his misery, but it seems that task won't fall to Crow.  At least
 not if Asakim has anything to say about it.  Oh, Asakim!  I distantly
 remember him, I think.

 After making his dramatic entrance, he observes that Eim is on the verge of
 being devoured by the Sphere's power.  The ZEUTH folks might remember what
 happened to Ohara "Maiden of Sorrows" Setsuko's sight, or the intense pain
 that Rand "Wounded Lion" Travis felt as their powers came closer to fruition.
 This dementia seems to be the fate of Eim "False Black Sheep" Rheinart,
 whose power is keyed off the word "falsehood": ultimately, its bearer will
 lose the ability to say anything with meaning.

 With the explanation out of the way, Asakim gets busy hunting down Eim's
 soul.  Claiming Eim's Sphere, he sort of apologizes to Crow that Crow won't
 get to be the one to kill Eim off.  Oh hey, what about the part where ZEUTH
 needed Eim's power to get back to their own world?  Not to worry, says
 Asakim: they don't _have_ an "own world" anymore: they too are Accursed
 Wanderers now.  He tells Crow to get stronger so he can hunt his soul later,
 and departs without any further explanation to the team.

Well, that's that then.  Crow thinks to Eim's departed soul that it'd better
think up some pretty good lies from now on: it'll need them to deal with
the devils in hell.  The good news is that Eureka and Renton finally get to
return to their parley with the Emerge.  Eureka, truth be told, is very scared:
she has to admit that there's a lot of evil in this world, despite all the good
she's received at the hands of Renton and his friends.  As it turns out, she
must actually give her memories entirely to the Emerge, losing her self in the
process.  She mentally tells Renton that so long as he lives and dreams, she'll
always be there within those dreams.  That's her dream, anyway.

As she gives her memories to the Emerge, a rainbow breaks out over the South
Pole, and all the Emerge-scape vanishes.  Unfortunately, so does Eureka's
personality.  Holland suspected that this would happen, and is sure that Eureka
did herself.  That she made the sacrifice of her own free will should be enough
to quell the sudden anger directed at Holland, and as the team grapple with how
to express their feelings, Nia hits upon song.  The whole team join in, and
sure enough Eureka recovers herself.  Holland observes that this miracle, this
happy ending, is a result of how Renton never gave up no matter how rough the
going go.  He vows to go on fighting too till the whole world has a happy
ending, and Zexis will accept his help against...

The Imperium!  Who, annoyingly, have made their flagship disappear -- probably
with some sort of stealth tech.  After all the warpower the Imperium just lost,
it seems that they might be showing the first signs of actual caution... and
that can't much work in Zexis' favor.  Margret says that Imperium has never had
any discernible strategy, just Gaiou's inscrutable directions to go on.  Is
there no one who can guess what they're up to?

There is, in fact, and Traia has hauled him all the way out here by the scruff
of his neck!  It's Carlos, who claims to have fled the Imperium in fear of his
own life.  Just the person to extract info from given that the next fight will
decide the fate of the world.

Speaking of the Imperium, Sionny is beside herself over Eim's death, and knows
full well how vulnerable her big-ass mobile fortress now is.  Gaiou orders her
to shut her whimpering piehole unless she wants it mashed flat, and smirks
when she implores him to destroy Zexis to let them complete their conquest of
the world.  Destroying Zexis was always the plan, but Gaiou's got somewhere to
go first: the Shadow Moon.  He confirms to Sionny that he's recovered quite a
bit of his memories along the way, and reckons he can recover the final piece
there.  And when he does, Zexis is t-o-a-s-t.


CHAPTER 50. Era of Destruction

News of the Emerge's recognition of mankind's positive nature reaches the
world's leaders, and reactions are somewhat mixed.  Diana and friends in
Azadistan hail Zexis' good works, but Schneizer tells Cornelia that due to
Zexis' shady nature, the result will likely be reported as a victory for
the Federation Army.  Upon seeing her discomfort, he tells her to blame him if
she must, for the world's indebtedness to a group harboring Euphy's killer
Zero.  She says in formal tones that the government made the correct
decision, and Suzaku allows that he merely follows the orders he's given.
Schneizer tells Suzaku that he's under Cornelia's command now, and that all
of them have to wait and believe that Zexis can take out their final opponent:
the Imperium.

Back at the Kurogane-ya, even Shirou's figured out that the Federation means to
take the credit for the hard fight they've put Zexis into.  Tsubasa however
tells him to suck up the indignation -- the Zexis pilots themselves care far
more about the right then getting done, than who specifically does it or who
gets credit for it.  She assures Shirou that all of Kurogane-ya's graduates in
Zexis will win the day.

Back to Zexis.  Margret explains that the Earth she hails from is
multidimensional like this one, and that the Holy Nation of Insalaum was able
to unify it under a single banner.  Insalaum was an absolute monarchy, and the
Arcsabers were both its royal guard and the leaders of the worldwide
peacekeeping forces.  Said peacekeepers had to battle aliens and space monsters
more than once, and the Arcsabers proud record of victory stood until the day
"he" arrived: the Lord of Destruction.

The occasion was an experiment in harvesting Superdimensional Energy, conducted
by her world's best minds.  The experiment was a failure, and Gaiou was able to
enter through the breaches in the world's dimensional walls.  Gaiou's servants,
the DBs, set the world ablaze in short order, and unlike this world Gaiou
himself entered battle from the outset.  The Arcsabers themselves succumbed all
too quickly, converted one by one into DBs by the Revive Cells Gaiou's mech
manufactures.  Far more powerful in mindless unlife, these new DBs further
tilted the odds in Gaiou's advantage, and it seems Gaiou makes a point
specifically of seeking out the strongest opponents in the interest of making
the strongest DBs.  Margret can make out no higher objective than sheer love of
battle.

With their king dead and their comrades defeated, Shubal and Margret were
waiting for death when Eim appeared, coming like Gaiou from another dimension.
Eim offered Gaiou a deal: accept Eim as his servant, and Eim would proffer up
new battlefields -- the so called "Project Vortex".  Gaiou took him up on the
offer, and Eim spared Shubal and Margret's lives in return for them acting as
his agents.  And though Gaiou officially gave Eim control of the DBs, the DBs
only ever do as Gaiou wishes.  Margret tells Ryouma that while Shubal's motives
for feigning allegiance remain unclear, her own reason was simple fear --
all the more so after seeing her brother Shane DBified before her very eyes.
This of course is her big chance at revenge, and Crow tells her she's sticking
with the team till the end.

Interestingly, even Gaiou doesn't seem to know who is is or precisely why he's
doing what he's doing.  All the same, Zexis won't allow him to keep doing it
and making this world another Insalaum.  Now if they could only find the Great
Axion...  Sadly, Carlos no longer holds the reins of his company -- Sionny is
to blame for that, ever more drunk with power.  To his credit, Carlos knows
that he's partly responsible for a level of world mayhem that a simple
apology won't fix... and says that his business motto is fixing things that
get broken.  Though he says he's "learned his lesson", he doesn't "regret"
what he did.  He actually rather likes Gaiou, and says that this world deserves
a bit of a black eye for all its faults -- as such, he is in no hurry to
divulge where the Great Axion is headed.  Wouldn't the CBs and Black Knights
feel the same?

In any case, the original goal of Project Vortex was the "breaking" of the
world, and though an uncontrollable monster got involved somewhere along the
way, it seems that objective is close to being fulfilled.  Sumeragi asks why
he didn't just use Axion's native resources to bring about this change, and
he says that the hearts of the populace at large aren't to be swayed by
cloak-and-dagger intrigues.  There has to be a great evil to rally against,
doesn't there?  No, actually -- Setsuna finally manages to speak for the CBs'
past actions, pointing out that there's a difference between revolution and
outright ruination.  Maybe so, but Carlos disagrees that too much blood has
been spilled already: without spilling even _more_ blood, the world just has
more Alejandro types to look forward to.

Zero allows that Carlos' words make a certain amount of sense.  But he's also
learned from fighting as part of Zexis that there are some things one simply
cannot repair if broken.  Among them is human life, and meaningless loss of
human life is precisely what Gaiou's presence means.  Zero tells Carlos that
he means to strike Gaiou down, in accordance with Justice as he himself sees
it.  _That_ is what C.C. was hoping to hear.

Carlos still isn't in any mood to simply divulge everything he knows, and in
even less of a mood to have it extracted by torture.  He claims to have a
poison tooth installed, preferring to simply die at the hands of his "Life Span
Accelerator" than to suffer extensively.  Seeing that things are going nowhere,
Zero orders Carlos into revealing what he knows -- that Gaiou is likely headed
to the Shadow Moon in search of the final pieces of his missing memory.

That gets the team thinking quickly, and Traia figures out a possible entry
point through all the dimensional distortions surrounding the Shadow Moon.
To the rest of the team, it seems that Carlos just succumbed to Zero's
commanding presence, but C.C. knows what really happened: this is the effect of
the Geass that Lelouch placed on Carlos _waaaaay_ the hell back when they
faced each other at chess.  What an incredible confluence of boldness and plain
good luck!

Time for Zexis to go forth and make the final move that will assure world
peace and world renewal!  The two idol stars will actually head back to Earth
to root for the team from a safe distance.  Eureka thanks Ranka for the song
that restored her fleeing memories, grateful for her support for her and
Renton's blossoming romance.  Things are less cheerful between Crow and
Margret, who finally lets her grief out at having to watch her brother lost
twice.  She even knows that Crow did Shane a favor by freeing his soul, but
as his older sister it still hurt deeply.  Despite his instinctual fear of
women, Crow proves to be an incredibly good shoulder for her to cry on, and
a source of inspiration for her to dry her tears and get back to kicking ass.

As Margret goes off to wash her face, Traia slyly observes that Esther is going
to flip when she hears of the episode.  She can just hear Esther's rage about
"Yeah I'm just a no-good commoner noncombatant chick anyway!", and Crow
implores her to _not_ let that happen, lest his will to return home safely
suffer.  Small fear of that though: Crow has line-of-sight to a peaceful,
debt-free world, and that has his juices flowing.  Well, peaceful except for
Esther's jealousy.  Traia agrees to keep quiet for 300G, and slyly tells Crow
to get his ass back soon if he doesn't want her to dock his pay.  That's the
plan, after giving the DM Buster Blaster one final workout.

The team of course make it to the Shadow Moon, a product of dimensional
shenanigans that, like the two Japans, is an artifact of Upper Math(tm)
happening.  Its gravity is much like the regular moon's, but there's little
time for astrogeology.  Sionny orders forth her forces, noting that Gaiou was
righter than he knew when he called Zexis her "fated" rivals.  Driven insane
by power, she proclaims that Zexis' life and death means nothing to the world,
and that it will indeed be their death for opposing the Imperium!  Much like
the Dancougar team fights on pure instinct, Sionny is now operating on pure
lust for power.  Bandying creed words with a witless worm isn't going to
accomplish much, so the team tell her to go get stuffed and send Gaiou out
already.

 She responds by sending out two frigging enormo-ass DBs, which accomplishes
 nothing beyond making the team bored.  When shot down, her final cry is that
 the "Great Axion" is actually the "Great Limonecia", which will change the
 world just as her own country was changed.  C.C. calls Sionny a "poor thing"
 for how she never knew what she wanted to accomplish even at the moment of
 her death.  With her and her strategic DBs out of the way, all that
 remains is the fight with Gaiou.

 ...Who helpfully shows up, standing on the lunar surface sans spacesuit or
 anything.  What's more, his voice is forcibly making itself heard over
 everybody's speakers.  He scoffs when it's pointed out to him that his
 flagship has been shot down and he should surrender: surrender is _not_ in
 his mission.  Oroo... mission?  He asks the team if they've got something to
 protect, and says that to protect something, there must be something to
 protect that thing _from_.  Err, sure, but what's he getting at?

 When the team confirm that they're damn sure ready to take on him and any
 other enemies of the world, he sighs.  No doubt from their eyes he _is_ an
 enemy of the world.  He confirms to Margret that he's recovered his memory,
 just as she's recovered her pride as an Arcsaber.  What could be this key
 that unlocked his memories, and why is it here in this world when Gaiou is
 supposed to have come from another dimension?

 Well, he's remembered his father's name, his mother's warmth, his friends'
 camaraderie... and his mission, the enemy he must defeat.  He informs Zexis
 that telling them his mission would accomplish nothing -- actually, they're
 actively better off not knowing.  Before they try to beat it out of them, he
 asks once more why Zexis is facing him here, now.  Is it for the sake of
 world peace, or is it just because they want to fight a strong opponent?
 No, really: which is it?  And let's have the "Sphere Reactor" answer.

 [If you're a warlike dude who likes their opponents strong, you can answer
 the later.  You then will be asked if you're sure, and if you insist that
 you're bent on strength itself, and if you've been playing the game on Hard
 mode, you will in fact have to fight Gaiou at level 99.  Otherwise, you get
 him merely at 60, or 70 if on hard mode.]

 Oh what's up quasi-world peace.  "That's METTA WORLD PEACE TO YOU" *facial
 machinegunning*  Crow pities the fool who can only measure the world with
 his own rod, and Gaiou agrees to take him on on that basis.  He even agrees
 to tell the team his ultimate objective: to become the strongest EVAR.  He
 then calls up two mecha he calls "Gaiou" and "Gailtilan", and as thanks for
 their faithful service unleashes them on the Earthlings.  All this warfare
 he's helped promote was to forge warriors strong enough for him to bother
 making into DBs -- he's not made any till now because most Earthlings are
 too feeble.  Even the Zexis folks from other worlds are about to feel the
 wrath, as severing their "stigma" is another one of his duties.

 Whoa, Eim mentioned something about that!  Yes, Gaiou means to return
 control of Zexis' destinies to their own hands.  And in the process, he'll
 show them the power that can slay even a God!

After all the trash talk and extensive throwdown, Gaiou's end is surprisingly
anticlimactic: he merely laughs and thanks Crow for a good match before
exploding into a burst of light.  That said, there's also a strange sense of
relief, like athletes who've given their all on the field.  One really gets
the sense that Gaiou was not fighting out of malice, but out of something...
purer.  One really has to wonder what it was that jogged Gaiou's memory,
especially since it seems to contain such tidbits as the Megadeuses.

Sadly there won't be time to investigate, as the dimensional breach that let
Zexis through to the Shadow Moon begins to rapidly close.  It's a shame to
leave such a treasure behind, but it still must be remembered that the world
is about to change thanks to Zexis' exploits.  While the various pilots'
personal struggles will continue, there is hope for this Earth Federation
after all.

Zero orders Zexis to split up to its respective motherships, and head for
Earth.  When they arrive, Zexis can be considered formally disbanded.  Of
course, all the pilots vow to stay in touch as they go their separate ways.
Even Crow has a lot to look forward to, now that he's debt free...

[It is now the year 0020, and in it the Three Great Nations issued the
"Earth Federation Proclamation".  All thanks to Zexis, really.  Speaking of
whom...]

Crow's being kept busy cleaning up DBs.  Despite the month that's passed, he
has _not_ gotten to savor the debt-free life -- it seems all the stress he
put on the Blaster has cost the lab a fortune to repair.  That fortune will
_not_ come from Carlos, who Traia took in after Axion's demise.  She did so on
the condition that he donate his vast personal fortune to charity, but there's
hope that his business acumen may yet save them from bankruptcy.  Carlos is
the first to admit that that won't even begin to pay for what he helped to
bring about, and even his full testimony to the government isn't much of a
reparation.   The DBs in question, absent a leader, have reverted to "natural
disaster" status, like earthquakes or tornados.  And at least Crow can provide
the lab a steady stream of revenue cleaning up the mess.  In fact, there's
so much work that Esther is being given a mech of her own -- and she's
thrilled to be able to follow in Crow's footsteps.

Roger and Dorothy meanwhile are stuck contemplating how they _can't_ get back
home at present.  While they wait for the scientific community to unlock the
secrets of interdimensional travel, Roger announces that they'll help rebuild
all the areas ravaged by war.  He knows full well that this will help bring
about a new generation of conflict, but sometimes them's the breaks.  And this
new conflict will need more than just weapons -- it will need Negotiation.

Renton has taken Eureka back to Warusawa as he promised.  Holland apologized to
the two of them for what he'd done, and taken off for parts unknown with the
rest of the Gekkostate.  Renton has to admit that he's still mad at Holland,
but he's chosen to put that anger behind him and start a new life with Eureka.
Nirvash meanwhile has reverted to its childlike form, perhaps a sign that they
need no longer fight.  As the world changes, so do the three of them.  Renton's
deepest promise to Eureka is to never let her be taken from him again, no
matter what.

Takeo General Company is at peace once more, mountains of mundane paperwork
bearing testament to how peaceful the world is.  And thanks to its structure
as a jack-of-all-trades company, they even get to play an active role in the
new flowers of Federation cooperation.  For instance, Banjou's gotten them
work hauling building materials for the Federation's new space base.  Between
Trider, Daitarn and Zanbot, that should be a piece of cake.

Compared to that, 21st Century's workers find themselves mired in nothing
_but_ paperwork.  This is a bit tiresome, but Akagi and Ibuki have to agree
that they'd rather have peace than the thrilling but dangerous role of
battling Heterodynes.  Then again, Domeki is sure that this peace won't last
forever: as long as there are dimensional abnormalities swirling around, it's
sure that the Heterodynes will reappear.  She's got a plan to power up Dai
Guard, but as it'll cost a full three year's profits, it's not likely to get
approved in advanced.  Still, as long as Section 2's teamwork is in place,
something will work out.

Elsewhere, Team D have come to a joint decision: they want to stay on as the
pilots of Dancougar Nova.  Things are quiet now, but they've seen enough to
know that the peace surely won't last.  Even Eiyda is on board, though she'll
be resuming her idol career in the meantime (with Johnny managing).  The
original Dancougar team will be sure to keep up their training, and the
Gravion folks will be in on it too.  Like Crow, they'll certainly not be bored
with all the DB activity to help combat.

The Crusher, Blue Fixer and God Sigma teams are being combined into the
New Crushers, tasked with investigating the Solar System's host of planets
and asteroids.  After all the interdimensional activity, a few extra planets
have sort of um, showed up and need checking into.  They'll have Roze with
them, at least as far as the outer rim: she's got to return to other parts
of the galaxy now rife with unrest in the wake of Zhul's death, and she means
to make up for what she's done by helping quell the fighting in the interest
of good.  Takeru tells her that when she does, she should view it not as a
penance, but as an opportunity for the future.  Ootsuka tells the team not to
worry: he's arranged for "certain helpers" in case something comes up here on
Earth -- he'll introduce said helpers once the team returns home once more.

The Frontier fleet has finally been accepted as part of the Federation, at
least as long as it takes to fix its Fold engines.  The trip to colonize the
center of the galaxy looks like it's on hold for a while.  It's not all
wine and roses though: the fleet's uber tech is still a tempting prize for
the Earth, and it seems certain that the fleet will keep the S.M.S. and its
advanced mecha close to its chest.  Interestingly, the Aquarion folks have
opted to hang with the Frontier fleet, hoping as it were to enjoy the life of a
space person.  Alto is rather nonplussed at such a simpleminded reason, but
if there's going to be political wrangling on the surface, the Aquarion folks
want to be as far from it as possible.  Besides, there's always the outside
chance that more Vajra will show up, especially if the "queen" that the team
took out isn't actually the real queen at all.  Certainly the team will have
plenty of music to listen to, and Alto will get a choice of which full-fledged
idol he loves best.

(And Grace, for whatever nefarious purposes of her own, loves watching Ranka
and Sheryl competing with each other.  The power of their songs, and the
virus within them, will open the door of the world Grace hopes to venture to.
Her plans also seem to include the Vajra, and a certain musical artist she
won't yet name...)

Kouji's back at Kurogane-ya, hard at work polishing his martial arts with the
help of the resident combat wackos.  He's made huge strides, and knows he'll
need to make many more if whatever Dr. Hell is planning is to be rebuffed.
Tsubasa loves his attitude and no mistake.  Meanwhile, the Gurren Gang are
headed back to the Dark Continent, the Xabungle folks tagging along for the
ride.  So are Gainer's crew and Gundams Turn A and X.  Even the Orguss folks
are joining what seems to be one massive expedition.  With all that help,
Simon can surely change the benighted land for the better, and thereby let the
memory of Kamina live on.  Roshiu, to his credit, is thinking ahead to the
need to _govern_ the society they'll be rebuilding on the Dark Continent, and
is hoping Harry and Queen Diana can give him some pointers.  The Getter team
will be tagging along too, looking to the Dark Continent as a suitably gloomy
place for their disreputable selves.

Kiriko meanwhile has gone missing, leaving the Black Knights and his other
friends in the ghetto behind on some quest of his own.  Goat expected as
much, as Fiana is still unaccounted for.  Ougi did receive one short message
from Kiriko for Kotona before he left -- "See you again."  Goat and his
folks are actually planning to leave the ghetto before the Black Knights
really start a war with Britannia, but they're sure they and Kiriko will find
each other again: he seems drawn to the smell of blood and gunsmoke.

Zero meanwhile is busy preparing for the final blow against Britannia: if Area
Eleven is to be liberated at all, it better happen quickly before the people
lose their revolutionary fervor.  C.C. knows that the hardest hurdle for
Lelouch to overcome is his own heart -- the Black Knights are already fired up
for the fight.  Lelouch meanwhile has returned to Ashford and run into Suzaku,
the one friend he can't bring himself to simply cut ties with.  Suzaku actually
asks him point blank if he's Zero, and after an uncomfortable pause Lelouch
brushes off the question without directly answering.  Inwardly, Lelouch hates
himself for having to lie to his friend, but he hates the thought of leaving
his great work unfinished even more -- and if he has to become Suzaku's enemy,
so be it...

The Colonial Gundams aren't going to be helping the Black Knights, as the
strategic importance of Area Eleven has diminished considerably in the new
world order.  The bigger question is the colonies' decision to join in the
Earth Federation -- at least, on the surface.  There's a chance that the
Earth Federation mean to use this shift to go back to dominating the colonies
anyway, in which case the Gundams mean to fight the whole Federation -- even if
they don't have backing from those colonies while doing it.  Hiiro tells
Setsuna that he's not doing any of this for Rilina's approval; rather, he
likely wants the same thing Setsuna does.  The CBs will take some time to
ponder their next move, now that mankind is basically united -- hopefully they
won't have any further cause for their patented military interventions.  They
should probably get busy finding what became of Veda, but they'll have to do it
quietly: even with Elgan running interference, they are kind of seen as
terrorists by the masses.  Still, Setsuna is adamant that they've got a reason
for existing -- if the world is enveloped in war again, that's when they will
need to step from the shadows.

Speaking of Veda though, all is not well with Ribbons.  He's managed to drug
Elgan, who's been upgraded from Security Council Chairman to Commander of the
Earth Federation, and means to keep him under while leading the world down the
path _he_ chooses.  He learned from Veda that Elgan is a rather special
individual -- none other than Ioria's oldest friend, and by "old" we mean he's
been alive for over 200 years.  This explains why Veda agreed to help the
Federation at least.  Ribbons means to gradually deprive Elgan of his reason,
and extract from him just what this Black Wisdom business is all about.  With
the Romfeller under his thumb, Ribbons thinks he can open the door that Ioria
built back when...

Treize expected Elgan's promotion, and has taken a number of the Gundam
pilots under his wing.  Oz is to be a special battalion in the reorganized
Federation Army, and he tells his new charges that he has high hopes for them.
But for what, wonders Amuro.  Formal introductions over, Treize muses over the
hard road he means to make them walk.  He wants to be the Loser.  Dorothy,
daughter of Count Delmeyer of the Romfeller, wants there to be as much fighting
as possible...

And last but not least [gawd this gets longer every game...] is Crow, who
finds himself sneezing at the controls of his transport plane.  Is it Margret
talking rumors about him -- she having vanished before the team returned to
Earth?  Or Asakim, who's vowed to harvest Crow's soul?  Well, no matter -- for
now, he's a regular working stiff with DBs to kill and a steady income.
That is, he _would_ if not for Traia extorting his ass to keep info on Margret
from Esther.  How is it possible Crow's done so much for the world and yet is
still so impoverished??

                            T H E       E N D
                    (until Rebirth Chapter, that is)