Super Robot Wars 3 JIGOKU-Hen Walkthrough
by Mark Neidengard, mneideng at ugcs dot caltech dot edu
version 1.0, updated 1/6/15


TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:
This document, like my previous Walkthroughs, is intended as "one-and-a-half"
steps-removed from a full translation.  It is meant to expand the audience for
this amazing game franchise and its diverse source material.  I will respond
to well-intentioned queries via email (albeit sluggishly at times; RealLife(tm)
can be a harsh taskmaster), but I caution up front that my translations may
depart from the "established" and/or "official" Romanizations you may be used
to.  Sometimes this may be due to ignorance of the source material (for
instance, I don't speak French/German/Russian etc., in case that's relevant)
but is often due to my attempts to fix brokennesses in the "canonical"
translations as I see them.  My goal is to offer as transparent a rendition of
the original Japanese as possible, which hopefully should scan as my having the
best interests of the audience, and of the source text, at heart.

- Regarding "JIGOKU-Hen":
 "Jigoku" is the Japanese word for "Hell", or "the Underworld" etc.  It's
 compounded from the kanji for "ground" and "prison" and, like most Japanese
 words, is amenable to homophonic wordplay.  In this game's title, "ground"
 has been replaced with "time", so while there may be some connotation of
 "time prison", "Time Hell" (Time _of_ Hell gets mentioned in the opening
 movie, though not necessarily _as_ a translation) is what I favor.  The
 "-hen" suffix connotes a "chapter" of a larger whole, and I presume that
 there will be a "TENGOKU-Hen" (with some play on "Heaven") before all is said
 and done.  I put JIGOKU in all caps to draw attention to it, above and beyond
 the mere fact it's left as untranslated Japanese, in the same way that the
 kanji should strike a native speaker as incongruous.
- Main character name:
 The default main character name is KAMISHIRO Hibiki (surname first).  Out of
 some fit of contrariness, I renamed him SHIROGAMI Kodama (where the given
 name is a synonym).  In case this becomes an issue, I commend global
 search'n'replace to your attention. ^_-

Finally, I note that all rights to the original lie with Banpresto and the
litany of original creators.  I retain the rights only to this quasi-
translation of it, which I intend solely for educational/recreational purposes.



---------------------------------- PROLOGUE -----------------------------------

 Various worlds, various universes...
 Termed "parallel worlds", they exist as distinct spacetimes, never to
 interact.  Or so it was, until that fateful day.

 Certain events in one world caused the Great Spacetime Quake, demolishing
 the dimensional walls separating all worlds and forcibly comingling space,
 time and peoples across the multiverse.  The new order that emerged became
 known as the Multidimensional World.

 This was a world of new meetings, and new meetings mean new wars.  Chaos
 gripped the Multidimensional World at its inception, but through a lengthy
 series of adventures, a new order emerged.

 Among those adventures was a pan-dimensional war in the so-called "UCW" world
 (c.f. SRW Z), whose conclusion was brought about by the special battalion
 "Zeuth".  A spacetime quake sent Zeuth to the "ADW" world (c.f. SRW Z2),
 where they and their new allies reorganized as "Zexis" and battled their way
 through the Breaking of the World and the subsequent War of Rebirth.

Having brought peace to "ADW", the members of Zeuth sought to return to UCW
through the dimensional hole known as the Abyss, never knowing that its light
concealed yet another battle to come...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just once, would it kill the Powers That Be(tm) for the main heroes to actually
recognize that "yet another battle to come" was, like, coming and not be all
surprised by it?  Anyway, the crew's come home like Jack Nicholson greeting
Shelley Duvall, and the Abyss has closed behind them: no frequent flyer miles
to inviting expanses of ADW are in the cards.  But hey, in case the team get
lonely, they can always go bug _this_ world's copies of Hiiro and friends,
right?  Right??  Roger doesn't look convinced, fretting that this team may not
_actually_ get to enjoy all that peace they fought so hard for after all.
Lest anyone (including the player) forget, the entire crew are Stigmatics, and
that means... that the team gets even less of a respite than before.  Char
senses that something _big_ is about to happen (what a genius!), and judging by
the eye-fuxoring CG montage, he's totally on the money.

------------------------------ MORE PROLOGUE ----------------------------------

 The blood of Beasts, the joining of Waters, the destination of Wind, and the
 culture of Flame.  And, the shining of Sun.  May the tranquility of the End
 of Heavens be yours....

 ---

 The Spacetime Quake that greeted Zeuth's return forged a new world,
 composited from the UCW and ADW and several others besides.  Though this
 "New World Spacetime Quake" forcibly joined these worlds together, mankind
 was not fazed.

 Rather, they responded to the new calamity with a creation of a new order,
 integrating the newly-arrived Space Colonies into the Earth Federation and
 returning daily life to "normal" in a mere few months.

 Three months proved long enough for plots and hidden truths to ferment in
 the shadows of the world's reorganization, and now the curtain rises...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's April 10th of Year One of the New World Federation calendar... just
another school day for the stalwarts of Full Metal [fill in the blank].  Junior
year in high school means some freaky math, and Kaname knows just how to shirk
the homework (all in the name of student unity, of course): karaoke blitz!
There's a transfer student in town, of the decidedly non-Blazing variety, and
a karaoke expedition sounds like a good chance to show him around the nearby
environs.  Turns out this isn't just your average metropolis: Neo Tokyo-2
boasts the highest concentration of scientists and boffins the world has ever
seen.  Unfortunately, Kodama [formerly "Hibiki", see above] isn't in the mood
for revelry, and politely but firmly declines and walks off.

Kaname is WAY too big a busybody to leave him be, especially given the rumor
that he's struggling to reintegrate after his parents' time abroad.  No sooner
has he left than Saijou Suzune, student teacher galore, comes looking for him.
She's on good terms with her students, who marvel at the smarts she must have
to get into the fast-track teaching credential program in _this_ town.  Neo
Tokyo-2 is living proof of mankind's adaptability to change, though the current
view is that another similarly catastrophic change won't happen again for
another, oh, 40 years or so.  More than enough time for the students to get
that karaokeing in, and Suzune to catch up with Kodama.

She runs off after dropping a hint that her high school days were more
interesting than most.  When she catches up with Kodama, she asks about the
pamphlet he was reading during class... is he somehow interested in the
occult?  Before he can answer, it seems a new Spacetime Quake is upon them....


---------
CHAPTER 1. The Hope That Must Never Be Named

From the Quake emerges, what else, a robot.  Which promptly spies our duo and
blasts them with some sort of Make Everything Depressing Ray(tm).  In the
depression, is Kodama depressed?  Nowhere near!  He's got like, a strong will
to live, and into his head pours knowledge from some unknown source.  He comes
to and tells Suzune to skedaddle while he gets Medieval on his assailant's ass.
He can sense that help is on the way, in the form of another robot from
Hammerspace or wherever.  It sucks him into its cockpit, even magically
changing him into a pilot's uniform in the process -- just as Kodama knew to
expect courtesy of the info dump he got from said unknown source (which he
calls a "black soul").

His plan is to lure his assailants over to where he can kill them and thereby
grow his powers.  He names his mech the Geneon, which sounds more awesome than
calling it the Pioneer Laserdisc Corporation anyway.  In fact, he admits in as
many words that he doesn't give a damn what the thing is or where it came from,
so long as it empowers him to kick ass.

 Suzune shows her superior teacherly qualities by actually convincing Kaname
 and friends to hie them hence to shelter.  Meanwhile, Watta and Shotarou
 (remember them?) catch on quick that TOKYO IS IN DANGER(tm).  The mysterious
 Geneon looks like a good guy insofar as it appears to be defending the city,
 so they focus their little-kid wrath on the invaders.

 Not only doesn't Kodama care where his mech came from, he doesn't actually
 care who he's fighting, either!  This may have something to do with a
 hinted-at tragedy that befell his father and sister, but such oblique
 references will have to wait till later.  Killing the first wave of bad guys
 brings out a second, larger wave -- and with it, Shotarou.  As the evildoers
 move to encircle them (and trash more of the town), a trio of AS's (which
 Kodama's never seen before, as though that means something) pop out of
 nowhere to, apparently, save the day.

 Their pilots are Mao (who sounds like she's in charge), Kurtz what with the
 big mouth, and Sousuke the tragicomic tight-ass.  They may seem a motley
 crew, but they come packing extensive smackdown... and a mission to make
 sure nothing bad happens to Kaname.  Mind you, there's always the possibility
 these yokels aren't here for Kaname, but rather the "Angel"...

As such, Mao orders Sousuke to continue with his original mission while she
and Kurtz carry off the wreckage of the one of the bad guys for analysis.  Of
course, this will require eluding the boy detective piloting Tetsujin 28, and
as luck would have it Sousuke's mech is equipped with one hell of a cloaking
device.  Kodama has his own reasons for not wanting to get caught, or at least
for not wanting to relinquish his newfound toy, and eludes Shotarou the old
fashioned way by heading for the hills.

While Shotarou is left scratching his head, a standard-issue mystery woman
on the sidelines starts smirking over the show she's just witnessed.  And all
she came to do was to follow the "Demons", activated "automatically" for some
reason.  She muses that "this planet"'s fighting spirit is in the shitter, and
sneers that the Earthlings had better indulge in their master's loving-kindness
while they still can.  Soon, yes very soon indeed, two-pronged HELL awaits!!
Moo ah ha ha?

Meh.  Back to Kodama, who's apparently on the run from the law, the press and
the parents, or something menacing at least.  He gets surprised when a metal
mascot-looking thing called "AG" clanks up and congratulates him on touching
the "Black Matrix".  Now, before you have visions of sexy demonesses
repopulating the Earth with you (oh noes, SPOILERTH!), the sad fact is that
this Black Matrix is merely the pilot-recognizer for DEM Corporation.  AG
claims to be a DEM agent, and confirms that the Geneon has indeed recognized
Kodama as _worthy_.  Groovy.


---------
CHAPTER 2. The Advent of New Problem Boy

Mao and Kurtz' report is not bringing much joy to the command crew of the
submarine Tuatha de Danaan, floating around somewhere in the ocean off Japan.
It seems the unexpected adversary is using tech utterly unlike anything Tessa
has encountered before.  "Black Technology"?  Alien technology?
_Exodimensional_ black alien technology EX Plus Alpha?  Damned if they know,
and that's the frightening part.  But for now they'll leave the worrying to
Mithril high command, and concentrate on keeping Kaname safe... which
depends on Sousuke acting directly as her bodyguard.  Captain Karinin as much
as admits that Sousuke was chosen mainly by process of elimination (oh joy) but
assures Tessa that he's up to the challenge.  Just then S.M.S. agents Ozuma and
Kanaria arrive at the TDD, and Tessa immediately trips over a cable conduit as
she starts heading to greet them in the hangar.  Which TOTALLY isn't an omen
of any kind.  Honest.  Uh huh.

The fragdown between the mystery combatants is all over the news as a new
school day dawns, and the talking heads aren't happy with the Earth Federation
Army's tardy response: only _after_ the dust had settled did the first
official units come on the scene.  But enough of that: today's a "special" day
on campus in that students are being randomly searched for contraband.  Now,
"contraband" in Kaname's case means playing cards, candy, and her PS Vita (or
whatever portable system is popular then).  And then there's Sousuke, who
gets apprehended by Suzune carrying what everyone else assumes is a model gun.

Gun otakudom is a thing in Japan, and unless you find yourself in the middle
of a zombiepocalypse or something (just, hypothetically) it's a pretty good
way to get yourself ostracized by the mundanes.  "Mundanes" (spoilerth!) such
as Kaname, say.  Kodama on the other hand -- who also has the pop-out-of-
nowhere gene -- recognizes that Sousuke's Glock 26 is very real.  After shooing
the other students off to homeroom, Suzune thanks him for saving the
(yester)day, and asks what became of the blue robot.  Kodama advises her in
rather un-studently tones to concentrate on what goes on within the school's
walls before heading to class.

Wouldn't you know it: _Sergeant_ Sagara Sousuke (as he names himself) has
transferred into the same class as Kaname and co.  Maybe his odd mannerisms
can be attributed to him coming from ADW (that is, "Anno Domini World" in
honor of the calendar formerly used there -- don't blame me I'm just the
messenger...), and after the teacher tells him to stop kidding around, he
tells everyone to forget the "Sergeant" part and quickly ends his self-
introduction.  The teacher opens it up to the class for questions, and Sousuke
responds to the "where're you from" with a massive litany of all the places
he's been for battle.  As to his hobbies, it's _not_ model guns and whatnot --
it's fishing and reading, though he tends to prefer technical journals and
trade publications like Jane's Almanac.

He quickly sees everyone's eyes glaze over as he starts talking about Minovsky
research and AT piloting, and asks everyone to forget he mentioned it.  Like I
said, tragicomic.   And just for added weirdness, he's a fan of both Sheryl
Nome _and_ the Zentraedi mega-producer Tokugawa Kiichirou.  Kodama seems to
realize that Sousuke is _not_ your average high schooler, and decides to
investigate under the cover of "making friends" with him as Kaname suggests.

Sousuke radios in on schedule, and Mao tells him that from now on he can
prioritize guarding Kaname over the clerical details.  Sousuke seems to have
taken to his new mission, even though it means taking his eyes off "The Angel".
Come to find out Sousuke's attempts to pass himself off as a Japanese high
school student are all at Kurtz's behest... and said students aren't exactly in
tune with Kurtz' musical tastes.  Kurtz won't get the chance to change their
mind any time soon, at least until Sousuke's mission is done.

That mission will be a lot harder with Kodama sniffing around.  Not so much
sniffing as "confronting directly", trying to find out if he's from DEM, or
worse, from "them".  Sousuke quickly assesses this guy, who snuck pretty close
to him without him noticing, to be a threat, and combat breaks out quickly.
Sousuke's gun's been confiscated, but he's still got a blackjack and
considerable skill at using it.  Kodama meanwhile uses something akin to army-
style martial arts: none other than Jeet Kun Do!  Sousuke is held at bay
momentarily, and when he notices an interloper he dispatches him without
hesitation before blaming Kodama for bringing help.

Kodama huffs that this guy isn't _his_, just as AG comes up to tell Kodama
that they've got an emergency.  It confirms that Sousuke is a Mithril agent,
and not from DEM, which astounds Sousuke greatly.  But not as greatly as the
explosion that comes from near the school.  The culprits turn out to be
surviving members of the Firebugs, hired to stir up commotion _near_ the school
but not to damage its occupants.

Said occupants include Saji Crossroad, Banarj Links (and girlfriend Micott
Barch), and Takuya Irei, all of whom are sure to be important later on account
of actually being nameful.  For now, Kodama has little choice but to accept
AG's orders to "test" the Geneon on the bad guys, with a little help from Mao's
squad and Shotarou (who's brought Black Ox with him this time).  Mao cautions
Shotarou not to underestimate the dreaded Firebugs, and when Shotarou recalls
battling them before he gets a momentary flash of headache.

 Which will TOTALLY become relevant at some point, but for now, the first
 order of business is kill five bad guys... which will bring out
 reinforcements on both sides.  For the good guys, that means the S.M.S.,
 the civilian army of the Frontier fleet who you might remember from the
 previous game.  Mithril and they seem to have forged a hasty alliance, and
 it's worth noting that Alto is now leader of the Skull squadron.

 For former Firebugs, these assclowns succumb with surprising ease.  The only
 interesting thing about hosing them is Kurtz realizing there's another ace
 sniper around: rivalry might ensue!  Some refer to this as "grasping at
 straws" in their spare time.

A certain scruffian (that's right, neologisms-r-us) is watching all this from
the usual shadows with intense interest -- we'll get back to him later.  For
now, Mao's got orders to nab whoever's been piloting yonder blue mech, and her
squad handily immobilize Kodama.  Sure he's the main character and some
disciple of The Dragon(tm) and all, but he's still a rank amateur mecha pilot.
Shotarou is now feeling kind of bad about harassing the new pilot, and asks
that the Mithril and S.M.S. forces not treat him too roughly.  Jeffrey will
do his best, and he herds everyone onto the Quarter and bugs out before the
Feds arrive for their usual show of ineffectual clean-up.

Jeffrey Wilder and Melissa Mao have nothing but respect for their, um,
respective organizations.  For Shotarou's benefit, Jeffrey describes Mithril
as an armed secret society bent (what secret society isn't _bent_ on something
or other??) on preventing terrorism and keeping the peace.  Shotarou may not
know them by name, but with his ICPO connections he's surely heard of their
global good works.  Mao can't in good conscience accept being labeled as
unalloyed allies of Justice, given that their mercenary squad members have a
wide variety of reasons for participating.

Anyways, they're bad asses with oodles of tech and a knack for working from
the shadows.  They, plus the S.M.S. and probably ICPO in short order, are on
high alert for opportunists drawn to Tokyo's seductive mix of political and
economic clout within the newly-reorganized Federation.  In fact, it's that
same Federation's laggardly army that requested the S.M.S.'s participation in
the first place -- something about their new-hotness mecha being more old
and busted than hoped for.

Drama in the hangar, as Kodama prepares to *GASP* open his cockpit hatch.
Michelle is totally ready to plug him if he tries any funny business, and he'll
have to outshoot Kurtz to manage it first.  Kodama is _not_ forthcoming about
where he got his mech from, despite threatening bluster from Sousuke that the
Geneva Convention won't apply to him.  It takes Jeffrey to restore order,
disarming the standoff by actually _thanking_ Kodama for his help.  Jeffrey
won't impound him or his robot, but he really would like to know: is the
Geneon Kodama's personal property?

Kodama stays mum, and it's up to AG (who appears out of nowhere) to explain
why.  He introduces himself as an agent of DEM, "dimensional merchants" of a
sort, brushing off precisely how he got into the sealed hangar of a Macross
starship.  Sensing that Kodama doesn't dig the Stephen Hawking-o-matic
speech patterns, AG switches to conventional Japanese.  He's assigned to
monitor the Geneon, a prototype for DEM's new line of mobile weapons for sale
in other parallel universes.  Mind, the Geneon wasn't supposed to come to
_this_ world; it's transfer here during that dimensional quake was a pure
accident that will probably mean AG loses his job once all the paperwork
settles.  And no, they can't just warp it back home: this universe's
dimensional boundaries are some of the toughest DEM has ever encountered.

The crew are about as flummoxed by this explanation as I am, and it gets
weirder still.  Mao wants to know why the Geneon seems to have the same
dimensional barrier system as the Dimensional Beasts (remember them?), and
AG explains that basically everyone and their second cousin has figured out
how to build barriers like that.  Apart from the fact that both use
dimension energy, there's no commonality between the DBs and the DEM robot
line... oh and by the way, the TS-DEMON system providing the Geneon's combat
potential is waaaay more capable than those lousy DBs anyway.

AG is one smooth, talkative robot.  Kodama, in equal measure, is a taciturn
mo-fo who seems unfazed by questions like, why the hell would someone want to
throw themself in harm's way in a robot from out of the blue?  I mean heck,
doesn't _everyone_ want to do that?  AG isn't inclined to forcibly evict him
from the cockpit, and wouldn't at all mind gathering more combat data until his
colleagues finally arrive to take the Geneon home.  Jeffrey declares that it's
no one￾fs business but Kodama and DEM how long Kodama stays at the controls,
and asks what Kodama wants to do now.

What he wants, to everyone's surprise, is to hang out on the ship and learn to
master the Geneon's controls... to get "stronger".  Jeffrey gathers that
Kodama won't likely explain why he needs strength, and on the strength of
endorsements from Shotarou and Mao accepts Kodama as a special S.M.S. agent.
He'll get to continue his classmate status with Sousuke, which the latter
accepts with strained silence.

This continues into the following day at school, where Sousuke finally asks
Kodama why he's so good at unarmed combat and so _lousy_ in the cockpit.
Kodama's father's to blame: a martial-arts otaku among other things.  Kaname
shows up at this point, wondering if the two boys are now friends.  BEST
FRIENDS FOR EVAR, Kodama assures her, knowing that if he doesn't she's going
to bug the both of them forever...


---------
CHAPTER 3. Trusting One's Back

So in case you weren't paying attention, Kodama is haunted by his past.  True
fact.

Now, multiple choice: what pisses Kaname off more about Sousuke?  Is it a) that
the guy keeps running around all over school and making her feel out of shape,
or b) that when they occasionally make eye contact she's SURE that he's
pretending it's not on purpose, or c) that she's TOTALLY hot for him?  Cue the
high school hijinks, the Sousuke getting punched in the face twice (for the
high crime of... being Sousuke) and Kaname yelling at the top of her lungs
how much she hates his guts.

Turns out that Kaname has actually forcibly recruited Kodama to keep an eye on
Sousuke (even giving him her cel number of her own free will).  Sousuke sees
no reason to deny that he's been sent here to act as Kaname's bodyguard, though
he either doesn't know or won't divulge why Mithril feels she's worth the
effort.  That's whatev' to Kodama, who's only request is to not bring some
kind of guerilla war to the doorstep of the school's average joes and jolines.
Sousuke can agree to that, and when Suzune tries to have a conversation with
her two favorite transfer students, he also agrees with Kodama that they
hate each other's guts.  Not the fond, sexually-charged conversation Suzune
probably wanted with her junior-grade knight-in-shining-mecha.

While the high-schoolers are busy enjoying their youth, the adults are poring
over Mithril's latest intelligence reports.  Neo-Jion's getting frisky, though
Ozuma doubts that even its charismatic young leader (Hamarn Khan, of the
storied House of Zabi) has the pull in this world to cause a direct secession
from the Federation.  Of course, she or someone like her could wage a shadow
war instead, amassing influence and then pouncing on the still-vulnerable
Federation Army.  Not like that isn't totally the blueprint for the rest of
this game or anything, mind you: STRICTLY hypothetical. -_-

Oh, and any overt attempt to go and simply confront the suspected radicals
would just radicalize them, and their fellow Colonials, even more.  Thus all
the Spy-vs-Spy stuff, including checking into Kodama's background.  He was
born in Japan and raised in the Britannia Union until last year.  Parents
divorced when he was a baby, and at age five his custodian mom died in an
accident, moving him in with his father and sister.  They too died
"accidentally" last year, and a distant relative got him back to Japan.  Of
note is that his dad was a Brittanian Black Beret, and that after the divorce
he became a Beast Hunter in Alaska.

[From the glossary: Beast Hunters fight localized incursions of exo-fauna that
threaten the world's ecosystem.  Global menaces like the DBs are out of scope.]

Jeffrey's satisfied as to Kodama's background and tells Ozuma to train the
kid with all he's got.  In fact, all the agents for this mission need a bit of
special training after introductions (and discussion of how desirable Mao's
ass is) are out of the way.  Klan is as diminutive, adorable, and pissed-off
as ever at Michelle's skirt-chasing ways, but she's the last teammate Mao
has to worry about -- Alto, Sousuke and Kodama are in full taciturn basket case
mode and nothing AG can say will fix that.

Ozuma's plan might, however.  It's to be drone practice in two-man cells, all
chosen for maximum team-building potential.  And by "team building", Ozuma
means "objection lesson in how NOT to use unit terrain tolerance".  Even Alto
is pissed off enough to speak up, though Ozuma's not going to reorder things
now.  Kurtz gets to back up Kodama, who in the carefree sniper's eyes is waaaay
tenser than fellow poker-face Sousuke.  That poker face is probably part of
what's bugging Alto, who's always been the intuitive pretty-boy type.

 The whole point of the battle is to cooperate enough to be able to use
 Maximum Break.  Along the way, Mao finds herself rather taken with the
 nice-guy, under-age Luka.  Alto and Sousuke, both highly trained warriors,
 also find that shared combat is a good cure for unfriendliness.  The bad
 guys who try to ambush the team (more of yesterday's goons) probably don't
 want to hear that.

Mr. Poorly Concealed by Shadows is satisfied with his info gathering after the
fight -- and now realizes he needs a lot more firepower if you means to
confront your team head-on.  Said team is stronger than ever, even if Sousuke
risks getting punched (again) by asking if Alto's a dude or a dudette.  Kodama
is keeping a pretty stiff upper lip despite the strain of all the unfamiliar
fighting he's just done... and if there's one thing Ozuma knows how to do,
it's make a stiff upper lip, um, flaccid.  No, wait, that sounds wrong.
Anyway, the more Kodama tries to act the badass-in-training, the more pain he's
gonna endure, and all for the good cause of making him one hell of a pilot.

In the meantime, Ozuma and Mao have an idea about how to keep these mystery
assailants from assailing the high school again.  The set up a safe house from
which to keep tabs on Kaname, and while tapping her phone line Sousuke gets
to hear Kaname on the phone with her sister.  She finds him a TOTAL weirdo...
but kind of a fun weirdo, if she's honest.  Sousuke actually really likes the
sound of that, though he quickly restores his serious business face.  Kurtz
can totally see where this is going and flounces off to bed, while Mao more
kindly tells Sousuke to get some Z's too.  After all, help is on its way...

Meanwhile, Kaname has actually phoned up Kodama, making sure he's keeping an
eye out for Sousuke.  Kodama tells her to tell that to Sousuke herself, given
how much he seems to want her phone number and all.  She might just do that,
and hangs up with an apology for calling so late.  This lets Kodama go back to
surfing for porn^W^W^Winvestigating the Internet's occult forums, where the
usual collection of crackpots and trolls are all convinced that signs point to
the world's end in the very near future.  Never mind the fact that the whole
Mayan baktun-ending thing was a TOTAL non-starter.  Or.... WAS IT?!?!  Dun dun
DUN!!  We know to give this particular troll credence because _his_ handle is
in the glossary: Black Charisma, which was Bernarl's handle _way_ the fsck
back in the Pan-Dimensional War, and is now more or less synonymous with
the auto-eponymous Anonymous.  Autonomous self-portrait by, you guessed it,
Hieronymus Bosch.

Pish-posh, Kodama will come as wack as he likes, calling himself "Knight" on
the forums as though that handle wouldn't have been hogged like millennia
before his birth.  His question to world+dog for the night: has anyone
survived being caught in a dimensional cloud or spacetime quake?

---------
CHAPTER 4. The School-City Guard

Watta is bored.  Not just any kind of bored either: this is the kind of boredom
you get when you're a C.E.O. rich kid and nobody wants to play with you or your
toys.  No wonder, when every Trider G7 sortie costs a *minimum* of a million
yen, which sounds even more impressive than "ten grand and change" in U.S.
dollars.  At that rate, any volunteerism will send his company into Chapter 11
and its employees to the breadlines in no time flat... which does raise an
interesting question: didn't Takeo General Co. used to have more staff?  A
sudden headache drives that thought from Watta's mind, just as Kinoshita runs
in with the news they've all been waiting for: Ootsuka has officially hired
them to help out the Crushers!

Sousuke sticks out like a sore thumb at school, and Kaname's tendency to whack
him for it is earning him considerable flak from his coworkers.  Who, it must
be noted, are getting increasingly antsy about just why they've been assigned
to protect a random high schooler from an unknown adversary.  Well, maybe said
adversary is going to help out by revealing themself -- via sneaking onto
Kaname's balcony?

That's a negative.  It's just a doofus panty-thief named Kazama, plunged into
this life of crime by the head of the Photography Club (who's holding some of
his undeveloped film hostage).  Somehow the discussion turns from panty theft
to military mecha, and all the commotion wakes Kaname up.  Guess who's holding
the purloined panties?  Uh huh.  Cue the usual hilarity, with one twist: a
certain young man joins in the chase before Sousuke can get clean away.  Who
does Kaname call?  Kodama of course, who warns Sousuke the next morning that
Kaname is in a _seriously_ bad mood.

Frankly, Sousuke's in a bad mood too, though you wouldn't know it to look at
him.  Before Kaname furiously shushes the both of them, Sousuke confides to
Kodama that whoever the mystery guy was, he actually had Sousuke beat on the
martial arts front -- without some covering fire from Kurtz, Sousuke's ass
might have been grass.  It doesn't take long before mystery guy TRANSFERS INTO
THE FRIGGING CLASSROOM along with several other familiar faces.  Where did
the Mazinger crew get plugged into this plot?  God only knows, but they're
here now and all the other students can't stop talking about them.

Sousuke, on behalf of the befuddled audience, doesn't have to wait long to find
out what the hell all these folks are doing here.  The plan is to guard Kaname
as thoroughly as possible, and that means inserting agents into every facet of
the school -- upper class, lower class, men's, women's... even the grade school
is covered thanks to Shotarou and Watta.  It's so preposterous, it just might
work.

Of course, it also might backfire if all the new series' worth of heroes bring
their respective villains along with them.  Oh snap, looks like the writers are
one sentence ahead of me!  Who should appear but Count Brocken, the very image
of the Irish "Dullahan" legends and back from hell for some serious payback.
In an amazing fit of anti-monologuing, Sousuke pulls out the jammy and
summarily shoots Brocken, which would be a great idea if Brocken wasn't
cybernetic.  Great idea #2 is a frigging _hand_grenade_, which actually does
manage to slow Brocken down long enough for the team to skedaddle.

Kouji was never much of a skedaddler, and if not for the hostage crisis he'd be
happy to finish Brocken off with his portable Photon Power laser gun.  Wait,
hostage crisis?  We direct your attention to the Mechabeast loitering in the
main courtyard, with Suzune and several students strapped in capsules around
its body.  Kaname runs over to the crew and explains how some "cosplayers" in
uniforms and helmets abducted them all, and Job One is for Sousuke to get her
to safety.  Job Two is for Kodama to run off alone on some fool errand or
other, leaving the rest of the team to focus on Job Three: Kouji's master plan
to free the hostages.

"Plan" might be overstating it actually.  Brocken gloats that Mazinger has used
up all its Photon Power during the War of Resurrection, so even if Kouji wanted
to resist and force him to kill the hostages, he can't actually do a goddamn
thing.  Kouji's frustration is music to Brocken's ears, and all Kouji and
Sayaka can do is hope to hold out until some sort of help arrives.  ...And that
Brocken gets so cocky that he taunts Kouji with the _precise_ method needed to
disable his mech, knowing that Mazinger's weapons are too imprecise to exploit
it.

Gee, imagine what would happen if Kouji had friends, who just so happen to be
snipers, who just so happen to have their mecha arrive on cue?  Or that he's
also got friends who're good at clinging to things, who can free all the
hostage?  Well, that would be a _disaster_, now wouldn't it?  That's why
Brocken tries so hard to send at least one of the hostages to hell, and that
happens to be Suzune.  As she plummets toward her death, Kodama once again
curses his helplessness, and vows that things will be different going forward.
Nobody -- including himself -- is certain what happens next, except that he
somehow zips over, snags his teacher in mid-air, and ends up safely some
distance away.

Thus emboldened, he summons his mech and joins the team in regrouping (with
Mizuho kind of stuffed into the cockpit with him).  Vengeance is at hand!  Of
course taking out the enemy flag ship is a good way to demoralize the bad guys,
and of course -- if you've played these games before -- you'll know that the
flagship is primed to run away if seriously threatened.

  Kill it anyway for a Skill Point.  Brocken doesn't want to lose his so-
  called flagship and tries to mount one last, desperate struggle -- but
  Kodama (and possibly Suzune) decide they've had enough and unleash a brand
  new attack entirely by accident.

The School City Guard (as they call themselves) trounced Brocken and friends
pretty handily, but Kouji has to wonder who's behind them if Dr. Hell is truly
gone (dun dun DUNN!!).  Suzune is wondering in general what the hell is going
on, and Kodama agrees to take her with him back to base.  She's predictably
dubious about all these legal minor combatants, but all of them (Kodama
included) are here of their own free will with a long litany of sob stories
why.  We don't get Kodama's full sob story yet, but we do get Jeffrey and AG
convincing Suzune not only to report all this to the principal, but ALSO to
join Kodama as copilot.

Turns out that becoming the Geneon's pilot has given him the ability to boost
his physical and mental abilities by at least 10X...  but only for 10 seconds
out of every hour, and only if there's something significant enough to fight
for (like Suzune).  She's all in favor of administering "private lessons" to
her favorite pupil (fanfic'ers, start your engines!) and offers to help keep
the team's activities in school secret.  Seeing as how Kodama will need some
seasoning before he's ready to approach combat rationally, and seeing as how
two sets of spells are better than one, it's totally a deal.  Oh, and come to
find out that Suzune's a regular on the same occult websites Kodama goes to,
and figured out his handle from how similar his posts are to the essay's she's
graded...  And who do we find backing Brocken up, but Ashura, still bent as
ever on revenge in Dr. Hell's name -- at least as far as (s)he lets Brocken
know.  In fact, his role is actually to buy time for Ashura's true objective to
be realized.

-----------
ROUTE SPLIT.

Kodama's first time in the simulator goes quite well... for someone who's just
started a career as an actual soldier.  Typically, he insists on comparing
himself against the rest of the veterans and may or may not heed their advice
to not overdo it.  Maybe Suzune can get him to take a break?  Not by asking
about his family and possible connections to his last forum post, she won't.
He even blows off her offer to train with him (surely she'd be happy to squeeze
into that one-seater simulator), all in the interest of whatever dark urge
keeps him going.

It's business as usual at school, where nobody has gone after Kaname yet.
Despite her protestations, Klan is actually enjoying life as an Earth
schoolgirl.  Sousuke, well, is still Sousuke -- and the fact that nothing's
exploded lately means he's still quietly watching over Kaname somewhere nearby.
Kouji tries his hand at getting Kodama to relax by inviting him out for ramen
at the galactically-famous (literally) Nyan-Nyan.  Then the team can play
hookey instead of joining in on a wilderness hike between this and the
neighboring school.

[Does Kodama like to hike?  If yes, go to 5H.  After all,
the crew've been pestering him to take a break and stuff.  And if he goes,
there's no excuse for his teammates to stay behind.

If not, go to 5N.  He'll get the job of explaining to Suzune why a sizeable
fraction of her class is seemingly allergic to the Great Outdoors(tm).  With
Sousuke trudging through the forest to keep Kaname safe, what could _possibly_
go wrong??]

---------------
CHAPTER 4H. An Unknown Menace

Ahh, nature.  So green, so verdant, so fitting a place for new life to begin!
This might be why Shotarou and Watta (both *grade* schoolers) have brought
their girlfriends.  Or maybe it was just to make Boss's sad-sack henchmen
jealous.  Anyway, with them is none other than Saji Crossroad, now studying at
Anaheim Electronics' Tokyo-branch trade school after finishing up at Ashford
Academy.  This is the next step towards his goal of being a space engineer, and
also lets him stay close to Louise (whose therapy clinic is also in Tokyo).
She is thankfully in much better shape than we left her in the previous game,
though she's still subject to occasional headaches.

We also get to meet Saji's classmates IREI Takuya, Micott Birch and Banarj
Links, all of whom are from the colony Industrial 7.  Natural gravity makes
hiking a bit tiring, but all the natural nature bits kind of make up for it.
Watta's other classmates were kind of hoping to go to "Fumo-Fumo Land" (an
amusement park based around Bonta-kun) instead, and maybe the I7 folks will get
to make a side trip there before returning to space.

Sousuke meanwhile has been scaring the kids by regarding every bush and thicket
as a possible source of bad guys, and has gone off to reconnoiter alone.
Kaname, as usual, is peeved, and insists on joining Suzune's search party to
track the guy down.  Her questions as to how the team seem to know each other
get dangerously close to blowing their cover, but Kouji gets her distracted by
asking why she's so worried about Sousuke.  Like she'd let on that she's got
the HAWTS for him in a high-school dorama like this!

Speaking of Sousuke, there's suspicious movement in a nearby bush.... which
turns out to be him in a ghillie suit.  Claiming that his mission isn't done
yet, he refuses to rejoin the class and makes a run for it, nearly getting shot
with Shotarou's stun gun for his pains.  Instead, he falls afoul of a Native
American snare that Kodama (who'd gone missing too) set up in his path... one
of several, in fact.  Kodama turns out to be a font of all kinds of outdoorsy
knowledge, including what plants are best to staunch the bleeding scratch that
Suzune has conveniently given herself along the hike.

Kodama's rise in his peer's estimations is
rudely interrupted by members of the Branch syndicate, who have the ill grace
to trigger more of Kodama's snares.  Not all of them get caught though, and one
moves to take Kaname hostage... which lasts about as long as it takes Sousuke
to plummet from above and knock the ruffian unconscious.  Snares, you see, are
only as durable as the rope they're made from -- and Sousuke has a pretty sharp
knife.

Given that the Branch bunch are roboteers, Shotarou yells for everyone to flee.
He, or rather the remote control for Tetsujin, is their target, and there
doesn't appear to be any help nearby.  Of course appearances can be deceiving,
and it just so happens that Kodama and Suzune have hidden the Geneon nearby.
When they board it though, Suzune is startled to find herself in a
standard-issue-for-the-genre (meaning super skimpy) flight suit.  Kodama can't
believe his luck, but there's one thing to get straight (no not THAT thing)
before charging into battle.  When it's the two of them in the cockpit, he's
not to call Suzune "teacher".  Strictly first-name basis.  Got that?  Good.

 Truth be told, Suzune is kind of scared about the prospect of being in
 combat; who wouldn't be?  She's determined to stick with Kodama though, even
 if it means a few "admiring" comments from the ladykiller snipers on the
 team.  Said team shows up in short order, and a good thing too since a second
 group of assailants are also waiting in the wings.  They don't seem to be of
 Earth origin (never mind them talking about firing at "those with the Sun
 within them") and the situation might almost be dire if not for, well, yet
 more reinforcements... this time from the much-maligned Federation Army.

 Say hello to Camille and company, including the Ner Argama and its dubious-
 sounding captain Otto Mitas.  They quickly join the battle, and Camille
 notices that his words are "echoing" in his mind -- there's someone around
 here with whom he can converse psychically, though whoever they are isn't as
 mature in their abilities as, say, Amuro.

After losing this many mecha, the Robot Mafia will likely lay low for a while,
which is good if the Earth has a new batch of invaders on its hands.  Since the
Ner Argama was hot on said aliens' heels when this battle got going, Jeffrey
wants to swap info with them.  The School City Guards are to get back to their
hiking ASAP so as not to cause further panic, and thanks to Suzune's
conversational prowess that's precisely what happens.

Time for Real Talk between Kaname and Sousuke.  Kaname wants to get to know him
better, asking kindly about his past schools and so forth.  He doesn't tell her
the truth, but doesn't entirely lie either: he stays in touch with friends from
his past, and cherishes the new friends he's made here.  As for past
girlfriends, a comrade once told him that no woman would ever become his lover,
even were he to scour the ends of the Earth.  Kaname laughs at this, both
amused and endeared by Sousuke's serious, puzzled demeanor.  He a total weirdo,
and maybe that's why she likes him so much.

Then again, there's the little matter of the massive deadfall pit that Sousuke
dug, into which about ten of their classmates have just fallen.  Kaname _had_
been in the middle of thanking him, but now she decrees that Sousuke and his
entire crew just got themselves garbage duty for the next week!  Yeah, you knew
it was too early in the game for romantic progress to stick.  Saji certainly
earned points with his classmates for his cool-headedness during the fracas.
Knowing that Kouji and co. are busting ass for everyone's safety, he
rededicates himself to doing likewise, in his own way.  Banarj has a lot to
think about too: what _was_ that strange sensation he felt as he was fleeing
the battle?  Almost like someone was talking to him and stuff...

By the by, you should make a point of visiting the D-Traders between missions:
AG always has something entertaining to talk about.  For example, this being
Suzune's first battle, he's got an explanation of how the flight suits work:
they're a reflection of what's inside the pilot's heart.  Some people go all
monstered-out, some people like Kodama reflect some steely (or desperate
resolve), and some people display... other characteristics.  In other words,
Suzune has nobody to blame for the sexy lines of her suit but... herself.  And
she should be grateful that the auto-focusing cockpit displays make her glasses
unnecessary.

---------------
CHAPTER 5N. Malice Steals In

It's a perfect day for hiking, if you go in for such things, which this posse
of pilots clearly don't.  "Guarding the city" sounds like a cool excuse for
playing hookey, at least until Suzune shows up and hears the whole thing.  Her
desires to be helpful and guard the city too are sadly crushed by such a
display of bad studentship, and her almost tearful admonition to be faithful
students while the team can has them all hanging their heads in shame.  After
they resolve to do better, Suzune invites the team to go see a movie with
her... one entitled *drumroll please* "Celestial Being"!

Think of this as the Michael Bay version of the CB's shadowy battle against the
Innovators: big explosions, melodramatic lines delivered with a jumbo-sized
helping of cheese, and not a shred of respect for historical accuracy.  Like,
the casting couldn't have been more off if Shyamalan had been in charge, and
the formerly diminutive Double-0 Riser became a full-fledged Super Robot.  And
Mazinger's cameo appearance was as a 200-meter tall giant of light!  And the
villains: a superstitious, cowardly lot.  Suzune isn't entirely surprised that
the actual heroes of that battle might find the film jarring, and points out
that whitewash like this may be part of the healing process for the
Federation's collective psyche.

The weird part comes when Kouji complains that the real-life cast was far
bigger than that in the film.  He and Alto are both stricken by sudden, sharp
headaches, but those get quickly forgotten when they spot Saji and friends [see
5H] among the audience.  This time around Saji was a bit sad that his part in
history was cut entirely from the film, though he's obliged to keep that a
secret from his current classmates.  On this route, they were tagging along
with Saji as he looked in on Louise, and were planning to head to Fumo-Fumo
Land next.

Plans change abruptly when something explodes nearby, causing Saji to lead his
friends to safety while the City Guard get to work.  Since there's no time lag
in summoning the Geneon, Kodama and Suzune get there first (with the same
dialog about her new flightsuit and her insistence on first-names only), and
clearly were _not_ who the bad guys expected.  But since their mission is
camouflage anyway, they don't much care who's fighting them so long as it makes
the news.

  The Ner Argama crew show up first this time, and once again the captain
  doesn't exactly inspire the highest confidence.  The cavalry show up just in
  time to see a bunch of Neo Jion troops appear, led by the Fortified Human
  Gyunei.  He and Camille instinctively square off, as it starts to sink in
  that Neo Jion has just effectively declared war on the Federation.

  And in particular, Gyunei's declared war on Camille, even though Camille has
  no clue what he's done to deserve the business.

Now, what would Lee Corso say if he were here?  "NOT SO FAST!"  The bad guys
may have been using Neo Jion mobile suits, but they never actually _named_
themselves as NJ forces; there's always the chance that _someone_ simply stole
the NJ hardware and is causing trouble for other reasons.  Guess Otto's going
to have to be careful writing up this battle, huh?

It goes down like this: the Londo Bell, under Bright Noah's command, are
worried about suspicious activities within Neo Jion.  Therefore they've
dispatched forces like the Ner Argama (which your team gets invited aboard) to
sniff around, leveraging the legendary persistence of the Echoes members on the
crew.  Said sniffing turned up a group of MS's entering the atmosphere, which
you just fought.

Meanwhile, Kaname runs into the team in the middle of town.  She's towing
Sousuke along behind, enraged that he ruined the hike by setting a plethora of
traps and snares throughout the wilderness.  Where were Kodama and the others
to keep Sousuke in check?!  Where indeed.  Suzune's not above stretching the
truth (to the breaking point) to cover for the team, and while Kaname will take
her word, she's still got some punishment in store for the team when they get
back to school.

See the other path for Saji and Banarj's conversation at the subway gates.

----------
CHAPTER 6H. The Shadow of War Clouds
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
See the other path for staff introductions once the S.M.S. rendezvous with the
Ner Argama.  Meanwhile, Camille fills in the ADW folks on what the old Jion
empire meant to the Spacenoids of the UCW: the embodiment of all their
aspirations and frustrations with the Earth-based Federation government.  The
decade-old civil war they started didn't end with the cessation of hostilities:
plenty of Colonists still harbor the same resentments and ever, and a decent
fraction of the Jion army escaped from the conflict intact to await a chance to
reboot the war.

Certainly the Neo-Jion entry into the current Federation strikes many as a way
to stall for time.  Their rep is a woman named Hamarn Khan, babe extraordinaire
and serious political operative who also just so happens to have crossed
swords (that is, beam sabers) with Camille.  He can personally attest to how
bad a mamma jamma she is: a more than zealous advocate for the plight of the
Spacenoids, and certainly equal to rhetorical battles with the ideological
remnants of the Titans and Blue Cosmos still festering within the Federation.

Camille's read is that open warfare isn't currently in the cards: it would take
a serious spark to touch off that powder keg.  After all, even Hamarn doesn't
have the support of _all_ of the Spacenoids; some of whom are even seeking ways
to resurrect the Zabi bloodline.  The last known member of which is a ten year
old girl named Mineva.  If Camille is somehow called upon to intervene, he'll
have to do it without the Zeta Gundam for the time being, as Anaheim is
overhauling it at their lunar base.  Mind, the Zeta hadn't been _due_ for
maintenance, but it's _probably_ not some deep-seated nefarious plot or
anything.

Anyway, Kodama reckons that Mineva's tender years won't keep her from being
touted as a symbol of unification, especially if doing so would soften the
Federation's stance toward the Neo Jion.  If Camille's intuition from meeting
Mineva is correct, that process may have begun all the way back in the
Interdimensional War.  If so, perhaps his current anxiety is out of the very
real fear of Hamarn's Pressure?

Anyways, enough philosophy.  The Ner Argama is the successor to AEUG's
Argama battle cruiser, and that means a long legacy of hauling around eccentric
prototype mecha and their equally eccentric pilots.  Especially given how no
sister ships were ever built, it's the perfect vessel to run around conducting
trials while the rest of the Londo Bell do real work.  The trial du jour
involves the Rizel, something like a mass-production Metas, and #2 pilot Lidy
is hoping he can make something of a name for himself by outflying his famous
wingman (good luck with that).  He'll get his chance, if the Neo Jion(?) units
the team is pursuing keep up their evil ways.

The new batch of Neo Jion(?) forces are all using last-generation mecha that
would certainly _seem_ to underscore the idea that Neo Jion is an ill-equipped
fringe group.  Then again, maybe that's what they want you to think -- it's
obvious that this bunch is doing nothing to hide their presence, which says any
one of several unpalatable things about their real intentions.  Until such time
as he's got a clear reason to hate on them, Kodama asks Suzune to help him
avoid shooting out anyone's cockpit as they do their part in the battle.  Fine
with her.

 Camille's fated rival Gyunei is among the second enemy wave, making it seem
 all the more certain that Neo Jion, Inc.(tm) and not some copycat crew are
 behind the attack.  Such shows of force are risky though, especially if
 Interested Parties(tm) like the Tuatha de Danaan are waiting in the wings.
 Tessa's next-gen submarine may not be one-shot-one-kill on everyone, but the
 assistance is easily enough to (further) turn the battle in the good guys'
 favor.

Tessa and friends dive beneath the waves before leaving so much as a "'Sup" to
her erstwhile battalion -- places to go, people to do, things to see etc.  The
hilarity of Michelle etc. meeting her will have to wait; for now, the question
isn't so much how Neo Jion will explain away this raid, but rather how the
Federation will explain how inept they were at intercepting it.  Certainly
today's opponents _seem_ like proper Neo Jion troops, and upon reflection this
deniable action seems more calculated to gauge -- and hopefully provoke --
Federation reaction than to do any meaningful damage in its own right.  If
Neo Jion can claim that the Feds are the ones to start the next war, it'll do
wonders for their cause among the fence-sitting majority of Colonists.

Camille's greatest fear is that such a strategy, if true, would ultimately be
the work of Quatro, that is Char Aznable, himself.  The former Jion ace has
been making nice as the AEUG commander, but nothing prevents him from taking up
his old standard against his new friends.  Nothing forces that either, of
course -- Camille would love to believe that fighting Treize taught Char a
lesson in the futility of such warfare.  For now, it's down to the old cliche
of "fight the enemy you can see" as the school kids return to Neo Tokyo 2 and
leave Camille to his test piloting.

Surprising no one, the raid was in fact _precisely_ designed to gauge
Federation sentiment towards the Colonies.  The operation was the brainchild
of minister Gaizas, who seems to think such actions will galvanize the will of
the people in support of Char.  He's quite happy to undermine Mineva in the
process; Hamarn may not be _happy_ as such, but she's willing to go along if it
means furthering the world's destiny.  Mind, none of this mess would be
necessary if Char had just manned up and led Jion to victory, but if he won't
fulfill his (supposed) destiny, Hamarn is more than happy to do so instead.


----------
CHAPTER 6N. Dark Clouds Anew

See the other path for your first glimpse of Hamarn doing the political thing.
We also get Camille and co. fretting about it, with Kodama helpfully chipping
in that the _Internet_ says that Mineva is being manipulated by some secret
ringmaster -- older than her -- from the shadows.  Introductions then
commence, with Lidy feigning modesty before challenging Camille to a duel for
the top ace spot.  This isn't really malice; he's got some Deep Dark Secret(tm)
causing him to need to prove himself to his father, who he feels he can't face
until said proof is in hand.

Emma and Camille explain to the others that the Ner Argama's ended up as a kind
of one-off testbed for new technologies after AEUG was integrated into the
regular Federation Army.  Hence why he's flying around in a crappy Rizel (an
evolved Metas, basically) instead of the Z Gundam -- which has been rather
suddenly brought in for repairs.

The next mission doesn't take long to arrive: recon has spotted the hideout
of the dudes the team just finished shooting full of lead.  Is it a Neo-Jion
plot?  The team will have to find out without the detective skills of
Shotarou and the other kids, who Daguza can't conscion mixing up into a
military operation (not that he doubts their abilities, as such).  Mind you,
Watta and Shotarou have ways of "helping" the operation even if they've
been ordered to wait...

For the mission, the team is being divided into a forward and two reserve
squads, with Kodama volunteering for forward duty.  Charging into an enemy
stronghold sounds like daunting work for a high schooler, but Kodama's faced
plenty worse when helping his Beast Hunter father.  Daguza's seen his share
of hunting people, but neither he nor anyone else is prepared for what they
find in the hideout -- deserted rooms.

The bad guys not only anticipated the team's arrival, but they've been lying
in wait using their new "Stealth Shadow System".  Given their number, it
seems the remains of the Robot Mafia mean to make their last stand her... which
would be a lot easier to take if the "A" team wasn't stuck on foot in the
deserted bunker.  Apparently this is precisely what Shotarou and Watta have
been waiting for, and they swoop in to ferry Team A to safety.  Some time in
the last couple paragraphs they found time to do a detailed investigation of
this whole region, learning not only that the Robot Mafia were lurking around,
but even what lab they stole the SSS system from.

Evidently a gaping plot hole or two is worth it to show Daguza how big a
fuddy-duddy ageist he's being.  That out of the way, it's time to get back to
killing things -- things including a bunch of mysterious new UFOs that appear
out of nowhere and start shooting.  Given that they're textbook flying
saucers, and that they're referring to the locals as "those imbued with the
Sun", odds are good that they're _genuine_ aliens, and that this terrorist-
hunting mission just turned into something far more dire...

 Then again, the TdD is lurking beneath the waves nearby (introductions on the
 other path).  How dangerous could a few random aliens be?

In the case of these particular aliens, not at all.  The bad news is neither
they, nor the Robot Mafiosi, constitute anything like a clue to Neo Jion's
whereabouts.  The worse news is that the Earth is in jeopardy from alien
forces AGAIN.  The good news?  Daguza respects Shotarou a hell of a lot more.
See the other side for Camille discussing why the Fed's response to the
previous (seemingly) Neo Jion raid will be an important gauge of whether the
Spacenoids can really expect much love from the Feds... or if, as he fears,
war is inevitable, and Char will lead the charge.

As though aliens and civil war weren't threatening enough, there's Kaname to
deal with back at school.  Everyone keeps passing the buck to Sousuke, who
is the last person Kaname is likely to take excuses from.  Her verdict as
class rep is that ALL of them get to pick up trash during next week's
field trip...


---------
CHAPTER 7. Looming Trap

The big field trip to Okinawa is at hand, and you could cut the tension in the
TdD's bridge with a knife.  Tessa instead cuts it with mention of how she
too once lived in Okinawa, posing as a normal schoolgirl and admired by all
during a brief window between stints in military base education.  Since this
makes for crappy conversation, she and her command staff start reviewing
intelligence reports instead.  Why would Russian terrorists have info on "Her"?
Presumably they're building on data from an abandoned Human Progress League
(remember them?) lab, and if so, taking out their scientists should put an
end to things.  Tessa authorized an armed strike to keep collateral damage to
a minimum, but it'll be no cakewalk, given a certain old foe of Mithril's will
be on the battlefield.

Before long, word comes in that the terrorist lab has been blown up, and with
it, all immediate threat to Kaname.  Guess it's time to pull her guards out
of high school and get back to bigger and better things.  Said guards are, as
previously ordered, busy picking up garbage throughout Fumo-Fumo Land instead
of "enjoying" themselves as Kaname sees it, and it's messing her lovely
vaycay up something fearsome.  Sure, she's kinda the one who gave the order,
but what's the deal with Sousuke deliberately knocking over trashcans in her
path, just so he can clean them up again?  Checking for traps, as usual.

Kaname's on the verge of b4nz0r1ng Sousuke from their school when Bonta-kun
shows up.  This is some kind of interspecies mascot with a speech impediment,
and what on Earth could be more suspicious than that?  As Sousuke sensibly
goes to check inside Bonta-kun for assassins, Kaname lets him have it and
stalks off in a huff.  When he comes to, Kurtz is on hand to let him know the
team's been relieved of their mission -- and that he's been given leave to
finish out this trip as a regular student.  Sounds good to him: all experiences
are worth having -- and in that spirit, Kurtz disappears to hit on chicks at
the beach or whatnot.

Did I say beach?  Geography reminder for the Japan-challenged: Okinawa is the
Japanese Hawaii, with slightly more seasonal water temperatures (for example,
it's too early for swimming just now) and copious amounts of beach.  You'd be
surprised how much trash a beach can accumulate, and Sousuke is determined to
keep up the garbage-collecting for as long as he's still considered a student.
Hell, public service comes in more forms than just shooting bad guys, so the
other pilots decide to pitch in.

If you didn't already get the rundown on the Michael Bay-ified "Celestial
Being" movie, Kazama pops up and starts the conversation now.  He is 157%
mecha otaku, and well-enough informed about how the relevant mecha really work
that the highly fictionalized versions do him moral outraeg... something the
pilots on the team can certainly understand.

Off to the side however, Sousuke and Kodama are having something of a M2M
(that's "man-to-man" talk, for those who don't speak TLA) where Sousuke is
called to account for not just leaving the whole Mithril thing behind and
staying as a regular school student... or at least, spending part of his life
doing so, like Kouji and co.  That may simply not be in Sousuke's nature, but
the better question is, why doesn't _Kodama_ do the same?  Sousuke isn't one to
pry, but Kodama knows he's got a point -- he's afraid to know "its" true
identity, and that's keeping him in a sort of stasis...

Now Kaname no longer needs(?) guarding, care to know what all the fuss is
about?  Mithril has passed documents to the S.M.S. and Ner Argama that name
her a "Whispered", a _very_ select group of humans appearing both in ADW and
UCW and known to only a handful of the most trusted military and scientific
minds.  Their abilities (which the commanders don't read aloud for the
audience) could turn the world upside down -- making it a pretty good thing
that the bad guys searching for them are now dead, right?  RIGHT?

Yeah, we thought so.  Unrelated to that, sensors detect the same yahoos
who've been razzing Neo-Tokyo 2 deployed in the course of the Angel: probably
one last gasp of mayhem before their organization collapses.  Sadly, this
means that the field trip to Okinawa is _definitely_ over, the cover story
being that the bus the pilots were on broke down and "delayed" their rendezvous
with the rest of their classmates.  Isn't it nice to have a teacher as a
co-conspirator?

Speaking of whom, we get a bit more high school angst from Kodama, who's so
determined to become self-sufficient that he's sortied without a wingman.
She knows he and Sousuke had a little M2M, but Kodama won't tell even her what
about.  All he manages to say is a cryptic "I'll kick you out of the Geneon
eventually," which sounds a bit like what happened to AIC's back anime
catalog.  The bad guys are mostly Astrageian: outlaws who refused the general
call for their people to integrate into Earth society.

 The bad guys aren't quite as dumb as they look -- they've set an encirclement
 trap for the team.  ...Which in practical terms only means that there's more
 of them within arms' reach to kill, especially when Dancougar Nova shows up
 at the TdD's orders.  Or maybe not: word is that the shuttle with the normal
 high schoolers (and Sousuke) has been hijacked en route back to Tokyo.  That
 requires a quick end to this battle, and Kodama now has a wingman whether he
 wanted one or not.

Terrorists shot full of holes, the team hurries off after the hijacked plane,
some inarticulate resolve gripping our main character.  They'd better hurry, as
said plane is headed for an airport in the independent nation-state of Hanka,
and with Rk-92 "Savages" as an escort.  Gaulun needs a hostage to face the
cameras of the world, and elects Kaname of all people despite her objections
that she's the worst possible spokesman on the plane.  Her teacher reads Gaulun
the riot act, and he's about to drop his carefree act and shoot her until a
kid in the back "accidentally" drops his tray.  A brief staring contest ensues
and Gaulun decides to let the teacher die another day, unless of course Kaname
wants to resist.  She doesn't.

In case you're wondering why Sousuke didn't try to intervene till now, well,
he did.  _Duo_ (who was also on the plane) stopped him, telling him that he
needs to think more before he acts.  He and Hiiro are here to help!


----------
CHAPTER 8. Fighter Boy Meets Girl

Fat lot of good it did, destroying the enemy lab.  About the only shred of
hope in this debacle is that some Preventer agents have stolen aboard the
hijacked plane -- all other signs point to an enemy that far exceeds anything
MITRHIL was expecting.  Their foe, whoever it is, has demonstrated the
willingness to kidnap 400 people just to take one them into custody, AND the
intellect to do so in one of the most politically intractable corners of the
world.  Tessa judges that Hanka probably doesn't want its sovereignty
threatened by a prolonged hostage drama, and expects the other 399 people to
get released via political channels... whereat Mithril would ride to Kaname's
rescue.  Assuming, of course, that the bad guys play along -- and given that
one of the bad guys is serial assassin and airport bomber Gaulun, that's not a
given.  Karinin tells a surprised Tessa about a time when Gaulun was sent to
kill him and Sousuke by the HPL, a pursuit that led to an entire guerilla
village being wiped out by Gaulun and a wingman... and a cat-and-mouse exchange
in which Sousuke supposedly shot Gaulun dead.

Someone like Gaulun probably responds best to force, and Sousuke and friends
are in the best position to force open a path for the rest of the team.  Still,
if the bad guys know about (or worse, know how to _exploit_) the power of the
Whispered, there may be no choice but to use the ARX-7 Albarest.

None of the pilots know why Kaname is so valuable, finding nothing in her
family history that would suggest a motive for kidnapping.  Their ardor to
steal her and their other classmates back could be a double-edged sword if they
don't channel it properly, something which Team D could teach classes on.  They
as Dancougar Nova's pilots introduce themselves, adding that all of them have
put their day jobs (even supermodel Eiyda) on hold in the interest of
Justice(tm).  We get the brief recap of how their boss F.S. decided to work
_with_ Mithril instead of against it after several rounds of inadvertent
conflicts between the two groups.  In fact, Mithril has all sorts of
collaborators here and there, including the advance agent they sent into Hanka.
A certain someone with the callsign "Dog 1"...

Sousuke manages to find an opportune moment to slip away from the students,
and makes a passing guard pay dearly for momentarily leaving him uncovered.
His relief at acquiring a gun is interrupted when he runs into "Dog 1",
setting off a Mexican standoff that gets weird when Hiiro shows up,
apparently just out of a love of staring people down.  It falls to Duo to
restore sanity and make introductions, in which we find out that Kiriko is
currently serving as a Mithril merc.  Duo's his usual talkative self, maybe
feeling lonely without his Gundam (under lock and key somewhere on account of
being, um, "dangerous") but there's little time for reminiscence.

He and Hiiro have defused the bombs on the plane, and all that remains is to
take out the guards on board and get the darn thing airborne again.  Kiriko's
job initially is to be recovering Kaname (being held separately), but after
another brief staring contest Hiiro declares that Sousuke seems best suited
for that task.  Kiriko's role will instead be to create a diversion, and Duo
is left wondering if the three are communicating via Neural Wave (a la the
Innovators) or something.

Sousuke has little trouble making his way to Kaname's room (taking out her
guards along the way).  She's been held in something like a Clockwork Orange-
style chair, being shown a long string of nonsense words that one of her
captors claims should be familiar to her.  Nor does she have any clue why the
captor called her a "Whispered", or what that even means in the first place.
No time to ponder though, as the diversions outside literally start with a
bang.  Kaname's going to have to trust that he knows what he's doing from
here on out...

Kiriko is doing his best impression of a one-man army, shooting people and
armored mecha with equal aplomb.  Gaulun figures only one of those crazy
Votoms bastards could pull that off, and can even guess which one.  What he
can't do, however, is seemingly hire competent help, judging by how Kaname
_and_ the jetful of hostages have just escaped.

Kaname is on the verge of a meltdown, and demands that Sousuke explain all
this horror at once.  He tells her that he's been watching her from before his
transfer into school, and that apparently she's got something special about her
that makes certain military organizations want to use her as their guinea pig.
He was posted by Mithril to keep that from happening, and maybe - JUST maybe -
he's not been play-acting at being a Sergeant all this time.  Unfortunately,
Gaulun comes on the scene at this point, and whatever he's piloting, it is NOT
your average A.S.  He finally recognizes Sousuke as "Kasshim" from back in the
day, and wonders how he and that coward Karinin are doing.

Sousuke asks the better question: how's Gaulun still alive?  Simple enough,
really -- the guy has a titanium plate in his head from a previous injury.  He
even volunteers why he kidnapped Kaname: he's on a bit of a treasure hunt for
certain Black Technology that's embedded in her brains.  Stuff like, how to use
the Lambda Driver, a device they say could make even nukes obsolete.  Seeing
that Sousuke has no clue what he's talking about, Gaulun brings the lecture to
an end... which is more or less the opening Kiriko needed to lay down
suppressing fire so Sousuke can get Kaname the hell out of here.

Gaulun is amused by this, and decides to see just how long the famed Kiriko
can last.  As long as it takes, evidently, so that Kiriko can give himself and
Fiana the life they've wanted in this chaotic new world.  Kaname takes some
convincing to believe that Sousuke really can get her out of this safely, but
comes around just in time to watch Kiriko's heroics.  Just as reinforcements
arrive though, Gaulun decides that he's had enough of this and activates his
Lambda Driver.

 Result: Kiriko's mech is trashed in VERY short order, though he himself
 manages to miraculously eject at the last second.  Seeing that something
 quite supernatural seems to be going on, Jeffrey hastily orders info about
 Gaulun's mech sent to the TdD.  Gaulun calls in some Firebugs as
 reinforcements, and Kodama certainly isn't the most optimistic about chances
 for survival.

 As for Kaname, the prospect of Sousuke leaving her side, especially
 permanently if she reads his plan to run off and "create a diversion"
 correctly, is more than she can bear.  Whatever he does, she wants to be at
 his side -- in essence, she wants him to start valuing his own life more, a
 theme that Hiiro can relate to.  See, he stayed behind to look after Kaname
 after leaving Duo to pilot the shuttle.

 Kaname's been thinking about the weird videos they were showing her, lists
 of vocabulary and military technique that somehow roll off her tongue
 despite their total unfamiliarity.  Or maybe not so unfamiliar after all:
 this Black Technology seems to be something she knew from before she was
 even born.  Hiiro didn't come here to question her though: he's to guard her
 while Sousuke handles his business in Mithril's new mech, the Albarest.
 Its AI is codenamed "Al", and given what it cost to build he'd darn well
 better bring it back in one piece.

 As the battle wears on, Sousuke realizes that there's no hope of victory
 while Gaulun's still standing.  Somehow Kaname realizes it too, ascertaining
 that Gaulun's using some sort of Black Technology.  But so, as it turns out,
 is the Albarest.  When Gaulun lands what should be a fatal blow, Al informs
 Sousuke that its "Lambda Driver" is online -- though it refuses to tell him
 what that actually is.  In some kind of a trance, Kaname tells Hiiro that
 she _does_ know what it is, and realizes that Sousuke doesn't know how to
 use the darn thing.  Making sense of the stream of words in her head is
 VERY hard work, but her habitual determination pays off in the end.

 What the Lambda Driver does, as she frantically explains via Hiiro's
 walkie-talkie, is take images inside your head and make them physically
 real -- like how Sousuke just wished _really_ hard to be protected.  If he
 can focus, offense is possible too -- but the level-headed Sousuke needs
 something to focus _on_.  The mere suggestion of the "torments" waiting for
 Kaname if he loses does nothing, so Kaname has to spell out in minute detail
 what salacious things the bad guys will do to her naked body.  Distracting
 to the other pilots perhaps, but highly motivating to Sousuke

A little teamwork later and Gaulun is back to being an unpleasant memory, one
Sousuke reckons he'll not dredge up soon, if ever.  Word comes in that the
plane with all the students is safely away too, meaning it's time to blow this
popsicle stand.  The cat, by the way, is now totally out of the bag about
Sousuke and his gang of cut-ups being Kaname's secret protectors.  Fine by her.

Now, Sousuke's had a bit of basic physics, and no textbook _he's_ ever heard
of could account for what the Lambda Driver did today.  Karinin points out
that many of Mithril's technologies, including ECS and the very propulsion
system the TdD uses, are all apparent violations of the Laws of Physics(tm).
Food for thought: why the hell are sci-fi robots running around the battlefield
these days like it's some kind of sci-fi novel?  Maybe because... it's a sci-fi
video game?  Or maybe it's because these "Whispered" have been raising the
bar behind these scenes?  Karinin of course can neither confirm or deny, but
he advises Sousuke to keep the thought in the back of his mind.  For now,
Kaname (resting in a Neo-Tokyo 2 hospital after her ordeal) should be protected
by disinformation circulating to the effect that her Whispered tests came back
negative.  But a little insurance wouldn't hurt.

Kaname isn't mad at all that her friends kept their Heroes of Justice personae
hidden -- she probably would have too.  Kodama has to admit that all the phone
calls she peppered him with are the main reason he made friends around here,
and Sousuke (who pops up from nowhere) informs Kaname that he will _not_ be
transferring out of this school just yet: he's her "insurance", or whatever.

Sousuke sees the G-Boys off, offering Hiiro a "Calorie Friend" energy drink
as a token of thanks for helping save his and Kaname's life.  Hiiro won't
admit that this was anything more than him executing his mission, surprising
no one, and it's Duo's job to relate the G-Boy's next destination: the
Colonies.  They're on bodyguard duty for Rilina and Marina, and Sousuke wishes
them luck in battle, till they meet again.


-------------
[Route Split]

What's more suspicious than a bunch of kids who just HAPPEN to transfer into
a given high school all at once?  How about a group of kids who pilot big-ass
robots and might get their faces in the news at any moment?  Kids with a
funny penchant for skipping class _en_masse_ and being conveniently
elsewhere(-ish) when trouble happens.  Kaname thinks she's got the solution:
register all the pilots as members of a bogus "school club", with affiliates
at a nearby elementary school (read: Watta and Shotarou).  To wit: the
Volunteer Club!

The sales pitch runs afoul of the Student Council President, who's hesitant
to accept an untested club with only vague promises of "boosting the school's
profile".  He offers Kaname a solution though: two in fact, depending on which
of the school's most pressing problems she's willing for her people to
Volunteer for.  Would she rather: go hunting a pervert spotted near campus?
Or, bolster the ranks of the school's existing clubs?  Since Suzune will be
the club's academic advisor, the choice falls to her.

 If you choose to hunt the pervert, go to Chapter 9P.
 If you choose to support the clubs, go to Chapter 9S.

In any case, the President introduces the Student Council's newest member,
Special Adjunct Sagara, in charge of public safety.  It'll be a test of his
abilities to see if he can do that job, AND his Volunteer Club activities,
at the same time.


----------
CHAPTER 9P. The Sorrowful Beastman

Lidy is still itching to boost his skills in mock combat, and is having a
hell of a time getting people to join him.  Kiriko's a total wash, and Team D
has other plans: watching the students make an ass out of themselves.  The
"pervert" du jour is known to the terrorized townsfolk as the "Ponyman", on
account of having the upper body (and speed, and carrot addiction, etc.) of an
actual horse.  Kodama's looked up all the info from the UN's "Occult Forum",
and is far more talkative about this supernatural stuff than he's ever been
about himself.  Suzune seems in the loop too, and Kodama's sudden UNwillingness
to talk about how they know each other online gets all the tongues wagging.

But anyway, this "Ponyman" character has two other loathsome habits, both of
which Kyouko got to experience just last night.  One, he shouts "Pony" all
the time, and two, he forcibly makes women's hairstyles over into ponytails.
This is one WEIRD weirdo, who's got hell to pay for messing with _this_ bunch's
classmate.  The full might of Takeo General Company can't be thrown into the
hunt without paying overtime, but Watta's got the next best thing: a dog
called Jonathan.  Yup, super reassuring.

The plan is this: women from the team will wander conspicuously around town,
with guards shadowing them, ready to pounce.  Watta and Shotarou will be
pounding the pavement, and Kodama and Sousuke will be the roving attack squad.
Kodama sees no pattern in Ponyman's attacks, reckoning that he(?)'s acting
on spur-of-the-moment impulse instead of some master plan -- translation: fixed
snares won't work.

Kodama is wondering why Alto stuck him with Sousuke, especially when they run
into a lady cop who immediately mistakes Sousuke's attempt at parlay as an
admission of guilt.  She starts whyling out like a mo-fo, and the two boys
have no choice but making a run for it.  Unfortunately, they no sooner catch
their breath than they run into the cop's friends... of all people, Ryouma
and Viral @_@  After a brief exchange of blows, both sides realize that the
other isn't to be trifled with -- so Sousuke orders Kodama to hurry ahead while
he holds these two off.  Ryouma runs fast, but with Boost Mode, Kodama can
run even faster.

Turns out that Ponyman struck, choosing Alto over all the women in the team.
What they find when they surround the culprit isn't the chimera Kodama was
hoping for, but rather a dude in a mascot head -- a dude whose real head
Kaname wants to rip off after all this bother.  But he's got a strange ally:
_real_ Beastmen from what used to be called the Black Continent.  They spirit
him to safety, griping about all the lame-o rules the humans've imposed on
them of late.  Well it's payback time, and they've brought equine Gunmen to
settle the score!

Kodama can't summon the Geneon so soon after using Boost, and with nobody else
anywhere near their mecha, things are looking grim for the city.  At least,
until Bonta-kun shows up (to the strains of the thinly-veiled A-team anthem).
As usual nobody's sure what species Bonta-kun is, and it's up to Johnny and
his infinite supply of men's magazine knowledge to explain that Bonta-kun is,
in fact, an amusement park mascot.  And therefore disappointingly harmless.
Uh huh.  Well, even as a distraction he buys time for the team to flee and
wait for the Quarter to show up, though Kaname's got a strange feeling about
this adorable... creature.

The Beastmen think Bonta-kun is a friend at first, until it starts talking
severe smack about their parents in obscenities beyond human speech's power
to transcribe.  The grudge match is on, and shortly Ryouma shows up in a very
bad mood.  Viral encourages him to kick all their asses, except for the
whatever-it-is with the flak jacket.  Piece of cake, which of course means
that there's another wave of bad guys waiting in the wings.  Wait, did I say
bad guys?  I meant to say "hapless targets".

Backstory: Ryouma's on a martial arts training trip, not giving a fuck (his
words) where his teammates are at present.  Among his many talents is speaking
Fumo, or at least grasping it on animal instinct.  Oh, and he's Kouji's martial
arts teacher.  The end.  Let the killing commence, at least if the bridge
bunnies can keep their minds on their consoles at not the mascot laying down
suppressing fire nearby.

 I suppose it's worth pointing out that the Beastmen are officially now
 integrated into Earth society, after the Dark Continent became integrated
 into this new world.  These appear to be some of the remaining malcontents,
 and Viral is happy to put them back into their proverbial cages.

Not that he doesn't recognize their resentment -- he once harbored it himself,
before he met a certain someone he now trusts with all his heart.  It somehow
falls to Ponyman to inspire similar feelings for humans in the reprobate
Beastmen, which is about as surreal as it gets.  Viral and Ryouma are already
planning their next get-together, which will involve a shitload of alcohol and
participation from Simon and the crew as well.

As for Ponyman, let's just say his affinity for ponytails is WAAAY off the
charts, and since they're out of fashion just now, he decided he had to
remedy the situation.  Noble, if you don't count the borderline sexual assault
angle and whatnot.  Youko, the lady cop, isn't about to do that, nor for that
matter is Suzune.  As the penitent perv gets hauled off, Sousuke shows up to
explain how awesome his micro-mecha Bonta-kun is.  Well, except for the busted
voice-converter, which rendered his speech incomprehensible and couldn't be
shut off without depowering the whole contraption.  Everyone else is
speechless, and with a vicious disregard for technological progress, Kaname
smacks him hard with her harisen...

The following morning, the team are happily yawning to each other about the
night's exploits.  Alto has proven himself once again to be a born leader,
and Kaname puts him in tactical charge of the Volunteer Club's, err,
"extracurricular" activities.  Kagome will content herself with being the
club's "manager".  And surprise surprise, who should be the school's new
assistant janitor but Ryouma, who's conveniently run out of funds for his
training trip and needs a bit of work.  Well, it'll certainly make the
club's job easier to do...


----------
CHAPTER 9S. Overdone War Cry

As on the other path, Lidy is having trouble getting people to spar with him.
That's probably for the best though, since Katsu _did_ get Mao to agree to
train him, and by the looks of things it'll be a shotakon horrorshow that will
either leave him an elite pilot, or institutionalized for life.  Lidy and
Camille wisely clear out and leave Katsu to Mao's tender mercies.

As for the Volunteer Club's mission, the issue is this: the rugby club is NOT
peopled by homicidal maniacs as usual, but rather a bunch of tea-serving
primates with no shred of competitive drive in the least.  Alto, the inverse
of their female-in-a-male's-shell affect, can't stand it, and even the student
council president has lost patience with these goons' ten-year losing streak.
Either they win their next match, and he reconsiders revoking their charter
in the interest of "student self-governance", or they lose and the club is
dissolved on the spot.

The opponent is as victorious as this lot is hopeless, but the Volunteer
Club's got no shortage of brawn to contribute to the war effort.  In a _real_
emergency, they can even send Klan in -- even Miclonized (into what looks like
a grade-schooler) she's more than equal to a typical adult human male in
combat.  Then again, there's captain Kyouda and his attachment to playing the
game "fairly".  The whole reason these folks made a rugby club is that they
love the sport, win or (mostly) lose.  And he really _does_ want to win,
despite his team's fear of the mildest scrum.  Alto respects this, but promises
that he intends to _make_ them win by the time the match rolls around.

Kodama suggests the training method: lots of running and whatnot on a nearby
mountain.  His plan is to teach the team viscerally what it means to confront
nature -- something humans periodically forget in all their evolutionary
progress.  This is something close to poetry, though he won't take credit for
the words -- nor is he yet ready to explain his former life as a Beast Hunter
with his dad.  Poetry aside, unless something happens to _fundamentally_
motivate these tubs of lard, all the intensive training they can physically
handle won't avail much at the match.

That "something" turns out to be Sousuke, who you might remember is a
_sergeant_, and well versed in R. Lee Ermy-style verbal abuse.  He takes
personal pleasure in badmouthing the team's fetishes for popular idols (Ranka
included, much to Alto's annoyance), and to be sure nothing's left to chance,
he's recruited Ryouma AND VIRAL as guest coaches.  Lucky Sousuke ran into them
when he visited the Quarter, isn't it (they were in the middle of martial arts
training travel and stopped in to say hi)?  Oh, and by "guest coach", what
Sousuke meant is they'll beat anyone incapable of running away from them.  But
don't despair for the effete lard-boys: Bobby has also stopped by from the
Quarter to reminisce about his days as a football player (not to be confused
with a futbol player).  Time was, people called the former quarterback the
"Black Demon of Dalmatian High", we're told.

I guess the idea is that if a flamingly gay dude can be a menace on the pitch,
the current team can too.  As the verbal abuse mounts, some random passers-by
get caught up in the pack of runners and find themselves fleeing for their
lives too.  Said passers-by are terrorists, and they eventually manage to
summon mecha reinforcements.  This triggers the same events as the other path,
where Bonta-kun emerges to hold the fort while Kodama and the others get to
temporary safety.

Apart from a certain sinister comment directed (silently) at Kouji, the battle
ends pretty much as it began: in a route for the former Firebugs currently on
the terror payroll.  Bonta-kun makes sure that all stragglers head for the
hills, before getting smacked by Kaname.  See the other side for the details
on Bonta-kun, and for Viral's parting from Ryouma.  As for the sinister bit
from Brocken, his head made for very good practice leading up to the rugby
match...  Which the team wins, largely by pulverizing the opposing players.
Kaname gets over it eventually, and as per the other side appoints Alto as
manager of the Volunteer Club.  And yeah, Ryouma's on the staff as assistant
janitor again too.


-------------
[Route Split]

Otto and Jeffrey report into Chief Ootsuka, head of the Federation Army's
Far East branch.  Ootsuka looks to Otto like your typical gladhanding R.E.M.F.,
but that impression doesn't last long.  Tokyo seems safe for now (at least,
until the next time someone goes and menaces Kaname), so focus now shifts
to a series of worldwide altercations between Earthnoids and Spacenoids, all
apparently provoked within otherwise cooperation-friendly arenas.  Lady Une,
commander of the Preventers as Treize would have wished, notes grimly that
several of these have turned into full-scale rioting, and several fatalities
have already resulted.

The only common thread, from what testimony she's been able to scrape
together, is that all the instigators were formerly known as peaceable folks
who never once evidenced the kind of rage and bloodlust as during the fighting.
Sadly, a little raeg goes a long way to touching off a mob, and a mob can
affect opinions far and wide.  Witness, for instance, the increasing likelihood
of Neo Jion actually declaring independence... and the rising vitriol of the
Federation hawks who would use force to quell it.  Who might fire the first
shot is now beside the point: full-scale revolutionary war is in the offing,
and there are very few people in a position to react.  Thus, Lady Une wants
the team to assist Preventer agents she's already dispatched to the Colonies
in a bid to stop the war.

Sounds tough, huh?  Like, maybe the plot won't let the war be stopped?  Well
if it's any consolation, the Crusher squad is being recalled to help keep
the Far East safe: the Ner Argama can go pretty much wherever it wants.  Otto's
original mission (as he sees it) was to "oppose" Neo Jion, so this new
mission to "preempt" an outbreak of war sounds a bit limp-wristed to him.
All the same, it's off to L1 for the Ner Argama, with a stop along the way to
pick up some reps from Anaheim Electronics... no doubt for some SEEKRIT stuff.

The S.M.S. meanwhile will be partnering with Mithril for some operation whose
contents Ootsuka has taken great care _not_ to find out about.  At F.S.'s
orders, Team D and the other super robots will detach and remain in Japan for
guard duty (possibly against those yahoos over in Neo Tokyo-3).  It falls to
Jeffrey, as his commander, to figure out where Kodama will end up.

 For space, go to 10S.  For Japan, go to 10J.  And for Mithril, go to 10M.

Whatever you choose, it'd sure be a shame if this global society, so hard
won after the chaos of the Quakes, would go down in flames.  Then again, that
seems to be precisely what folks like Saigas Eirony (a one-star general, just
like Katy) desperately want.  All in the name of putting now Neo Jion, of
course.  Katy once figured Saigas for a first-rank pacifist, making his open
hostility to Lady Une a real puzzler.  Ya think maybe something fishy is
going on?


-----------
CHAPTER 10S. Colonial Commotion

Saji's got news to break to Louise: Anaheim is sending him to Industrial-7
for some exoatmospheric testing.  Louise would worry for his welfare anyway,
but space is especially perilous with all the Neo Jion business nowadays...
lucky for the two lovebirds, Micott and friends will be along to keep Saji
out of harm's way.  Banarj gets an extra special "you be careful too" on his
way out -- it seems both Louise and Saji see a bit of Setsuna in the kid.
Which TOTALLY ISN'T DUE TO HIM BEING A MAIN GUNDAM PROTAGONIST IN THE MAKING
or anything.  Noooo-ho-ho-siree-bob.  And hey, speaking of Setsuna, whaddya
suppose he's up to now?

Instead of finding out, we return to the Kodama show, where the little
workaholic fails to show even a shred of pleasure at graduating to the next
level of simulator mayhem.  He's now officially better (at mock combat, anyway)
than the vast majority of pilots out there... and all he can say is that it's
not enough.  Lidy makes a fine speech about how all humans want to push
their limits and hauls the kid off for some real dueling, leaving Camille to
fret about what's _really_ driving Kodama.

Suzune too is worried about her student/copilot/love interest, but her more
immediate worry is the deteriorating Earth-Space relations.  Katsu wonders
if someone mass-hypnotized all the riot provocateurs, and Suzune lightly
notes that nobody has the ability to pull anything like that.  Well, there
is _one_ person who does, but Camille can't fathom Zero using his Geass that
way after all he's been through.  Plus, why would Zero or anyone else for
that matter want to deliberately sabotage the pan-orbital peace process that
way?  It'd be far less bother for warmongers in the two factions to simply
start shooting at each other, for instance.

Emma judges that many of the ADW colonies, and the Plants, are overtly or
covertly sympathetic to Neo Jion.  Could it be that the UCW's Pan-Dimensional
War and the ADW's War of Rebirth are still raging on?  Dude, Captain
Foreshadowing: way to (rhetorically) state the obvious.

The Anaheim emissary is some dude named Albert Bist, and apparently he's in a
hurry to get to Industrial 7... AND a big enough dick that he won't give Otto
a straight answer as to why Otto should speed up the ship to get him there
sooner.  As Otto is in the middle of reminding this doofus that _he_'s in
command of the ship, an emergency message comes in from that Preventer agent:
riots are in the offing at the Side 4 colony Ariel.  That would be the same
Arial where Rilina and Marina are in the middle of a speaking engagement.

That speaking engagement goes from peaceful symposium to lynch mob in the
span of a few breaths, catching Rilina and Marina (and their aides) totally by
surprise.  The suddenly-violent crowd is about to lay hands on them when Duo
turns up and threatens the louts with gunfire.  With the VIPs safely out of the
room, the question becomes, who is this rioting going to attract?

Terrorists.  Ones that want Rilina and Marina as bargaining chips against those
who dare to speak of a unified space and Earth.  Ariel seems like a soft
target to them, but that's before they spot Hiiro in their flight path.
Rilina's enemies are _his_ enemies, after all.  And oh look, it's that Setsuna
guy, just in the nick of time.  Seems the CBs are still active, fighting terror
from the shadows just like Mithril.  Unfortunately, while saving Rilina and
Marina seems a worthy goal, Albert's got something even more vital to worry
about (or so he thinks anyway).

 Holy crap, a Skill Point that isn't entirely trivial to get!  Not that it's
 that hard either, given the token resistance the first wave of bad guys put
 up.  Their reinforcements are more interesting, including some Gundams
 equipped with Pseudo-GN Drives and an extra-special mech called the
 "Serpent".  It's piloted by Trois, who specifically wants Hiiro to come do
 battle with him.  Otto doesn't like the fact that these guys seem to be out
 for his blood more than the nearby colony's, but neither is he the sort to
 flee from the enemy.

 Trois leaves without too much of a fight -- his version of "sending a
 message", it would seem.  And the message is to "haul ass", before "it" is
 too late (whatever "it" is).

That's Setsuna's cue to disappear again, and Duo's to relate the ludicrous
change in personalities he witnessed in the council chamber.  Hiiro steadfastly
wants to believe it's not Zero's doing, and for Kodama's benefit Camille
recounts that the former Emperor Lamperouge had (has?) the power to control
others: the so-called Geass.  If it's _not_ Zero's doing, it's anybody's guess
whose doing it actually is, but in any case there's no way to know just at
present.  What Duo does know is that Trois wasn't _serious_ about his mission
to slow the team down, even if his employers were.  Said employers seemingly
want the Ner Argama to not reach its destination on time, and that's plenty
worrisome.  Or maybe, it's the Ner Argama's _passenger_ they don't want to
arrive...


-----------
CHAPTER 10J. The Devil's Temptation

AG is feeling a bit lonely on this route, relegated to running his store from
Team D's headquarters instead of on a bustling flagship (since there is one).
He briefly contemplates installing another seat aboard the Geneon so he can
ride along too, but Kodama makes it VERY clear that he values his time alone
with Suzune.  And hell, wouldn't you, in his position?

Anyway, the team will be operating from Dragons' Hive, which Suzune takes a
liking to on first sight.  Lots of deeeeeep mythological symbolism and whatnot
is baked into its gleaming metal exterior: a reflection of some hidden
romantic streak in its commander no doubt.  And like leader, like follower:
Eiyda for instance might have fretted about whether or not to keep up her
singing in these difficult times, but she ultimately decided to let Dancougar's
fists do her singing for her.

As the group nears the base, the levity is interrupted by a sudden mass
headache that strikes all the Team D pilots at once -- possibly triggered in
some way by Kouji's offer to equally share whatever heavy lifting Kodama and
Suzune are slated for.  Aoi brushes this off by joking that the whole team
should go see a shrink, and she might not like how much shrinkage WILL is
contemplating with the commanders within.

Seems a new black hole has come into being, some 500 light years from Earth.
More precisely, it's winking in and out of existence rapidly, something that
even WILL (the embodiment of most of the known universe's trivia) has never
seen before.  It's so weird, in fact, that WILL literally can't even guess what
effect the black hole might have on the Solar system.  All anyone can do for
now is keep stargazing and pray that things don't get pear-shaped.

As it happens, Aoi and friends aren't quite as flippant as they sound.  They
actually did go get a medical exam upon landing, which -- get ready for the
shock of the century -- found nothing wrong.  Watta wonders if he should get
checked out too, seeing as how he hasn't grown a millimeter taller in the past
4 months despite what should be a major growth spurt.  Bah, nothing a little
home cooking won't fix!  Kodama and Suzune meanwhile are getting the full
psychiatrist treatment from Ruriruri, something Ryouma was supposed to be
subject to around the time of the Breaking.  He figured out a way to weasel
out of it, which is probably just as well for whoever his unlucky therapist
would have been.

Suzune emerges in short order, apparently having few things really weighing on
her mind.  She, like everyone else, hasn't yet gotten Kodama's explanation of</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
_why_ he feels the need to get stronger in battle, and she hopes Ruu's
professional touch might actually get him to open his heart a bit.  She'd
better do it fast: a group of mecha beasts is menacing Atami and all it's
residents (including busloads of tourists).  As everyone scrambles to their
mecha, Ruu pulls Suzune aside and tells her that Kodama seems to be really
upset at the thought of civilian lives being put in danger.  Suzune's seen
that too, and figures it must be somehow wrapped up the accident that killed
his family.  What Ruu _can_ say is that whenever the topic came up, Kodama's
eyes bore the look of sworn vengeance -- a vengeance that might just burst
forth during battle at some point.  Ruu cautions Suzune that there might be a
lot of collateral damage if they all aren't very careful.  After Suzune runs
off to join her partner, Ruu muses to herself that Suzune, too, has her
worried...

Out on the battlefield, Brocken has the stupidity to gloat over Tsubasa's
imminent destruction in the name of Dr. Hell's revenge.  He's chosen a
spectacularly bad time to try this, given that Takeru and his mom Shizuko AND
his fellow Crushers are all in town.  Some of the n00bs on the team don't
immediately realize how serious this could be, but they quickly realize that
battling evil is a better gig than playing hide'n'seek with a black hole all
day.  Rose is essentially in tactical command, and vectors Mars toward the
giant fortress that seems to be controlling the golems on the ground.

 Even worse for Brocken's forces is the fact that Takeru's telepathy's been
 powered up... AND he's rededicated himself to saving the universe from
 evil (after what happened to Marg).  Team D and friends show up in short
 order, all bent on ignoring Brocken's usual grandiose ranting and kicking his
 ass as quickly as possible.  Suzune does find herself wondering just who it
 is that Kodama wants so badly to fight...

 Brocken isn't much of a match for the team, but this is, of course, only the
 opening round in what will be a long and hellish campaign.  A campaign which
 Brocken will get to watch from back in hell unless he _retreats_ when he's
 told.  Oh, okay...

Cue the joyful reunion, and the jokes (by the writers) at the expense of aliens
who can't comprehend jokes (by Earthlings).  All of which is cut short by yet
more aliens, this time bent on mayhem and harboring some fugitives from Zhul's
army.  These aren't your average bozos however: they're DEVIL WORSHIPERS for
serious, as in they proclaim fealty to the Devil who is the Darkness of Space.
Of more immediate concern is their commander Dangan, who's so busy being evil
that he doesn't even stick around to watch his goons get emulsified.

For minions of Satan, these guys suck almost as much as, err, some kind of
quintessentially suck-oriented object.  Like a black hole for instance.
Remember that weird hide-n-go-seek black hole?  Yup, Rose has come to Earth
with a Dire Warning(tm) about it and its star-gobbling ways.  Now, the
closest known black hole is a _whole_ _four_ _light_ _years_ away (or should
that be, a "mere parsec" away?) and the one in question is a whopping 500 light
years away, so odds are good that it can't cause much damage to the Earth.
Assuming it stays put, that is.

The Crusher team munch their way through introductions, and then Takeru weighs
in on these supposed Satanists... or whatever they are.  His ESP paints a
picture of some vast, terrifying force behind them, but whatever it is isn't
Zhul.  If anything, it feels almost like... space itself?  Something to that
effect.  No point in worrying over vague threats though: let the bad guys come
when they may, and leave the planning in Ootsuka's capable hands.

Kodama, of course, is really good at NOT letting go of stressful stuff.
Hearing the enemy name themselves the Devil's minions has sent his occult mania
all atingle.  Yeah, the good guys have super robots and shit, but the world is
SO FULL of things beyond human understanding...  He at least makes a pretense
of pulling himself together, but it's clear to Suzune (and probably everyone
else in the frigging city) that he's hiding something.

Somewhere deep beneath the ocean, Ashura is busy having a conversation with
him/herself.  Brocken's latest show of incompetence didn't stop Ashura from
gathering proof of Kouji's might -- the sort of proof that should stir the
Devil to direct action.  How fortunate that the Devil should fix His attentions
on the Earth, the Promised Land of old.  Everything is unfolding as foretold,
almost too perfectly in fact, which might mean They have gotten wind of the
plan.  In any case, Ashura's got his own work to do with all deliberate haste,
and one It appears, (s)he'll get a chance to say "hi" to Kouji and friends.
And then, complete his/her mission at long last!


CHAPTER 10M. Black Battling

Kodama may be skipping a bit of class for his stint with Mithril, but lucky
for him he's got Suzune around to administer "private lessons" from the
privacy of their two-seat cockpit.  Being Kodama, he doesn't like AG pointing
out the coziness of such a setup, but he can't really refute it either.  It's
stuff like this that makes the D-Trader so worth going to, even if it's only
for window-shopping.

Back in the briefing room however, it's all business as Karinin grapples the
mic.  The Mithril strategist cuts an imposing figure, and the S.M.S. totally
assume that _his_ commander must be an epoch-forming bad-ass.  Mao and
Kurtz can't wait to see their faces when Tessa is finally introduced -- but
they'll have to wait at least until after Operation Black Battling concludes.
Said operation will take the team to Mexico, where weapons merchants and
narco-gangsters rule the streets and where lucha libre-styled mecha "Battling"
dominates the local sports book.

Above board, RobotJox-style action is all well and good, but illegal no-holds-
barred bouts provide a steady stream of revenue for the terror groups lurking
in the shadows.  Considering that lunatics like Kiriko are behind the controls
of such clandestine blood sports, you can be sure that the entrance fees aren't
cheap.  Mithril has generally regarded Battling as a necessary evil insofar as
it provides recreation (of a sort) for the downtrodden residents of the areas
it flourishes, but the Mexican racket in particular is believed to be a front
for some extra-nefarious types with weapons to develop and pilots to train.
Heck, it might even be the same people behind the attacks on Tokyo.

Phase 1 involves casing the joint, and rendezvousing with an old friend of
Sousuke's.  Kodama insists on tagging along to get a view of the arena,
intending perhaps to hone his skills in its blood-stained sand.  First he and
the team have to survive the grandstands, which are subject to stray fire
from the ring, and to sort out whether Kodama ought to be allowed to risk his
(and Suzune's) asses in the first place.  Debate gets cut short when Sousuke's
contact Goat (and friends) show up, having set up shop in this rough
neighborhood about a week ago.  Goat, it turns out, is Sousuke's source for
all the crazy-ass equipment he used in his Bonta-kun mech, as well as the
contact Sousuke used to recruit Kiriko into Mithril.

As Mao gets the lowdown on the Battling scene from Goat (for a handsome fee),
Kiriko goes for a reunion with his star-crossed love Fiana.  The hulking
Shakko has been watching over her at Kiriko's request, but all his care can't
help whatever medical complaint is ailing her.  Kiriko's collaboration with
Mithril turns out to be a fund-raiser to get her to a proper doctor, and Goat's
decision to head to Mexico was motivated in part by hopes that the masses of
Astrageus stragglers might have a clue to help.

Kiriko, by the way, still has his "internal diary" powers from the last game.
This time he's busy cursing his luck at living on through battle after
battle, when Fiana isn't even afforded that luxury.  But maybe, just maybe,
these dogs and their Battling games might hold the key...

Some kind of deal gets struck behind the scenes, and to no one's surprise the
team find themselves in the arena.  Kiriko's Dog is the least impressive mech
in this live-fire battle royale, and all the spectators seem to expect him to
buy it first.  This, of course, is why Goat (and Kurtz) are going to make a
killing at the sports book.  Despite Kodama's protestations otherwise, Kiriko
has him figured for a pacifist, _attempting_ to make a show of being a fighter.
He'll have to attempt pretty seriously, given that among the enemy is Kiriko's
old merc commander Kan Yur.  Seems the old fox has paid off the rest of the
enemies, making this less a battle royale and more of a lynching in the
making.  Which just makes the betting that much more lucrative!

 Pick any member of the team (meaning Kiriko) to take down at least six
 thugs for a bit of extra goodies.  Certainly, having him win will let Goat
 and Kurtz rake in massive dough from all the best they placed.  But OH NOES,
 here come some new bad guys (late of Balalant, the other side of the
 Astrageus war from Kiriko's old Gilgamesh comrades) who either a) are pissed
 at how much dough they just lost, or b) represent the vast and sinister
 interests of industry and are here to protect the free (illicit) trade
 world.  In either case, Jeffrey wants to take them down fast and business-
 like.

The prospect of full Astrageus squadron that's _not_ part of the Fed army is
unusual in the extreme, and Karinin may have a guess as to their sponsor.
But Kiriko's got a more immediate concern: as the battle draws to a close, he
feels someone watching him.  That would be Neeva, the guy who took Kan Yur in
after Kan's last ignominious defeat.  Neeva's got beef with the Red Shoulders,
the dirty-deeds unit that Kiriko once belonged to, and by the looks of it has
been _dry_aging_ it for quite some time...

Word travels fast, and the laconic Kiriko finds himself pictured on every
tabloid going.  None of which helps solve the mystery of the Balalant's
backers, who -- it would seem -- can offer the refugee Astrageans a better
deal than the Fed army.  The conventional wisdom says the Astrageans face
the least xenophobia of all off-worlders, especially in the military's ranks;
there's little cause for discontent.  In any event, whoever's behind them will
want another shot at Kiriko, and with Goat handling the Battling matchmaking,
another shot they'll have.  And Goat will have a tidy profit in the process,
assuming of course that Jeffrey and Karinin play along, and that Ozuma can
bear posing as some kind of space outlaw for the duration.

Since the prospect of lucrative mayhem seems insufficient to keep Kiriko
awake, try this: the Fed army have just come to town, and they're looking for
Fiana.  Seeing as how they brought some Gilgamesh goons along for the hunt,
smart money says they're after Fiana's Perfect Soldier powers.  Maybe they've
got a way to cure her ailment?

Meanwhile, word has reached the Monte-Wells mansion (HQ of the Martial sect)
that one of the Untouchables has been located.  Monte-Wells intends to have his
followers on the scene buy time until his daughter Titania can get their
herself, and stage a little demonstration of her Nextant power for the family's
glory.


-----------
CHAPTER 11S. Day of the Unicorn

The real-world training at Anaheim is turning out to be a hell of a lot more
useful than lecture-hall time for our gaggle of students.  Saji's suavely
keeping mum about why he's so good at all of this so quickly, and it seems to
be getting to Banarj a bit -- or maybe he's just being his usual detached
self.  After even his Haro starts worrying about him, he explains to Micott
that his habit of staring off into space is inward-facing, as though trying to
make sure that he's really still here.  Losing one parent and having a distant
other parent will do that to you I guess.

Then again, everyone has times when they feel out of sync -- a feeling that
only really vanishes when you find your Fated Role(tm).  In Saji's case, that
role involves looking after Louise -- but what about Banarj?  As if on cue, he
suddenly gets the strangest feeling that someone's calling out to him -- and
dashes off in pursuit.

Meanwhile, the AEUG folks have received new orders via Anaheim's liaison
Albert, who seems to have some kind of mission for them at Industrial 7.  He
means to have them obeying _his_ orders, not the Ner Argama's command staff,
when the destination comes in sight, and only with great misgivings do Daguza
and friends agree.

AT Industrial 7, Banarj seemingly finds the person calling him, when she
abruptly falls out of an airshaft on top of him.  Catching her involved some
heroics in his Tol-8 mini-mech, which is now lying in about a million bits
after crashing, but at least the two humans are safe.  The girl, who's not
very forthcoming with her name, forestalls most attempts at conversation and
all but orders Banarj to get her to the colony's mechanic ASAP: there's someone
she MUST speak with.  That is, if they want to stop a war from breaking out...

Rumors abound that the mechanic building is some kind of a front for the Bist
corporation, but though one of the corp's higher-ups runs Banarj's school, he's
got no better idea than anyone else.  The building is also quite a hike, past
parts of the colony still being constructed.  The mystery girl can't believe
Banarj dares suggest she eat a hot dog on the go... but she also doesn't
refrain from (delicately) chowing down on it.

The cozy scene gets a lot less cozy when someone named Mareeda shows up,
seemingly a servant of mystery girl's and none too happy with her mistress
sneaking around unsupervised.  Mystery girl is _not_ inclined to go quietly
back to wherever she came from, telling Mareeda that they currently can't
master the "Laplace Box", and that even He(tm) knows it.  Thoughtless misuse
of that gadget is precisely what this world _doesn't_ need, as Mareeda should
well understand.  Unfortunately, Mareeda cares more about orders than about
understanding, and seems determined to apprehend the mystery girl at all costs.

That is, until Banarj randomly intervenes with his Haro, somehow dodging
Mareeda's strike and hauling his guest off to "safety"?  Before Mareeda can
pursue, someone named Genneman phones up and orders her back to the Garanshale:
things are getting a bit rowdy outside.  Not to worry though, Genneman can
guess where the young mistress is going, and has plans in motion already...

The outside of the colony is being patrolled by Plant forces led by Shinn,
whose sharp eyes spot a group of Neo Jion types lurking nearby.  He orders his
men to prepare to bring the would-be terrorists in for questioning (using
force of course), but a sudden attack by Funnels(!) takes out his
reinforcements.  This seems to be Mareeda's doing, and to her credit she
realizes that taking out Shinn's Gundam will be a lot more challenging.

Back to Banarj and... Audrey Burn, as she finally names herself.  She's led a
sort of sheltered, nomadic life, so it falls to Banarj to explain what his
replica Haro actually is.  She explains that she ran away from home, fleeing
something even more frightening than the anti-Spacenoid or anti-Federation
sentiment so rife in these parts.  She musingly regards a tapestry depicting a
unicorn and inscribed with words in some long-forgotten language.  Banarj too
stares at the tapestry, and is somehow able to read "My Only Wish".  Has he
seen this somewhere before?!

Cardias the mechanic finally makes an appearance, explaining that the
tapestry of "The Lady and the Unicorn" is believed to date back to middle-ages
France.  One of Cardias' ancestors had a hell of a time acquiring it long
before the One Year War, and he seems to have a long acquaintance with
"Audrey"'s family.  He cautions her not to give her real name out just now,
so she gets right to the point: won't he reconsider and NOT entrust the Laplace
Box to her side?  She doesn't know precisely how powerful the gadget, said to
be the source of Bist's prosperity for generations, is -- but she does know
that it's certain to start another war.  Cardias counters that the world has
changed, and it's time for the Box to find a new owner.

He _also_ tells Banarj to hit the road lest he find himself in danger.  Banarj
doesn't want to leave Audrey alone with "scary" people chasing her, and Cardias
guesses from Banarj's reaction and his parsing of middle French that there's
something very special about him.  Cardias tells the stubborn Banarj that he's
sounding just like a Newtype -- not exactly what his father had in mind when
he enrolled Banarj in Anaheim's academy, eh?  After all, Cardias is _also_ the
head of said academy, and has the power to expel the disobedient.  On the
other hand, Audrey's talking about stopping a war, and to Banarj that sounds
like a cause worth fighting for.  The sight of her falling from the sky today
seems to have been the spark Banarj needed to get his life back in focus.
He begs her to say that she needs him, but instead she tells him the opposite
and watches sadly as he walks out.

Cardias tells her she's done the right thing, and that he still intends to let
the transfer go as planned.  But "he" (and here Cardias is vague) will surely
be able to master the Box, all the moreso since "he" has so little interest
in it.  Cardias has also heard rumors of Full Frontal (which is a dude: THANKS
Tomino!) and muses that just getting one's hands on the Key will not allow the
unworthy to open the Box.  And that Key turns out to be one wild horse
indeed...

Back outside, the Ner Argama finally shows up to spoil the Neo Jion raid.
Clearly THESE were the forces Trois warned about, and Otto gives the order to
help defend the colony.  As for Albert, Otto is more than happy to grant his
request to take Daguza and go mess around inside Industrial 7.  Mareeda isn't
happy to see the famous Londo Bell arrayed against her, but she's also unable
to retreat until her "Master" picks up the box thingy.

In fact, Carias isn't planning on handing over the Laplace Box itself, but
only its Key, to Genneman.  This is all very cryptic, since even Genneman
hasn't been briefed by the Neo Jion brass on what said Box actually _is_.
Cardias is confident that it's very important for this new world, and said
brass seem to agree, but Genneman wonders if it's not just a propaganda ploy
of some kind (given the Box's fearsome reputation and all).  Cardias responds
by asking if Genneman believes in Newtypes, the opening and awakening of the
human spirit in response to departing the Earth.  The power to communicate
with others, without a shred of misunderstanding.  OR, at the very least,
the power to live through seemingly impossible battles, which Genneman himself
has observed throughout the One Year War.

This "Newtype" business that Daikun Jion articulated seems to have strong
parallels in the Innovators from the ADW, though the pause in Innovator
research puts the UCW Newtype research temporarily in the lead -- though
there's some seriously messed-up mad scientist military types that resulted
from that as well.  One perennial problem with the idea of Newtypes is that
they're so intimately connected with space, and hence with the tension between
Earthnoids and Spacenoids.  But in Cardias' view, the time has finally come to
stop talking about the possibilities of Newtypes, and start DOING something
about it.  The current Newtype landscape is about as far from Daikun's plan as
you could get, but the Laplace Box has the power to change the future... or
rather, to restore the future to what it always was meant to be.

Not just anyone can use it though -- the power to remake the world is also the
power to destroy it.  It's not like the box will emit a world-crushing
explosion when opened, but if the revolutionized humans Will is for destruction
instead of mutual understanding, the result will end up the same.  So it's to
be a little test: are the Neo Jion folks going to care only for resurrecting
their empire, or will they take a wider view of the world?

Such fascinating discussions are interrupted by word that outside, War Was
Beginning!  Cardias maintains that he did _not_ set up the Neo Jion folks in
advance like Genneman claims, and promises to return "Audrey" in good order.
Genneman isn't buying it, and the two camps part on acrimonious terms: Genneman
off in pursuit of Audrey, and Cardias off to tend to the Box... or whatever it
is.  It's a shame, muses Cardias, that Bist's alliance with the Feds has
proven this fragile.... unless it's His(tm) doing.  Likely the Feds are now
planning on hauling the Box off for safekeeping in violation of the
longstanding truce, though in all fairness Cardias _did_ violate said truce
first by trying to send the Box to a certain dude among the Jion.

Albert shows up at this point, wanting to hear much more about this little
plot.  He's got the mansion crawling with special forces goons, and Cardias
realizes that Marsa is behind the whole thing.  It seems that Cardias was being
used by the army, instead of the other way around.  Albert shoots him, and
his final order to order his faithful subordinate is to keep the Key from the
Feds at all costs!

[Jeebus this is long].  BACK OUTSIDE, who should appear but Hamarn Khan in the
flesh!  And in her Quebley no less.  Taking her out would basically demolish
Neo Jion's fighting spirit, making this battle shockingly pivotal for something
so early in the game.  Camille demands to know what Hamarn is up to, and she
muses that "that man" might actually get his head fractionally out of his ass
if he could see the Princess' resolve now.

Audrey meanwhile has managed to escape into the streets, uncertain of what to
do next.  Lucky for her she runs into Saji, busily trying to shepherd as many
people to safe shelters as he can.  Banarj unfortunately is nowhere to be
found, which is because he's been wandering around Bist's base looking for
Audrey.  Instead, he finds Cardias (slowly bleeding to death), who assures
him that Audrey's still alive somewhere: this isn't the first battlefield she's
survived.  Banarj starts yelling at the injured guy, demanding to know why
he didn't do whatever Audrey asked and somehow stop all this war.  His weekend
plans are all, like, messed up now, largely on account of people ending up
dead, and STUFF!  Certainly his mother died for something more than whatever
platitudes Cardias has been spouting!

This of course is Cardias' cue to spout a few more.  Yup, it's time to blame
the corrupt old Adults(tm) for needlessly spilling blood, perverting the
course of natural law, and generally messing things up for future generations.
It's high time that this get fixed, and that the hope once visited upon the
Earth finally be brought to fruition.  It's time for humans to show their
human divinity -- the power to overcome the now in the interest of the possible
-- and their inner gentleness to the world.  If Banarj means to accompany
Audrey, he'd better be prepared to shoulder the same heavy burden she bears,
and never falter.  Banarj professes no confidence, or resolve, or anything of
the sort: he knows only that he wants her to want him.  As it were.

Good enough for Cardias, who register's Banarj as the one and only pilot of
what turns out to be the Gundam Unicorn, that which will illuminate the path
to the Laplace Box.  It's been a long, torturous curse upon the Bist family,
but if used properly it's also the light of hope for the future.  It _had_
been the hope of Banarj's mother Anna to spare Banarj from the same curse,
but that clearly didn't go so well.  Though Banarj probably hates him, Cardias
tells him to go forth and believe in the power within him: one way or another,
the path shall be opened!  Banarj, though he'll probably never believe it, is
the answer to Cardias' fondest wish: the best son he could have hoped for.

Now it's clear where all those familiar images Banarj recalled came from.
He bursts forth from the hangar, his movements amateur but still quite
formidable.  Camille recognizes that a Newtype must be aboard, and asks the
team to help it fight off the Neo Jion forces.  Hamarn declares that this
battle must not be allowed to drag on, and leaves it to Genneman to recover
the Princess.

 Hamarn tells a rattled Camille that she's not the one who will decide if
 Neo Jion means war with the Federation.  She, like he, feels a twinge of
 hesitation as the battle unfolds, not that he means to let that stop him
 from defeating her and ending the war.  In fact, that hesitation costs her
 a defeat at the team's hands, and Camille is left wondering what's so
 important about this one battle that it demanded her personal attention.

 Mareeda doesn't fare any better, and her last-ditch attempt to at least
 figure out where the Princess is is stymied by Banarj going into some kind
 of freak-out power up mode (involving the NT-D system in his mech) and
 slashing her with his beam saber.  Banarj himself quickly loses consciousness
 and the Unicorn's horn closes: it's now or never to recover the thing safely.
 Only now does Albert send in a request to be picked up, and Otto irritably
 complies, ordering the rest of the mecha to check for damages to the colony.
 He wants out of here _fast_ before Neo Jion reinforcements or whatever show
 up...

Shinn had to pry open the new Gundam's cockpit to get its unconscious pilot
out: a civilian as everyone expected.  The colony did in fact get banged up
pretty bad, and after helping with a bit of repairs the Ner Argama is to be
moved away to avoid Neo Jion reprisals from targeting the colony any further.
The unconscious pilot, being a civilian, will probably join other evacuees
later, but there's no time to drop him off now.

It's a fair question why the Zaft was patrolling near Industrial 7 in the
first place, and Shinn relates that someone calling themself the "Nameless
Clown" had let it slip that the Neo Jion might be around.  Yup, as in Trois.
In fact, the message about the Neo Jion came straight to Shinn, who had to
make the hard decision to _not_ check with HQ first (which cost his squad
dearly) on account of the Plants' growing sympathy to the Neo Jion cause.
Even the combined efforts of Kira, Lacus and the other Allies of Justice won't
keep the Plants on the sidelines for long at this rate.  And if worse comes
to worse, Shinn means to join the Ner Argama and fight his homeland, relying
on his old FAITH credentials for independent action.

Genneman finishes his report to Angelo, who's none too thrilled with his
comrade's incompetence.  Hamarn (who he wasn't expecting) suggests that he
learn better manners when speaking to his own army, then as much as admits that
she too failed in her hunt for the Princess.  Hamarn doesn't want the Ner
Argama to get back with the rest of the Londo Bell, and relays a request for
reinforcements.  After the suddenly more-cooperative Angelo hangs up, Hamarn
dismisses Genneman￾fs apologies for making her cover for his operation --
after all, it was the Princess who messed his shit up, and the Princess is
_Hamarn's_ responsibility.  The good news is that the Colonel (aka "that man"
etc.) isn't likely to sit still with a new Gundam in play: Hamarn's looking
forward to seeing him in action.  At least, that is, as long as he insists on
calling himself the Red Comet...

[BTW, if you managed to take down Hamarn, you get 200Z bonus!]


-----------
CHAPTER 11J. Premonition of a New World

Bad dreams are a great cliche way to open a mission with Foreshadowing(tm).  In
this case Takeru, fresh off of assuring AG that he ONLY uses his psychic powers
for good (as opposed to, say, X-ray visioning girls' clothing), has been having
this recurring nightmare in which an "angel" descends in an umbra of white
light and brings about the "end of the world".  Kodama is totally all ears at
this Armageddon-like business, maybe because the Occult Forum folks think the
End Times are already at hand.  Or, maybe because he and the rest of the crew
are bored off their asses and wish they could get in on at least a little of
the Far East Branch's action.

For instance, rumor has it that troops have been sent out near Neo-Tokyo 3 and
the Red Sea, both of which have conveniently arrived from some other universe
than the UCW or ADW (hence the "3" behind its Tokyo's name).  The ocean it
came with, like all that world's oceans for the past 15 years, has been all
but lifeless after a calamity called the Second Impact some 15 standard years
ago.  Superdimensional Science boffins have concluded that this Third World
(the "Anno-verse"?) doesn't mesh with the UCW/ADW mix, so even the Red Sea that
came along with Neo-Tokyo 3 happens to not be linked to any other bodies of
water.  Which, if you think about it, is pretty weird, as is the willingness
of Ootsuka to commit some of his scarce forces to its defense...

Ootsuka is in fact chatting with Gendou at this very moment... if you can
call Gendou's stonewalling tactics "conversation".  Ootsuka's heard a little
of the "Angels" and the prospect of a "Third Impact", which if it's anything
like the tales of the Second Impact sounds pretty bad for the world at large.
Even if Gendou isn't willing to describe his forces' capabilities in full now,
Ootsuka at least wants to know at a bare minimum what his forces will be up
against.  Gendou stays mum, and Shiroda fumes about what kind of hidden
influence NERV must wield to set itself up so cozily in only a few months' time
since arrival in this world.

As fate would have it, the Fourth Angel shows up at this point, possibly
affording some answers to the Far East Branch chief's questions.  First,
however, Misato's got to pick up Shinji, wandering alone in the lonely
hinterlands of Neo-Tokyo 3.  *Premonition of Rei* for added spookiness factor,
as though it were 1995 and everybody and their fourth cousin once removed
hadn't already seen EVA.  ...Then again, some folks reading this might not have
been alive when EVA first aired, which is a sobering thought in its own right.

The Federation troops stationed at the surface pose no real threat to the
Angel, damaged though it was by stepping on an N2 Mine by mistake (whoopsie!).
Gendou informs Ootsuka that the Angel is positively heading for NERV HQ, and
should it arrive, the Third Impact will totally happen.  Which of course is
why Misato's been dispatched to retrieve a certain "object".  Ootsuka's troops
arrive in the meantime, and although they don't clearly know *why* they need to
keep the "Angel" from reaching a nondescript patch of city street (which
guards the entrance to NERV), they're certainly motivated by the keywords "End"
and "Of" and "The World".  You can tell this battle will be tough by the way
the Angel immediately Barriers itself...

The Angel is protected by a seemingly-impenetrable barrier NERV 2nd-in-command
Fuyutsuki calls an "A.T. Field", which sounds bad until Ryouma reminds everyone
that strong barriers can ALWAYS be breached by stronger weapons.  Shinji
meanwhile has arrived within NERV HQ, so Gendou goes to glare at^W^Wgreet his
son for the first time in three years.  Shinji, it turns out, is a whipped
little dog with a shockingly fatalistic attitude about what adults will and
won't tell him about his circumstances -- such as, what the fuck was the giant
thingy that just tried to kill him, or, why's there a massive-ass cave
underneath the city.  Misato shares the names "Angel" and "NERV" of her own
volition, confirming what Shinji's heard that his dad is involved in some
secret project to defend the future of mankind.

Said father is in fact scheduled to meet him, and from Shinji's reaction
you'd think he was about to get executed or something.  Well, it's not like
Misato's on good terms with her dad either (on account of him being *dead*),
but the philosophical stuff will have to wait -- for now, an engineering
supervisor named Ritsuko shows up to lead both Misato and Shinji straight to
the hangar.

Outside, Baron Ashura has shown up with the worst timing yet seen in this game.
The two-faced survivor (if that's the word) of the once-prosperous Mikeene
Empire cuts a pretty miserable figure as (s)he declares one final act of
vengeance against arch-enemy Kouji.  Better Kouji die by his/her hand than by
that of the Angel, a menace that Ashura's revived Mikeene memories chart all
too vividly.  What becomes of the world after that is none of Ashura's concern,
which is as good a reason as any to grit one's teeth and confront both the
Angel _and_ Ashura's troops.

 While the Angel wreaks havoc outside, Shinji gets introduced to EVA Unit-01
 inside: mankind's final trump card, at least if the bridge table in question
 is the "Third" Earth his folks hail from.  No Mobile Suits or Super Robots
 built they there, nor would such have helped: the EVAs are built to solve
 problems unique to their place of origin, and Shinji, joy of joys, gets to
 pilot one.  Right this instant.  Yeah, sure, there's angst about not seeing
 his dad all this time, and how there's this albino weirdo ready to take his
 job at a moment's notice -- oh, and how it's like totally NOT POSSIBLE to
 get life insurance in his newfound line of work.

 But in the final analysis, neither Shinji nor mankind can flee from this.
 Ashura was probably interested in EVA-01 -- the "Key to the Doorway to God"
 as it were -- all along.  Certainly the battle could start better: the
 Angel's first strike severs Shinji's umbilical connection, leaving him only
 three minutes' worth of power.  Lucky for him he's got the ability to
 neutralize the Angel's A.T. Field, thereby giving his newfound allies a
 chance to help.

 Spoilerz: the battle's rigged.  Even if you smack the Angel down within the
 allotted time limit, it just gets back up, victimizes Shinji, and sets off
 the most famous display of unhinged-ness this side of Monster's Ball.  Never
 mind Shinji having the worst first day on the job evar: Ashura's seen this
 entire debacle before, LONG long ago.  Question is, will mankind meet the
 same fate?  Ashura vows to watch and see, assuring Kouji that (s)he'll be
 back soon enough.

Right, so now that everyone's seen the "true form" of NERV's firepower, what
happens next?  What happens is that Gendou, still allergic to explaining even
one bit's worth more than he has to, gets Ootsuka to agree to take EVA-01 under
his wing at the Far East Branch... along with support staff and it's VERY
immature pilot Shinji.  Shinji himself probably doesn't know whether to be
relieved or (further) hurt by this immediate dismissal from his father's
workplace.

Certainly it's a lot to digest for the pilots, who are variously impressed
by the EVA's combat prowess and worried about its pilot's obvious lacks of both
experience and control.  Ryouma in particular fundamentally distrusts the 40
meter-tall behemoth, and cautions the more bullish Kodama that wielding
excessive power is a great way to get yourself killed.  Hell, even his own mech
scares him.

Anyway, if the EVA is to have any hope of cooperating and helping save the
Earth, someone's got to control it.  And that someone, to hear Ootsuka tell
it, _really_ needs friends.  More than just Misato, who's sort of like the
older sister Shinji never had, if said older sister had guy problems and a
case of sort-of-incest.  For example, she doesn't seem to be getting through to
Shinji when she points out that he just saved an entire frigging city: a feat
most people would be proud of.  Shinji, it seems, is uncomfortably numb...

[BTW, if you managed to take out all the Mechabeasts, you get 200Z bonus!]


-----------
CHAPTER 11M. Opening Salvo

Remember the Perfect Soldier program from previous games?  Yeah: such angst!
Very monologue!  Such combatting.  Well it turns out that the usual nefarious
types are busily training up another P.S., name of Ladah Neeva -- scratch that
actually.  He's being built into something _more_ than a P.S., using some of
the same "Nextant" cyborg tech that's keeping Titania (vice Nefarious Person in
Chief) alive.  This may mean that Neeva has one of the Nextant's "Auxiliary
Brains": computers meant to take over in the heat of battle and prevent any
mistakes due to emotions in the P.S.' wetware.

Titania is anxious that mass-production P.S.'s become a reality and thereby
provide the Martial organization the private army it's always cat-strokingly
craved.  Her pet scientist Borson is all too happy to oblige the so-called
"Shield of Propriety"'s whims, including making the attempt to take out
Kiriko "The Untouchable" Kyuubei before Titania arrives in person.  After
Titania hangs up, Neeva sort of sympathizes with Borson for having a religious
fanatic as a boss.  All worth it if Neeva, psychopath that he is, pans out as
a P.S.  Neeva, of COURSE, has a personal beef with Kiriko from way back, and
won't let anyone (Martial or otherwise) obstruct his quest for vengeance.
And wouldn't you know it: Kan Yur's got a plan to assist said vengeance, using
Kiriko's girlfriend's medical issues as leverage...

Speaking of Kiriko, he's gone off on his own to set up a meet with reps from
the Gilgamesh Army, who no doubt would love little more than to kidnap Fiana
the first chance they get.  What seems to Sousuke and Kodama as reckless
abandoning of Kiriko's usual detachment strikes Jeffrey (visiting his pilots
for a little Real Talk) as a certain sort of genius.  Fiana needs care, and the
team needs leads: Kiriko's actions definitely display a certain internal logic.
The captain then leaves Alto to explain the rest to the Doubting Thomases --
code for "ain't no right 'er wrong fer savin' yer luv-bunny".  That computes
for Kodama, even if Sousuke'll need a bit longer to process.

Fact of the matter is that Alto, for all his faults, has learned a thing or
two -- two things, specifically, named Ranka and Sheryl -- about love that
even the "Sunanpaz" [awesome... nickname... in... Japanese...] can't rival.
The resulting banter gets the team's heads back in the game, to Suzune's
relief.  That relief is short-lived, however, as Jeffrey asks to chat with
her about Kodama after this next operation finishes...

So, Kiriko being Kiriko and all, his method of "inviting" the Gilgamesh over
for a chat involves kidnapping one of them and bringing him back to his
hideout.  The quarry turns out to be Carman Toms, an engineering manager for
the original Gilgamesh P.S. project.  The guy actually seems like a decent
human(oid) being, insofar as he shows immediate concern upon seeing Fiana's
condition.  In return for their ferocious abilities, the P.S. subjects require
constant maintenance -- and even then the technology has limits.  Limits which
Neeva, who lets himself in the back door, seems determined to circumvent.

Toms is aghast at seeing the Balalant P.S.: a creation that he'd heard never
got past the blueprint phase.  All that Martial tech helped seal the deal, and
seal Fiana's fate -- unless Kiriko and a chosen second come and face Neeva
tomorrow at 0800h.  Did I mention that this s33kr1t hideout has lousy physical
security?

Anyways, Kiriko shows up ahead of schedule, the better to get a nap while
Shakko monologues to the players about Kan Yur's likely involvement.  Both
Kan Yur and Neeva seem to be hung up on Kiriko's former affiliation with the
Red Shoulders, but that doesn't stop Borson from interfering in the interest
of Martial's higher ideals.  Bad idea as it turns out, since his troops'
arrival prompts Jeffrey and friends to show up too.

In the final analysis, Neeva's decision to take Fiana hostage is a major
miscalculation.  By earning the team's ire, he's driven himself and his
collaborators into a corner: his only option is to send for the rest of his
forces, unless he simply wants to get shot in the back.  Borson understands
this all too well, and as soon as he can he immobilizes Neeva and starts
electroshocking the crap out of him.

Borson means to let Fiana go and head for the hills, which has Neeva ready to
jump out of his own skin in fury.  All he cares about is fighting Kiriko, and
his stubbornness forces Borson to resort to attempted brainwashing.  Their
disconnect seems to be that Borson thinks of Neeva as a soldier (who should
by definition follow orders), while Neeva sees himself as a psycho-killer with
an axe to grind with Red Shoulders (and hence is under no such obligation).
Predictably, Borson sucks at buying genuinely unbreakable handcuffs, so Neeva
breaks free and kills him to death.  Looks like the showdown with Kiriko will
go on as scheduled...

But what _form_ will the fragdown come in?!?  The suspense is over quickly:
via Cherokee, the bad guys have set up one hell of a Battling: they're bringing
an Astrageian Landship to the party!

[Kicking both Kan Yur and Neeva's ass will net you 200Z bonus!]


-----------
CHAPTER 12S. Attack of the Red Comet

Status report from Conroy: the new mech is called the "Unicorn Gundam", central
fixture of Bist's "UC Project" and developed under their auspices by Anaheim
Electronics.  The whole contraption uses both a Psychoframe and Psycommu to
connect the pilot's sensory systems to the mech's powertrain.  No word if
"UC" stands for "Universal Century", "Unicorn", or "Un-Circumcised" or what,
nor precisely what "NT-D" stands for either -- but it is clear that the mech
will unveil its full power only to its registered pilot.  Who's just waking up
in sickbay, as fate would have it...

Banarj has a bumpy first few minutes awake, first indignantly insisting on
going back to Industrial 7 so he can protect a certain someone, then
obediently giving up when Camille tells him that won't be possible now.  Seems
Banarj's Newtype powers are at full blast as far as evaluating people's
trustworthiness.  Lucky for him, his protectee Audrey, along with Micott and
friends, are among those that Lidy managed to evacuate to the Ner Argama.
Audrey in particular has been very interested in the Unicorn, the "Key" to
the Laplace Box in gleaming, merchandisable form.

But any questions she or the other friendly crew might have will have to
wait till after Daguza and Albert are done questioning Banarj.  Daguza makes
it clear that using a military mech in battle without authorization carries
_very_ stiff penalties, and Albert is more than a little skeptical that Banarj
would be Cardias Bist's son.  The Q&A gets cut short by a small shuttle that
shows up ahead of the Ner Argama's course.

Aboard it is a Federation official named Adenauser Pariah, father of a
colorfully-haired girl named Quess.  Apparently having family members along
disqualifies one for military transport, especially when they've got some
friends along: in this case, Captain Bright Noah￾fs son Hathaway.  The real
problem is Quess, a notorious free spirit who objected at the last minute to
something or other aboard the military transport they were all supposed to
take.  Well, throw in a little mechanical trouble, and it all adds up to a
big reunion in advance of the space war Bright Noah seems to be anticipating.

Only one problem: picking up the shuttle has slowed the Ner Argama down, and
that means the Neo Jion forces could catch up.  Well, one in particular,
moving at least three times as fast as a regular mech.  A terrified Albert
orders Otto to get the ship the hell out of here -- the opponent is piloting
the "Sinanju", a mech no ordinary Mobile Suit has any hope of defeating.  Hell,
even its allies are keeping well clear lest they get in its way.

Camille is freaked out by the sight of such a formidable Jion mobile suit
painted red, but he knows not to _assume_ it's Char just yet.  Still, if the
pilot _isn't_ Char, they've certainly got a huge amount of Pressure going for
them...

Even as the shadow-faced dude toys with Camille and co., Audrey is doing her
best to bundle Banarj into the Unicorn and head for the hills.  Her "I'll
explain later" routine doesn't wash, and Banarj gets her to chill by asking
her not what she feels she _has_ to do, but rather what she _wants_ to do.
This is where Quess shows up with Lidy on tow: "somehow" Quess knew that Banarj
was scheming something fun.  While Audrey agonizes over what she wants to do,
Banarj gets a notion of what he wants to do: defend the Ner Argama!

A quick-change into pilot garb later, and Banarj and Lidy take the field.
Banarj is in fact scared as hell, but even more than that, he's got a Goal(tm).
Albert's certainly startled to see the Unicorn facing off against the Sinanju,
and suddenly realize that if the Key is destroyed here, the Box's secrets will
remain safe.

 This plan seems sound, as the Sinanju's pilot quickly immobilizes Lidy and
 moves in for Banarj.  However, Banarj is a Newtype, and is able to dodge
 the next blow handily.  The _next_ next blow gets greatly delayed by the
 arrival of Amuro and friends, who get Banarj organized and Lidy evacuated in
 good order.  The shadowy guy seems like Char, sense of history very much
 intact as he beholds the Unicorn Gundam's NT-D system going online.  Banarj
 has five minutes, after which the device will auto-shutdown to prevent
 irreparable damage to his body.  As Banarj readies for battle, Amuro finds
 himself wondering for some reason whether this new Gundam is really a
 "weapon" proper...

 Proof that Mr. Shadowy guy might _not_ be Char after all comes when Amuro
 confronts him, and despite his Newtype abilities is forced to ask who the
 hell he is.  THAT inscrutability is what makes the shadowy guy so valuable,
 and even after getting smacked around a bit he's quite pleased to have met
 his minimum objective -- including pinpointing where the Princess is.  He
 bails after smirking that it's the mobile suit that makes the man.  By that
 reasoning, Banarj is off to a pretty good (young) manly start, states Amuro.

Angelo is, shall we say, an unhappy camper after the battle.  Unhappy at
getting ass-handed, at failing to recover the Princess, and especially at
being subject to shadow guy's seemingly irrational orders AND having to
explain himself to Hamarn.  The silver lining is that the Princess and the Key
are in the same place, but interestingly shadow dude is NOT planning to just
storm in and steal them both back.  The Unicorn's biometric lock is what tore
it: instead of just assigning it a new pilot, shadowy guy means to observe the
current pilot's progress, and thereby gauge whether Cardias really meant for
Neo Jion to have the Box in the first place.

In any event, the Princess' identity seems safe for now, though the moment it
gets discovered she's presumably to become a hostage in some grand diplomatic
gambit.  It falls to Genneman and friends to shadow the Ner Argama until that
happens, seizing any chance they can to steal the Princess and Key+Pilot that
might present itself.  Hamarn meanwhile will head back to Axis, to deal with
the firestorm all this combat is sure to raise.  One thing's certain: the world
MUST believe that the Red Comet is back in action: only then can the dreams of
the Spacenoids truly start to take shape...

It seems the Ral Kairam and Ner Argama will be traveling together for a while,
and not just so the crews can get in some re-bonding time.  Bright has a
hunch that Neo Jion might try to start something at the ceremony Adenauer is
headed to, and what with all the damaged mecha from the repeated skirmishes
with the Neo Jion, safety in numbers seems advisable.

Besides, Albert's boss Mother wants him to keep watch on the Unicorn in
action.  She, like shadowy guy, figures it's better to leave the Unicorn's
current pilot in place than to risk trigging a logic bomb and having all
clues to the Box destroyed if they try to simply dismantle the mech at their
Von Braun base.  Mother won't let him share his data openly with all of Londo
Bell, so he's going to have to rely on the AEUG folks to help with odds and
ends -- not exactly how he was planning this part of his career to go.  Drat
that stupid Banarj Links guy anyway!


-----------
CHAPTER 12J. Everyone's Surviving However They Can

Shinji's entered "training" mode for his EVA, which to him basically means
roboticizing his already socially stunted self in an attempt to ignore away the
Pain.  Any similarity with Kodama's training ends with the gross number of
simulator hours; Kodama is all about pushing his own limits (even willing to
let the five Beast Squad folks gang up on him at once if it teaches him
something) and has, in his own serious-minded way, fit in with the rest of the
cut ups on the team.

Shinji, it would seem, copes by doing what others tell him to -- a pretty sorry
state that no self-respecting adult can stay in for long.  It falls to the
self-respecting adults to set the example, and oddly enough it's _Ryouma_ who
finds himself reminding Suzune of all this.  The rough-and-tumble Getter leader
has extremely high emotional intelligence, but personality-wise he's far better
at dealing with problem teens than autists like the Ikari heir.  If only a
Certain Someone(tm) Ryouma knows were here to help.

Real Talk gets abruptly kiboshed when the grade schoolers jokingly accuse
Ryouma of hitting on Suzune (and in full view of Kodama no less!)  In a rare
fit of flusteration, Ryouma yells at them to all get stuffed, and go greet
Shinji while they're at it now that his simulation time is over.  Shinji seems
a bit surprised that everyone will wait for him to get changed out of his
plugsuit, and while the banter about Shinji's disaffection continues Misato</pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
fears that, even with all these kids his age around, fitting in may yet be a
long ways off.

The constant robot battles likely aren't helping.  The latest menace is a
"Boundary Quake" warning, which is where a big magnetic disturbance from an
earthquake or similar makes an area's dimensional boundaries semi-permeable.
That's how you get Heterodynes and whatnot appearing.  Gendou sounds certain
that no more Angels are due for a while, so it's off to fight these mindless
energy boogeymen -- which after all is 21st Century company's day job.  Said
salaryman Allies of Justice come on set at this point, along with their
clerical staffers.  Now why, one might wonder, did it take them this long to
join the peacekeeping effort?

As Akagi gleefully explains, Dai Guard's been undergoing a few upgrades --
the better to do the do-gooding AND keep food on the table in times of crisis.
Not that the 21st Century staffers _want_ crisis, but since it comes with or
without their say-so, they're all too happy to help.  That they can say this
without a trace of irony seems to impress even Kodama, and come to think of it,
maybe Akagi's indefatigable optimism might be just the thing to help out
Shinji!

Said Shinji's out back moping, since it sounds like he won't be needed of the
next mission.  Akagi manages to find him and does his level best to start a
conversation.  Shinji is _really_ hard to engage, but at long last he manages
to ask Akagi why he's fighting.  "In the interest of Peace", is how a liar
wages war, but it's also how Akagi rolls.  Shinji doesn't so much roll as go
"thud", and when it sounds like he doesn't want to fight Akagi offers to try
to talk to the command staff to get Shinji excused entirely.  Shinji doesn't
want that either... what he wants, it finally comes out, is to get some
recognition from his dad.  Which, as Akagi points out to Shinji's astonishment,
is a perfectly valid reason!  Or at least, no less valid than anyone else's.
Hell, he knows this dude who purely fights for money -- though trying to
remember about him causes a sudden headache.

Right, so if what's important is intention and not the precise means, why --
Shinji asks -- doesn't Akagi try to find some means other than fighting.  I
mean, fighting hurts and people die and stuff.  Ahh, but that's precisely why
Akagi _does_ fight: so others won't have to.  Everyone's surviving however
they can, and with whatever small strength Akagi and Dai Guard can muster, he
means to lend a helping hand.

One final note before battle begins: just because someone else can do
something, doesn't mean you should stop trying to do it too.  That's a great
way to wall yourself off from the world, and Shinji doesn't want _that_, does
he?  Let me think for a second.  Yeah he probably does, though Misato also
warned him against thinking that way.  The question becomes, IF he were to
fight to protect something, what would that something be?

Well for now, the team gets to marvel at the new Dai Guard, product of a truly
unsustainable level of upgrade budget from Section 2.  It'll be a great
investment once a few Heterodynes get fended off, and in just a few minutes
there's supposed to be a passel of them appearing.  The mission: keep them from
reaching the village full of old folks nearby, not all of whom can be
evacuated quickly despite Section 2's best efforts.  Yes, Shinji, there's other
ways to fight than from the cockpit.

 Now, there's a few more Heterodynes than expected, but that's no problem for
 a team as stalwart as this, right?  Correct, until yet another Heterodyne
 shows up in a position nobody else can intercept... nobody but the new and
 improved Dai Guard, which nevertheless has its hands full just keeping the
 thing from tearing up the city.  It's not even about rebuilding houses or
 whatnot after the dust settles -- it's about the memories that can't be
 replaced if this monster gets loose.

 Saeki decides to let Akagi and the crew hang on as long as they can while
 ordering the rest of the team to focus on the remaining Heterodynes.  Not
 high probability, but when has that stopped this bunch before?  As fate would
 have it though, this is when Shinji decides to try protecting stuff and asks
 to be let out in EVA-01.  This is a very promising development, as he quickly
 teams up with Dai Guard and starts laying waste with his A.T. Field.  Ryouma
 reckons that Shinji's acute consciousness of what others think of him might
 actually be an asset here, given how positive Akagi is.  Time will tell.

Memo: the greatest weapon of all is TEAMWORK.  And Shinji has the good fortune
to be part of the team.  Hell, with all the praise he's getting he might even
stop apologizing for his own actions so often!  Ryouma was hoping for exactly
this: that Akagi would be the antidote for Shinji's over-thinking everything.
Even Suzune herself could learn a thing or two from him about actions speaking
louder than words.  Kodama definitely seems a little jealous of Ryouma
mentoring his partner this much, which might not be an entirely bad thing...

Seele seem happy with the Fourth Angel's destruction for the most part,
counting on Gendou to run a tight ship in NERV as EVA's 02 and 03 come to
fruition.  Lest anyone forget, fending off the Angels is only one part of the
bargain with Lilith.  At least the other Committee members can be counted on to
help fend off the Mikeene menace, one more obstacle to the completion of the
Human Instrumentality Project.

Interestingly, Akagi's optimism even works on AG, who's been busting (robot)
ass for his company for free all this time.  Akagi convinces AG not to be too
hasty when considering a change of careers, and clears up a little
misunderstanding: he's probably no relation to Akagi Ritsuko of NERV.


-----------
CHAPTER 12M. Big Battle

Say this for the Astrageans: when they do gladiatorial bloodsport, they don't
use half measures.  Rumors are flying about the lunatics scheduled to take
on the Land Battleship: degenerates of the worst sort, and armed to the teeth
with stolen Federation hardware.  Did we mention that they've got a genuine
Red Shoulder alumnus in their ranks?  Assuming this city will still have two
bricks to stack atop each other, it's going to be GREAT for tourism!

For what it's worth, the team seem to be enjoying the chance to openly flex
their muscles and blow shit up for a change.  Now there's a miniscule chance
that one or two might be taking things too far, such as the NON Miclonized
Klan stomping in like the Jolly motherfucking Green Giant on a murdering
spree in her battle pod.  She's even got her own mascot in the form of a
chain gun-toting Bonta-kun (the "-kun" being CRUCIAL), and a scandalized Alto
promises mayhem of his own as soon as the Battling begins.

As for the team naming itself the Band of the Red Shoulder, Kiriko himself
put forth the idea in the interest of pissing off Fiana's kidnapper.  This is
all about who can control the propaganda and the crowd, and with Cherokee's
help the team is mostly on solid footing... the one problem being a little
clause in the fine print: no aerial mecha involved.  All the same, nobody's
backing down now -- especially not Kodama, who for reasons he can't fathom
has been requested as Kiriko's wingman.

While not molesting the memory of a beloved childhood icon, Sousuke's been
busily helping Kiriko get his mech set up.  After the rest of Goat's team
finish their work and Shakko hustles Kokona off, Sousuke finally gets to chat
with Kiriko _alone_.  Ooooh sooo slash.  Not. buying. any. such. doujin.
Anyway, the deal is that Sousuke can't fathom what makes Kiriko tick (join the
club, d00d!) and it's been bugging him a lot, especially after Alto threw in
his two cents.  There's also the little matter of Kiriko saving Sousuke's life,
a debt that Sousuke doesn't want hanging over his head.  That, Kiriko allows
with a rare smile, would be a great help.  As would a bite of the beef jerky
Sousuke brought to fuel the two of them as they finish final systems check.

Dear Diary: Dear Fiana: Back to being a Red Shoulder.  Gonna save you and the
day, in that order.  Do or die -- been a while since I felt those shivers down
my spine.  But I'm not the old me.  I've got friends now.  And I've got you...

What Kiriko's done is strip his machine of _all_ its armor in an exhibitionist
display that would delight around half the spectators to death if this was,
I dunno, Godannar.  But it's not: this is Votoms, where all or nothing is
standard operating procedure.  The odds stand at 7:3 against a Red Shoulder
victory, and either Goat or Cherokee is going to _totally_ lose their shirt
when all the bets are settled.  Kiriko's counting on Kodama to use "it" when
the time comes, respecting the fact that Kodama seems determined to overcome
his natural limitations as a fighter.

The Balalant forces show up, and their Land Battleship is in fact helluva
enormous.  All the better for a "the bigger they are" line from Sousuke.
Neeva's jacked into the behemoth, which means that stomping all over it will be
an extra pleasure in the course of saving Fiana.

 Once Neeva's ship is immobilized, Kiriko leaves his A.T. with Kodama and
 heads inside, but not before Kodama promises to come help if Kiriko calls for
 it.  One never knows what a cornered beast will do.  In this instance, the
 cornered beast uses Fiana as a human shield from which to shoot behind, and
 it appears at first that all Kiriko can do is run and try (futilely) to hide.
 But in reality he's stalling for time, and just as it seems he's done for he
 gives the signal.

 The Red Shoulder march rings forth, stunning Neeva just long enough for
 Kiriko to get a clean shot off.  This is the soundtrack to Neeva's personal
 hell: the memories he never put behind him.  But Kiriko's no longer a real
 Red Shoulder, thanks to folks like Fiana and... Kodama, who Boosts in from
 left field just as Neeva's showing signs of coming (quickly) back to
 consciousness.

Kiriko agrees with Kodama's suggestion to bug out fast, showing no
inclination to finish off the unconscious Neeva.  Neeva is in the final throes
of madness, ready to turn his remaining guns on the impatient spectators
themselves.  None of the pilots on the ground have a chance to intervene,
so it falls to the Macross Quarter... which can still comply with the "ground
units only" rule by Trans-Forming!  Even Jeffrey is down for a little of the
ultra-violence today, and Neeva's final act is to emerge in an A.T. from the
wreckage of his battleship.

Everything is going super well after Neeva's demise... for everyone except
Cherokee, who's now flat broke.  Things take an abrupt turn for the worse when
Titania materializes and kidnaps Fiana, her stealth being the ultimate proof
that Martial -- the most powerful religious body in Astrageus -- was behind
all the doings in this city.  Martial holds that warfare is a sacred rite that
evolves mankind toward its ultimate destiny, and it's not too much of a
stretch to imagine that this "church", with members among the governmental
elite on both sides of the Gilgamesh/Balalant conflict, was instrumental in
provoking and prolonging it.

That church is now extending its tentacles throughout the Earth Sphere, even
as its members reject the Federation's fundamentally peaceful objective.  Info
is what's needed, and fast: it would be _much_ the best if they could
prevent Fiana from being transported to Martial's central stronghold.  Poor
Kiriko will just have to bide his time till that info is at hand, and what more
fitting person to procure it than the White Queen herself.  Long time no see,
C.C...

The ending of the Red Shoulder business is the beginning of Kiriko's new
battle with fate.  And that whole "Untouchable" business nags him, threatening
the prospect that peace and quiet will _never_ be his, or Fiana's.

Meanwhile Shakko is down in the dumps over C.C.'s presence -- she's one of
what the Quent term "Supermen": beings with strange powers and a penchant for
really screwing his people over in the past.  While Shakko is perfectly well
aware that C.C. had no hand in the Quent debacle, and that she was trustworthy
during the previous war, something about her aura still bugs him.  The fact
that she's hunting the Martial can't be a coincidence...


-----------
CHAPTER 13S. Prelude Upon the Fog of War

The Federation president is in little mood for Lady Une's non-explanation of
why peaceniks are whyling out throughout the land.  She and the cooler
heads in the legislature are nearly out of options to prevent all-out military
intervention, and there's little hope that upcoming talks with Hamarn will
help.  The only hope is to find some kind of useful clues during the joint
military exercises being held near the L3 point.  Now MAYBE nothing untoward
will happen, but that would make for a very uneventful map -- something is
going to go pear-shaped in or around the mysterious colony "X-18999".  Lady
Une's suspicions about it predate the Breaking and even the original descent of
the colonial Gundams to the surface.

Even with a trustworthy observer dispatched to the scene and Bright Noah
heading in to take personal charge, Lady Une feels they may not be able to
avert whatever is coming.  Lucky for her (and us!) a trio of blond dudes knock
on the door at precisely that moment.  Once again, this world's widespread
shortage of quality lightbulbs leaves them standing in a pool of semi-darkness
in the hall, parlaying about who gets to claim what Preventer callsign...

Meanwhile, Amuro and Camille are having Real Talk about whoever was piloting
that red mech in the previous battle.  They agree that the pilot felt like
Char and not-Char, simultaneously -- though Camille intuits that it is
_definitely_ not "Quatro".  Forcing the world to improve by waging war on it
would be, shall we say, a tad hypocritical after all the team's denunciations
of Treize and Zero.  But if it's NOT Char, it's certainly someone with the
piloting chops to inherit the "Red Comet" moniker, and that's worrisome enough.

Real Talk gets interrupted by a gaggle of kids, led by the irrepressible
Quess.  She loves how the Londo Bell has so many people like <insert list of
all the Newtypes here>, and wants to be FRIENDS with all of them.  As
expected, the list includes Banarj, who's still the only one who can pilot
that new-fangled Gundam that Anaheim cares about so much.  Audrey still
regrets mixing him up in this whole fiasco, but he's now firmly in the "it was
my decision" camp and, like the rest of his classmates, has set his mind on
carving out a place for himself in whatever brave new world is approaching.
The only malcontent seems to be Micott, whose jealously about Audrey probably
doesn't require Quess' Newtype intuition to see.

Amuro's composure gets tested a bit when Takuya starts fanboying, eager to
get the autograph of the fabled White Shooting Star from the One Year War.
As Amuro protests faintly that he's no idol like Ranka or Sheryl, Audrey
finally realizes whose presence she's in.  She is, to say the least, somewhat
conflicted, and Quess calls her on it.  ...And Hathaway, kindly, lectures Quess
on tempering her Newtype ability to read hearts with the delicacy to respect
their feelings.  This talk of Newtype correspondence bugs Banarj a bit, on
the theory that truly connected people would never have waged the One Year War
in the first place.  Amuro is of course a genuine Newtype himself, but he
agrees entirely that REAL BONA-FIDE Newtypes would indeed find other ways of
improving the world.  He finds hope in Camille and Banarj's generation -- not
in their Newtype potential per se, but in the power of their youth and
optimism.  Certainly Banarj is off to a good start, what with how he's busted
ass to keep Audrey safe.

Amuro's certainly learned a few things since his days of getting bitch-slapped
by Bright.  Live, and learn -- or die and become a footnote for otaku to
catalog.  Suzune seems to have learned a good balance between her teacherly
and personal lives, and she's going to need every ounce of it to keep Kodama
from somehow imploding.  Kodama, as it turns out, has been lurking in the
hangar and steps out of the shadows when he sees the G-boys making ready to
sneak off ahead to X-18999.  Rather than trying to stop them, he asks to come
along on whatever they're planning -- somehow he understands that learning
piloting technique alone, even with luminary teachers like Amuro, won't suffice
to make him truly strong.  Hiiro's willing to give him the shot, or at least,
isn't inclined to spend time trying to dissuade him.  Duo reaches the same
conclusion, saying that if Kodama's guardian is down for it, he's down for it.

Cue Suzune walking up and asking Kodama why he voluntarily wants to put
himself in harm's way.  Heck, even Camille has certified that training aboard
the Ner Argama is doing Kodama good!  But Kodama insists (vaguely) that he
has to learn how to fight no matter what the circumstances, including mastering
his bare-handed Boost Up technique and becoming a guerilla expert.  He can't
(or won't) answer "why" he wants so badly to become strong, so Suzune asks
instead who his intended opponent is.  It's not any specific set of invaders,
or War Itself(tm), but what it _is_ is something he can't bring himself to
name at this point.  Suzune won't press him on the subject now, but gets him
to promise to tell her when the time is right.  Thus satisfied, she tell him
to get his butt in gear so Hiiro and Duo don't leave them behind.

Out in the exercise area, Patrick reminds the troops that they're all
Federation soldiers and that Earthnoid and Spacenoid don't matter here.  Too
bad for him, strange forces are at work that mean that Suchandsuch-noid
_does_ matter.  The two sides start shooting at each other, and Patrick very
nearly gets caught in the crossfire before Graham (callsign Lightning) zooms
in to save his butt.  Patrick seems to have cleaned up his act since his
brasher days in the previous war, having lived and learned and matured into a
ace in more than just theory.  He feels responsible as commander to bring
this mess under control, and Lightning is only too happy to help.

 The Londo Bell show up in short order and get busy helping quell the
 green-on-blue action.  The question is: what are Hiiro and the others up to?
 Amuro has one piece of advice for Banarj: protect himself above all else.
 If he can't do that, he certainly can't protect anyone else.  And it'd be
 pretty cool if he could help Albert figure out under what conditions the
 NT-D system actually operates.

 Lighting is as faulty as ever inside the colony, where a copy of would-be
 malfeasants are getting eyestrain as they watch the action unfold.  Londo
 Bell's arrival means that they won't have to lift a finger when shit goes
 down.

Certainly, no clues will come from the unconscious pilots after the team are
done with them; as in previous instances, they all started acting funny out of
the blue.  Hope will have to rest with the advance scouts inside the colony,
three of whom are sitting and waiting for Duo to radio in.  Hiiro asks Kodama
to explain what he's deduced so far, and Kodama astutely points out that the
the fact that Trois _in_particular_ has infiltrated the terrorists -- Trois
having grown up in L3 -- leads him to suspect that something very fishy is
afoot hereabouts.  X-18999, unfinished as it is, would make a great staging
ground for mischief.

Kodama then asks why Hiiro, who once battled the nations of Earth on behalf of
the Colonies, would now be aiding the Federation.  Hiiro replies that he's
doing nothing of the sort: he's fighting on his own behalf, or rather, on
behalf of that which he most dearly wants to protect.  Is "that" this fucked
up world perchance, asks Wufei as he emerges from the all-too-ubiquitous
shadows.  Are Hiiro and friends in the right?!?

The crew outside get startled by the sudden launch of a shuttle and a boatload
of late-model combat mecha.  In the shuttle is a child naming herself
Marimea Khrushinada, announcing herself as the rightful heir to ADW's ruler
(that being Treize) and a declarer of war against the Federation on behalf of
all like-minded people.  Her plan begins with the forcible destruction of
X-18999, a move calculated to escalate tensions between Earth and Space to
their breaking point.  She thinks that Londo Bell can even get blamed for it,
but that goes rapidly out the window when the Tallgeese shows up.

Zechs is at the controls as usual, though his current callsign is "Preventer
Wind", which doesn't exactly trip off the tongue.  Dekim is most upset to see
Zechs on the scene, especially given that he was supposedly dead and whatnot.
Well, if Treize's ghost (so to speak) can manifest, Zechs can't exactly be
expected to chill out in his coffin either, now can he?  It's not the best
conditions for a reunion between the former enemies, but with Duo left to
manage stuff inside the colony, Hiiro emerges to help fend off Dekim's
Serpents and save lives.  Dekim and Marimea, of course, escape to hatch their
nefarious schemes elsewhere.

 Wufei sure seems pissed off about something, and demands a demonstration
 that the Londo Bell are on the side of Justice.  Kodama certainly has a few
 choice words for whoever thinks that killing people unfairly could bring
 about a better world.  Duo very much agrees, emerging onto the battlefield
 just as a new wave of those mysterious bat-like mecha show up.  He's aboard
 his Deathscythe, which Hilde brought from Quatre just in the nick of time.
 Hiiro's Wing Zero is also on hand, and when Hiiro boards it he tells Wufei
 (twice) to self-destruct.  Wufei's not having any of that.

Wufei does have a nice serving of Justice up the ass, causing him to flee and
maybe scowl another day.  Even Duo doesn't know much about Wufei's whereabouts
of late -- all their Gundams were sealed away at Quatre's urging after the last
war, and Wufei went off on some camping trip or something and wasn't heard
from since.  Quatre's evidently decided that the Gundams are still necessary
and released them to the Preventers, which is where Noin (overjoyed to be
reunited with Zechs, even though he basically kept her thinking he was dead
for months) and Hilde come in.

Marimea's little rebellion seems to be backed by the Barton Foundation, the
same evil megacorp that helped sponsor Operation Meteor as a means to world
domination.  The Trois Barton piloting one of those Gundams is _not_ the real
Trois Barton, for what that's worth.  Anyway, with the failure of their
colony-destroying stunt, it's likely that Marimea's forces will do something
even more drastic, such as throw their support behind Neo Jion.  Heck, they may
already be in bed together if the troops delaying the Ner Argama at L1 were in
fact Bartonian.  Amuro can't say for sure if war was beginning, but things
are sounding pretty dire.

On the plus side, some of the mightiest aces from OZ, the Britannian Union,
and the AEU are now on the same team.  Graham has to go report to HQ for a
while, and tells Hiiro that he hopes to be able to thank Setsuna in person for
helping him see the light at some point.  Hiiro contents himself with glaring
at his old nemesis Zechs, but Kodama steps up to the mic like he isn't some
snot-nosed punk and demands to know why the infamous Peacecraft isn't still
hiding in the shadows.  Surely he doesn't think that this will somehow make up
for all the people he helped kill during the previous war?!

Zechs doesn't try any backtalk in the face of this earnest, naive assault,
merely watching as Kodama declares "I've got my eyes on you" before stalking
off.  Suzune apologizes for Kodama's sensitivity to death, and introducing
herself not as his guardian but as his "partner".  Then, as his "partner",
Zechs has a word of caution for her: Kodama's eyes are filled with too much
fury and sadness.  These are the eyes of someone who's lost that which is
precious and sworn revenge.

Anyways, Bright is sending the Ner Argama (with Amuro) to rendezvous back with
the other forces on the ground -- the idea being to gauge the Colonies' real
intentions without provoking them via a show of obvious force.  Besides,
it seems that the majority of the aliens and such are popping up on the
surface anyway, so consolidating firepower there is just good policy.  Hathaway
and Quess will also be leaving the Ral Kairam, hopefully a bit wiser about
what's actually going on on the front lines and able to talk some sense into
the top brass.  Bright, for his part, isn't holding his breath.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of the ocean Annalotta is in something of
a hurry to make her report to Gadlight, not waiting for him to finish draining
the glass of booze he's currently working on.  For a commander and subordinate
they seem on rather casual (possibly "intimate"?) terms, and neither seems to
be enjoying the boredom of the mission they're on.  Annalotta says that matters
in space unfolded more or less as expected, and likewise for Japan and Martial:
any "turbulence" along the way has been minor.  She's planning to go
investigate the "turbulence" further in person to see if it might become a
problem later, while Gadlight is planning a little trip to see what he calls
"this planet"'s superintendent... who it seems is probably more or less aware
of their presence anyway.  The countdown has already begun, and both of them
can agree that there's plenty of fun to be had before the clock strikes
midnight...

Kodama actually goes to quiz AG about this resurgent menace from Marimea's
gang.  AG directly tells Kodama what he knows -- namely, not much, apart from
the fact that they clearly got brought into this world just as Kodama did, in
a flurry of dimensional distortion.  Why it took them so long to reassert
themselves is anybody's guess...

-----------
CHAPTER 13J. Other, and Self

We rejoin or man (child-boy actually) getting punched repeatedly in the face
by his hick classmate Touji, with smirking yes-man otaku Kensuke watching
in approval.  This has something to do with Shinji not being so flawless a
pilot of his EVA that he could prevent all injury to people nearby (in this
case Touji's sister), and Touji's lack of gratitude for the fact that both
he and his sister are still breathing.  One could almost call Shinji's totally
blase response to cranial drubbing "philosophical", except that Shinji's
mental processes have only ever been "stationary" as far as we're shown.

This facial rearrangement doesn't go unnoticed by his new teammates, whose
reactions to trying to a) get him some first aid and b) give him encouragement
differ sharply.  To Akagi's assertion that fighting brings understanding
among transfer students, Kinue points out that this is _not_ some lame shounen
manga.  In any case Shinji maintains that he's not bothered, even though it's
clear to everyone that all the progress he's made since fighting the
Heterodynes just got undone.  Misato and Ritsuko aren't in agreement with the
whole "transfer student" thing, Ritsuko pointing out that Shinji's got lots of
training to do and precious little time for school shenanigans.  Misato wants
Shinji to have a life beyond just a component in a fighting machine, but
there's this little thing called the "Hedgehog's Dilemma" to work out first.

To recap: the closer you get to other people, the greater the chances they can
wound you.  Shinji, in short, has become an emotional coward and voluntary
autist.  Professor Misato claims that optimal success in this paradigm is
finding the proximity to others that results in _least_ injury, never mind the
fact that one such solution occurs at infinity: maybe she should leave the
math stuff to others?

It turns out that most of the team is off on heroic business of one kind or
the other -- business that the Dai Guard team _can't_ engage in until their
mech is fixed.  Instead, they've been hired by NERV to help fix the damage to
Neo-Tokyo 3, and would just as soon Shinji _not_ help in the interest of
giving him time to make friends.  Yeah umm, good luck with that.  At this
point Ayanami Rei (who should need no introduction at this point) makes her
first appearance, telling Shinji that his father sent her to call him to
practice.  Rei is oh-so mysterious (even Misato's been told nothing of her
past), and Shinji intuits that she shares some relationship with his dad that
he doesn't.

As he shuffles off down the street, Shinji reflects that Akagi and the others
are doing their salaryman thing voluntarily, while he's doing his middle-
school thing basically out of a lack of anything else _to_ do.  Unexpectedly,
a passer-by asks if this is the way to get to the library.  That passer-by
is none other than _Lelouch_ of all people, who seems aware that Shinji has
been Chosen.  Shinji, for his part, feels like he's seen Lelouch somewhere
before, but can't recall where.

Maybe Shinji's not entirely out of luck yet: the class rep from his homeroom,
Hikari, has found out about Touji's grudge and has decided to put a stop to it
fast.  As though slugging a classmate wasn't bad enough, it seems the other
students are keeping their distance from Shinji out of some (misplaced) respect
for Touji's opinion.  And it seems to be something other than a matter of
assigning blame: Touji as much as admits that Shinji doesn't deserve the hate
that, all the same, he's determined to direct his way.  Explaining why that is
will have to wait until after today's Angel attack, brought to you by the
letter "G".

As in "Gendou".  Apparently he foresaw that this attack was coming, and
deliberately arranged to have the Dragons' Hive folks out of the area to ensure
that only EVAs would be fighting the Angel this time.  This is his way of
testing Seele, whose infallibility he's had reason to doubt of late, and also
achieves another end as well: it gives him an excuse to unseal EVA-00.

Given how much Shinji's head is _not_ in the game, Rei's assistance will almost
definitely be required versus the Fifth Angel.  Shinji is grappling with the
fact that he can't save _everyone_, and that there are those who will hate him
even if he's trying to act on their behalf.  Oh, and guess who chose this
battle to slip out of the shelter and watch the fighting live: yup, those
grudgeful folks just mentioned!

The fight progresses in their direction, and lucky for them the 21st Century
folks happen by and get them out of immediate harm's way.  Misato orders that
they be admitted into the EVA cockpit as the only known way to keep them safe,
thereby setting the stage for Touji to realize just how rough Shinji's got it
being an EVA pilot.

 Things take an abrupt turn for the worse when Brocken and his mecha-beasts
 show up unannounced.  Seeing Kouji is nowhere in sight, Brocken's plan is to
 kick back and watch the world end -- a plan that goes rapidly out the window
 when some of those bat-like mecha show up and trounce his forces.  Brocken
 is forced to make a hasty exit as the unknowns start attacking the Angel of
 their own volition.  Gendou is adamant that they can't be trusted, and orders
 EVA-00 sortied.

 Shinji has no idea what's going on, and matters only get more dire when an
 attack from the Angel severs his umbilical connection.  He's now got six
 turns of power left, and Rei to help keep his health from depleting entirely.
 Of course the rest of the team are hurrying back to help, which is a good
 thing since you'll lose the SP if the bat thingies even think about attacking
 the Angel.

Guess what, some times thing _do_ go like they do in the manga: Shinji gets his
chance (obligation, really) to deck Touji in the face and settle the score
between them.  The beginning of a beautiful friendship?  Or something...
Behind the scenes, Gendou arranges with Ootsuka to post both EVA-00 and -01,
as well as their pilots and Misato, to the Crushers.  He isn't worried about
the larger joint operation they're scheduled to be part of, and is satisfied
with Ootsuka's promise to send the EVA's back with top priority should NERV
detect an Angel coming.

Gendou won't say a word of goodbye to his son, but he does have a lot on his
mind it seems.  Between the extra strength the Angels display, and the mystery
visitors, the schedule seems to be veering farther and farther away from the
course charted 14 years ago.  All signs point to whatever power has
deliberately reordered this world to its liking.  Just then a visitor arrives:
Zero in the flesh!  Well, more like the son-of-Zero, as Gendou quickly
ascertains.  The question is what "Zero" wants with NERV...

Shinji's back to the itinerant transfer-student life, away from his dad.  And
yet, everything seems different than before...

[See 13S for the conversation with Annalotta and Gadlight.]

Shinji is quite surprised at the sight of AG, who tells him not to fear.
Robots were made to serve humans, and must obey the "Three Laws of Robotics",
those being, according to him: 1) Don't harm humans, 2) Obey humans under all
conditions, and 3) Apart from those two, do whatever you damn well please!  Now
only robots are programmed with these, so it's anyone's guess what "artificial
humans" (such as an EVA?) might or might not have to obey...


-----------
CHAPTER 13M. Martial

C.C. is in no hurry to divulge why she's interest in Martial, and the veteran
folks on the team know better than to try and force the issue.  For Kodama's
benefit, Mao explains that this former Zexis heavyweight was also one of the
leaders of the Black Knights -- essentially the right hand of their supreme
commander Zero, and possibly his lover too.  That would tend to imply that
Zero (whose actual identity was sort of not entirely made public) was a dude,
and since said dude seems nowhere to be found, Kurtz figures that he might just
have a chance of bedding the green-haired sylph.

That _might_ not be the best plan, given that she's an _actual_ witch (like,
with real magic and junk) and more than old enough to be his great-great-GREAT
grandcestor.  Shakko certainly isn't shy in approaching her and, in his
slightly halting fashion, asking her what she's up to.  And, where Zero's at.
She purrs that Martial, as he knows well, are the sort of people she especially
hates, and as for Zero... well, that's one boy she's done playing nursemaid to.
Thrown him out on his ear, supposedly.  Perhaps.

Conversely, she asks Shakko what he believes God to be.  Good Quentian that he
is, he answers that he's got no idea, save that it's _not_ whatever the
Martial folks claim.  Spoken like a true Supermen-hater.  C.C. herself seems
to suspect that the Supermen and God may be one and the same, which partially
explains her interest in Martial.  For her part, she declares that God, at
the very least, is neither individual nor mortal.  Does that, Shakko inquires,
make _her_ divine?  She corrects herself to say that God consists in those
beings undying by choice, and self-aware of their divinity.

These riddles seem to stump Shakko, but Kodama is all in a tizzy wanting to
know more.  C.C.'s never met him before, of course, but one look at him makes
her draw up short.  What, she demands, _is_ he?  ...Quite a question, coming
from her mouth especially.  Suzune hastily introduces herself as Kodama's
class teacher, explaining briefly about his daily life (between battles that
is).  C.C. asks what Kodama wants (to become stronger) and whether he's
willing to discard that daily life in the process.  He says he is, which very
much recalls the time she first met a certain man...  Well then, if he wants
strength, he's welcome to tag along with her to the Martial Shrine.  Even
with a worthy cause like rescuing Fiana, it's probably best to not perturb the
massive Martial religious institution more than necessary...

The bad guys have apparently set up their temple in some ancient Mayan ruins,
attracted perhaps by the Mayans' advanced (for their day) astronomy and
time-keeping.  The portentous heft of the Long Count Calendar brought the
Mayans fame long after their society vanished, and Kodama cautions Sousuke
against dismissing it all as so much mumbo-jumbo.  Those old prophecies often
contain some kernels of truth, and it would be pretty stunning if the
apocalypse foretold at the end of the Age of the Sun were to occur.  Meh,
mankind's outlived plenty of dire predictions so far.

Infiltrating the shrine goes smoothly, thanks to a major show of force by the
rest of the team.  Intelligence reports that the mech which abducted Fiana is
somewhere in this complex, so Fiana herself ought to be nearby.  Kodama wants
to know why C.C. brought him along, and she answers his question with one of
her own: why's he so interested in God?  He can't articulate it in words,
except to say that if he can understand God, it'll help him understand how to
fight going forward.  C.C. seemingly figured as much, and tells him to get a
good look at what such beliefs have brought the Martial faithful.  As she
tells a skeptical Sousuke, she's used to dealing with boys trying to work
things out for themselves.  Kiriko breaks his long silence to observe that
she hasn't changed, actually eliciting an amused laugh, and the sly rejoinder
that "that man" hasn't changed either.

It's at about this point that Gaulun shows up, having NOT died in the
previous battle thanks to his Lambda Driver.  He means to exact his revenge
slowly and painfully, which doesn't quite accord with Kiriko's plans to
rescue Fiana.  Sousuke and Kodama urge Kiriko to go on ahead, which is
unfortunately just as Gaulun had planned.  It means that Kiriko gets to run
into Titania, whose Nextant abilities make a dangerous counter to Kiriko's
extremely dangerous marksmanship.  Choosing to downplay her cybernetics for a
moment, she asks if Kiriko believes in the Martial god.  She takes his silence
as denial, and that marks him for termination, "Untouchable" or not.

Sousuke wants to know what the hell Gaulun is doing here, and Gaulun declares
that the God of War's shrine sounds like a pretty fitting place for him... if
he believed in God anyway, which Sousuke openly doubts.  Now comes C.C.'s
lesson to Kodama: humans tend to justify any and all actions when they believe
God is on their side.  If God saves some people, God also plunges some people
into unfathomable darkness.  When it comes to cosmic power beyond the mortal
ken, there's no difference between God and the Devil... and humans have this
habit of trying to get to that state of being on their own two feet.

Sousuke orders Kodama to take this outside, drawing as much fire as possible
away from Kiriko's mission within.  Martial responds with a bevy of new mecha,
similar enough to those the S.M.S. has fought that Martial's complicity is now
clear.  Kiriko dashes out of the shrine (sans Fiana) to retrieve his mech and
face Titania properly.  Best of luck?

 Not so much: as on the other paths, a bunch of the bat-winged unmanned mecha
 show up and get in the way.  Titania's quite happy of course, since this
 lets her focus on her tiff with Kiriko all the more.  Also known as,
 hastening her own defeat at Kiriko's hands.  To her shock, Kiriko doesn't
 finish her off, despite how she was trying to do just that to him.  Kiriko
 is about to leave her behind in order to go fetch Fiana when something
 strange happens to Titania, and her seemingly defunct mech springs back to
 life.

 Kiriko takes the brunt of this, managing to eject just before his own mech
 blows up.  Titania realizes that this was her auxiliary brain's doing, and
 grimaces that this isn't any sort of real victory.  She yells that Martial's
 got Fiana in another castle, and for him to come face her again once and
 for all if he wants her back.  Well then, guess there's little point in
 prolonging the battle any further....

 Gaulun's got some serious backers -- ones willing to overlook his obvious
 insanity and keep him outfitted with the very latest in mecha.  Who those
 backers are won't be easy to discern, but it's assured that he and Sousuke
 will have more throwdown in the future.

Man, why can't Kiriko ever catch a break?  Karinin announces that the quest
to recover Fiana is officially on hold, being that matters seemingly reach
all the way to the Martial's version of the Vatican.  It's obvious to this
team that the Martial folks are up to no good, but producing more evidence and
gathering more support will take time -- time that Kiriko is surprisingly
willing to let Fiana remain captive.  As Klan explains, Kiriko's thinking
beyond his emotional response and recognizing that only the Martial have the
tech that might reverse Fiana's failing health.

With Operation Black Battling now well and truly over, it's time to rejoin
the other branches of the game and get on to some truly immense enemies.  And
lest any of the pilots think they've got time to be depressed, Ozuma reminds
them all that they're the only thing standing between the Earth and... well,
whatever's diametrically opposed to that.  C.C. seems privately thrilled that
a power to exceed the so-called "Will of God" is still on tap, and slyly tells
Shakko that it's too early to call this match in favor of the good guys.
Still, she can think of worse traveling partners than him along the road she's
got to travel (including a stop in Japan to drop off a certain item to a
certain someone).

If C.C. is playing the long game, Kurtz is busy spitting game, planting the
bee in Kodama's bonnet that Suzune might be getting propositioned by the
dashing captain at this. very. moment.  Kodama argues very unconvincingly that
Suzune is "merely" his partner, not anything more, and scurries off to "tune
his mech" (is _that_ what they're calling it these days??).  Of course
Jeffrey isn't _actually_ propositioning her.

Rather, he's expressing concern that Kodama seems naturally unsuited to
battle (recall that Kiriko observed the same thing).  His violent reaction to
the thought of innocent civilians being killed during warfare seems somehow
connected to the accident(?) that reportedly killed his father and sister.
Jeffrey had hoped that accumulating combat experience would mitigate the fear
that Kodama constantly struggles with, but its roots seem to run even deeper
than Jeffrey foresaw.  Suzune states that fear of battle is only natural, and
thinks that Kodama is to be praised for overcoming that and fighting.  BZZT!

That's precisely what makes Kodama scary.  His eyes are eyes filled with rage
and sorrow: the eyes of one who's sworn revenge.  Jeffrey knows full well that
everyone's got their own reasons for fighting, and wouldn't kick Kodama out of
his pilot's seat for that alone... but Suzune needs to keep a _close_ eye on
him going forward.  Too much rage WILL destroy everything around you.  If she
can protect him, can see him through to the other side, Jeffrey promises her
that Kodama _will_ find the power he so desperately craves.

[See 13S for Annalotta and Gadlight's conversation.]

AG is very pleasantly surprised when C.C. pays him a visit, interested in
learning more about everything going on surrounding Kodama.  AG is only too
glad to help, noting that C.C.'s steely eyes and icy exterior are precisely
what warms his circuits.  This actually makes C.C. quail a bit, unused as she
is (or at least claims to be) to actually making other people happy.  She'll
ask her questions one at a time, and widely spaced apart, which is a bit
disappointing for AG but at least gives him something to look forward to.

[C.C. and Lelouch are fully teh win and sticking with their branch is a moral
imperative.  Plus that's where I earned the most P.P., for reasons unknown.]


----------
CHAPTER 14. The Gap Between Light and Darkness

Only a great calamity, or set of calamities, could bring this much firepower
(also known as bench fodder) together at once.  The eeriest menace isn't the
aliens, or the upstart Colonial separatists -- it's the peaceniks suddenly
wigging out and going all 28 Days Later on that ass.  With war brewing between
the colonies and the surface, the last thing anyone needs is a populace whose
sanity is forever in doubt.  The Martial faithful, presumably, are loving every
minute of it.

Kodama's having more of his usual nightmares, and wakes up just in time for
Suzune to invite him to come be social.  You can choose either way, which
seems to have no effect on the next battle but does impact the dialog some.

It so happens that Shinji's high school got a little bit destroyed by the
previous Angel attack, so all his classmates are now shacked up with Kaname
and friends and ALL shanghaied into her Volunteer Club.  The newcomers take
quickly to the idea that the club constitutes camouflage for the fact that
most if its members are combat pilots, and Touji in particular is all in favor
of supporting Rei and Shinji.  Speaking of whom...

..Shinji's been waylaid after school by the guidance counselor, who of all
people turns out to be Ougi!  He, like Shinji, is from "New Japan" and has a
lot to reminisce about.  And, like Shinji (who he knows to be an EVA pilot),
he's seen more than his fair share of combat firsthand.  The memory of his
comrades, including boys and girls about Shinji's age, is manifest in the
bandana he still wears.  He's figured Shinji for a non-combatant, and while
he can't arrange things so Shinji won't have to fight any more, he _can_ try
to help Shinji bear it better.

His plan is to put Shinji in touch with Kanzuki Karen, who it just so happens
has transferred to this school from Kouji's old haunt.  Kouji and the gang turn
up shortly after Karen herself, and it's the usual reunion stuff, to Ougi's
relief.  If Kodama decided to be anti-social, the Volunteer Club's got a little
game of detective to play, trying to figure out where it is he's been sneaking
off to for the past week.  Lucky for everyone Sousuke planted a little tracking
device (intended for use on Chidori, maybe?) and has a pretty good idea where
he's gone.  With Karen as an older-sister figure, how can Shinji go wrong?  And
with Sousuke as an older brother figure, will Touji even survive?

It turns out that Kodama's been going to a certain hospital, where young Shinya
and Misako are being kept in a special room of their own.  Their condition
remains unchanged, which is to say, not good: the medical staff has basically
given up hope of reviving their personalities according to someone named Maki.
She, as the team learn when they show up, is the nurse in charge of the two
children with red eyes and "dead" hearts -- devoid of all emotion.  They're not
relatives of Kodama's as such, but before he can explain what they _are_...

..Their red eyes pop wide in pain or fear, accompanied by uncontrollable
screams.  The same happens to Kodama, as the characteristic sound of a
Spacetime Quake rings out.  _This_ is what Gadlight's been waiting for: an
influx of bat-wing mecha mixed with random units from other evil organizations.
Kodama gathers himself enough to summon the Geneon, shaking with what must be
fear but determined to hold the fort anyway until help arrives.  Very brave,
but in his heart of hearts he knows that "He" must be near...

 Gadlight definitely doesn't like the sight of the Geneon, and neither do the
 bad guys given the ferocity of the fighting.  Help arrives on turn 3, and
 C.C. smoothly hands over Lelouch's present to Karen: the Guren Seiten
 Hakkyouku-shiki, and her old pilot uniform (bandana included).  Her
 metamorphosis into the fearsome "Red Demon" is almost instant, and she
 tells Kodama in no uncertain terms to follow _her_ lead unless he can get
 that terrified quiver out of his voice.

 Deplete enough troops and Annalotta shows up in person, giving orders and
 thereby putting herself atop the hitlist.  She seems quite indignant that
 these backwater hick Earthlings would dare challenge her, and vows to show
 them the full power of G.  Yup, it's a G thang.

 Shoot down Annalotta for 150Z in bonus monies.

 Annalotta, of course, is hard to kill.  But so are your people, enough that
 she grudgingly admits that they _might_ get in the way of her plans.  She
 makes to retreat without explaining where the hell she came from or why,
 and Kodama makes a desperate(ly stupid) bid to find out.  Karen takes a
 bullet for him, yelling that he'd best get his ass off the battlefield if he
 can't stand to face the fear in his heart that much.  Annalotta meanwhile
 turns out to not like being chased, and sets on Kodama with some kind of
 cursingness attack.

 Kodama, on the other hand, doesn't want to die just yet, and in the heat of
 the moment manages to pull some new kind of super move out of his ass.
 Annalotta has a very painful moment of shocked recognition and runs away,
 making Gadlight hate the blue mech and its dangerous contents even more.
 But because he's such a boozing hobo he wanders off down the street instead
 of doing anything about it, because well, the main character's currently
 unconscious and the Rules(tm) seemingly prescribe a free pass in such
 situations.

And whaddya know, there's some additional observers who seem to have found the
one working floodlight in the entire game to stand under!  _They_ like what
they've seen and are planning to contact the newly-proven "worthy" ones... but
maybe after a spot of tea.  Kodama regains consciousness enough to argue with
Ozuma and Amuro about whether he ought to be allowed to continue piloting,
given that nobody (AG included) seems to know how the hell the Geneon really
works or whether Kodama can control it's apparently immense power.  Suzune
decides to honor Kodama's determination to master this new power, and Ozuma</pre><pre id="faqspan-5">
takes _her_ word as the basis for his report to the brass.

Meanwhile, the new enemies seem to love G'ing up the scene, so they're to be
referred to as "Unknown G" or "UG", Unoriginal Ganstas, from now on.  Blasting
their ass is going to require cooperation and trust, and Kodama finally musters
a bit of that in order to explain, at last, what the deal was with those kids
in the hospital.

Truth be told, his info is pretty sketchy.  He believes he's been somehow
cursed, similarly to those poor kids, dating back to a day near the end of the
War of Rebirth.  His family was trying to get away from it all in the Rockies,
when all they got was a little Spacetime Rift tearing everything nearby apart.
When he next came to he was in a hospital bed, his family's voices ringing in
his ears and a vision of "him", something that he struggles to describe as
an "angel" amidst the Spacetime distortion that... laughed, or something.

Every time he thinks back on it, his eyes start doing that blood-red thing.
He's certain that that entity is what caused the rift that killed his parents,
and during years of Truth Is Out There(tm) action he's discovered others like
him who survived close encounters with these rifts.  The children in the
hospital had both eyes turn red, while Kodama's only got one -- evidently he
avoided a lethal dose of whatever.  The dose he did get has gripped his heart
with a fear that may be the real reason for his revenge jag.

The plain fact is that the angel's laughter haunts him day and night, even
when he covers his ears or shuts his eyes or screams at the top of his lungs.
The only hope he sees is to get the power to somehow fight back, and given
how this "angel" is a supernatural force, only a supernatural counter-force,
like the Geneon, seems worthwhile.  He can either try to master its secrets,
or simply go batshit insane.

As it is, it seems the "angel" was close by the hospital when he and the kids
lost their composure.  He's not sure if the angel and the UGs are one and the
same, and in the terror of the moment wasn't able to properly bring himself to
find out.  Shinji tries to point out that he _did_ overcome his fear, at least
for a moment, but Kodama knows all too well that he's neither a professional
combatant, nor some kind of noble-motived Ally of Justice.  He's surprised to
hear that none of his teammates started out that way either, and after a bit
of love festing he and Sousuke exchange a genuine smile.  Hell, even Shinji
gets into the mood.

Which is good, because there's a new Quake and a whole new set of problems to
deal with...  Oh, and if you take the time to swing by AG's place, you get to
hear the possibly nifty acronym for the Geneon's new mode: (G)litter
(A)rmament (I)nfinity.  This is a sort of multilingual pun, as it refers also
to the Japanese characters for "outer" and "armor".


----------
CHAPTER 15. The Myth Surrounding the Climax

  The Guardian of Paradise
  The Lonely Remnant
  If you, at least, can be -- ...

Here's a dubious way to pick up girls: ask why they were crying in the movie
theater you just exited.  This is fractionally less creepy if the movie was a
legitimate tear-jerker, and fractionally less creepy yet if the movie happened
to be a strange, meta foreshadowing of the show you, yourself, happen to live
in.  Such is the case with Amata, a lonely janitor at a dilapidated Nth-run
cinema who -- despite all odds to the contrary -- actually gets Mikono to
actually tell her his name.

Even more improbably, she starts picking his brain for trivia about the film
she just watched: "The Dancing Skies of Aquaria " -- even going as far as to
quote its heroine's line about being willing to wait 12000 years for the hero.
This almost turns things romantic until Mikono's "cat" intervenes.  It's kind
of a misshapen blob and ill-tempered to boot, and somehow manages to hide in
her hair all incognito-like... But Amata recovers quickly and recounts how
the film -- recounting an ancient-ass battle between fallen angels -- is mainly
known for its catchy theme song by actress Alicia.  Who, Amata stammers, was
almost _too_ beautiful for her role.

He quickly changes the subject to something more pleasant: a rash of
kidnappings by pan-dimensional aliens called, and I am not making this up:
"Abductors".  Mikono turns out to be the optimistic sort who isn't worried
about a little alien Abduction, and understands the value of getting some
fresh air every now and again -- hence her travels through an unfamiliar,
dangerous town to see an old B-grade film live.  Mind you, the premise strongly
resembles an actual school somewhere in the world, where kids called Elements
are taught to use their special powers to pilot the Aquaria mecha.

Neither of them reckon they stand a chance of being chosen for something like
that, which is of course why we've been spending all this time scrolling
through their dialog -- OF COURSE they're frigging going to pilot the darn
thing.  ...Just as soon as some Abductors get dealt with by the Aquaria, who
show up to defend the school that turns out to be RIGHT DOWN THE STREET from
the fateful theater.

Pilot MIX bitches to Zessica that she doesn't like piloting alongside _boys_,
who have like cooties or stuff.  Kaien and Andy ignore her and focus on the
bad guys, who Moroi cautions aren't to be taken lightly.  Sazanka then tells
MIX to hold up her side of the gender divide, and Zessica is all for it: if
"combining" with girls feels _this_ _good_, imagine what doing it with a boy
would be like!  No, seriously, that's a direct quote.  Her teacher Suomi,
suffice it to say, is not quite as liberated as her green-haired pupil,
and launches into a tirade about how the Goddess will only defend the cradles
of Chastity (those being the Aquaria) so long as their pilots follow suit.
MIX is oh-so quick to copy her teacher's glasses-glaring antics, while the
boys start wishing the womenfolk would shut up and just start fighting.

Apparently their teachers are every bit as gender-warlike as the students, but
are forced to put their differences aside when a Quake breaks loose.  As it
does, Mikono and Amata (who seemingly smell interesting to the Abductors) hear
some sort of voice calling them... not from 12 *thousand* years ago, but 120
MILLION years ago.  Result: the Holy Angel Academy and everything within
ten kilometers gets teleported to some other world's Tokyo.  Quite thrilling
to the Abductor called Kagura, who's all about violence and is handily
outmaneuvering the Aquaria.

The only hope is for the boys and girls to work together, even though there's
something called a Guiz Stone that prevents them from actually "uniting".
Whatever.  The usual suspects show up at this point, and quickly decide to
attack the group of mecha that are blowing up the city (i.e. the Abductors).
That's fortunate, because the Aquaria pilots have no idea how to handle their
first "joint mission" and are kind of forced to flee in ignominy.

 As though things weren't bad enough, Ashura shows up in short order to, in
 his/her words, confirm the "End of the Myth" that predicts the End of Days.
 The Devil's army shows up too, and there's a lot of forced urban renewal
 going on that the team can't do much to stop.  Amata and Mikono are busy
 getting crushed under rubble on the sidelines.  Amata _really_ wants to
 protect her, and is thus forced to make an apology.

 For... having wings, evidently.  He manages to dig the two of them out of
 the rubble, just as Andy's Vector Zed aircraft forcibly ejects him and flies
 over to Amata's rescue.  Somehow he knows exactly how to pilot, and Zessica
 and Kaien get forcibly dragged along for the ride.  It's time to destroy
 the name of Falsehood, and scream out the Truth that will cause the Myth
 to grant them admittance.

 Truth, thy name is Aquarion!  The process of combining feels exceedingly
 strange, as all the things its pilots hold dear feel like they're flying into
 a million pieces.  Meanwhile, the sight of it causes all the usual pilots to
 get a violent headache.  Amuro retains more clarity than most, realizing
 that he somehow knows this supposedly-unfamiliar mech.  Its angelic presence
 stirs something within Kodama, and the Aquaria commanders stare aghast at the
 sight of the Guiz Stone shattered asunder.

 Amata isn't the most experienced pilot, and Zessica yells at him to quit
 hugging his girlfriend and fight if he wants to live through this.  Yes,
 that would be a good plan.  Ashura, seeing all this, is elated: the End is
 indeed nigh with the return of the Mechanical Angel.

 Amata synchronizes well with Zessica, who figures that he's actually got a
 knack for this.  Poor Kaien is kind of left scratching his head, evidently
 not getting the synchro goodness for himself.  His expertise seems to lie
 elsewhere, like interpreting a strange dream they all share when Kagura noms
 onto their mech.  The dream is more of a nightmare: the "Wedding In
 Mourning", and apparently is typical of one of the Elements' typical powers:
 Despairing Foresight!  Which is pretty much what it sounds like: its bearer
 can see into the future, but only for the bad stuff.

 In fact the whole team can see this vision, in which Mikono seems to be the
 bride.  The groom's face remains hidden, and Kaien (who seems to be an
 acquaintance of Mikono's) blames the whole thing on Amata.  Amata actually
 accepts the blame, figuring it's all due to his power that causes him to
 float (fly, actually) whenever he's in a good mood.  He's been treated as
 a witch and a pariah all his life because of it, and now it's apparently
 made things worse for the one person he wanted to protect.

 ...Who, it seems, is the one person Kagura most wants to rend limb from
 limb.  As Amata gets all depressed and Aquarion's power levels falter, the
 mysterious custodian of all this declares to Amata that to be accepted by
 the myth requires becoming a myth oneself.  Is he ready to do that?  He
 certainly seems to be, so desperate to protect this small, frail girl he just
 met, with such warm hands.  He unleashes his full Element power, taking to
 the skies and wreaking some impressive havoc with what is evidently called
 the "Flying Love Attack".

 At this point someone named Izumo radios in, telling Kagura to get his sorry
 ass back to base so they can investigate what caused this latest Quake.  That
 leaves what Ashura calls "vessels without souls" from his army to get
 slaughtered.  He taunts Kouji and friends with their blissful ignorance
 before making his typical-badguy exit.

The team departs, leaving the Aquarion folks to return to base.  Kaien in
particular is dead-set against bring Mikono to the base, but he gets soundly
overruled by the commanders.  From the sidelines, a certain person watches
this drama of Death and Rebirth unfolding once again...

One thing's for certain: now that the forbidden Seal has been broken and
Aquarion restored to its original, complete form, the students of Holy Angel
Academy aren't going to sit idly by... not that they even have the option,
given the whole place has just been teleported to a new world.  It takes
Claire, chairwoman (or is that chair-girl?) of the Academy to show up and
stop all the panic.

And as for Seele, they all reckon this must be some kind of accident, even if
some agency helped precipitate it.  Despite none of this being written in the
Dead Sea Scrolls Gaiden (yeah, that's apparently a thing -- maybe for sale at
Comiket?), they decide to forge ahead with the Human Complementation Project,
which Gendou _claims_ to be oh-so eager to implement...

After the battle, Suzune consults AG on how she can better serve Kodama as a
partner.  AG warns slyly that she's about to surpass the limits of a mere
student-teacher relationship, a prospect that doesn't seem to bother her
particularly.  As such, AG agrees to transfer her more manual control of the
Geneon's weapon systems, hopefully making things more powerful in the process.


----------
CHAPTER 16. Unfolding New World

The stranger (who, let's be honest, is Kaworu) finds a fellow music-lover in
Schlede, who's laboring at the piano at midnight like some kind of tortured
Mozart wanna-be.  This aligns with Kaworu's mater plan to fill the world with
music.

Meanwhile, the assimilation of Aquaria City (or at least its downtown area)
into the Earth has been extremely smooth, mostly because the Powers That Be(tm)
deposited the damn thing onto a barren area slated for urban development
anyway.  AND, the glorious victory in the previous battle made the Academy's
residents amenable to accepting the Federation's governance.  Some thanks are
also due to the Academy's chairwoman, middle-schooler though she seems.  In
fact, Claire is doing such a fine job that poor Audrey feels more than a little
inadequate by comparison.

The Feds have decided to throw a party to welcome their latest citizens, and a
certain VIP is coming to help celebrate -- someone that has Alto all nervous.
He isn't willing to outright say who, so (partially in order to distract
Audrey from her worries) the team decide to go prying into Alto's private
life.  Operation title: Code Princess.

Amata is doing his best to integrate into life at the Academy, which of course
is in an uproar due to the results of the Quake anyway.  He's become a major
celebrity on campus, both for mecha-jacking the Aquarion and for his obvious
relationship with Mikono.  Said Mikono is in a bit of a fix, since she doesn't
seem to have any obvious Element abilities herself, but nobody seriously wants
to toss a fellow resident of their Earth out on their ear.  Hell, the more
pretty girls around, the happier Andy will be.  None of this is endearing them
to Kaien, who turns out to be Mikono's _brother_.  Their family has long been
known for Element abilities, and Kaien early-manifesting powers took him out
of the home when Mikono was still little.

Kaien thinks of his little sister as powerless, and makes it VERY clear to
Amata that he doesn't want to see Mikono getting dragged anywhere near battle
again.  Amata has to digest that, AND the startling degree of gender
separation going on at his new school: a veritable Berlin Wall that Andy is
determined to cross once he finds the girl of his dreams.  Maybe he's get his
chance when the big party happens, given that both men and women from outside
will be attending.  The thought of getting to spend time with Mikono sets
Amata to floating again, and the teachers figure it's about time for the little
gadget that the Chairwoman devised...

There's a bit of time for witty banter before the big speeches kick off, in
which we find out that the Sunanpaz might just be willing to hit dat for the
Chairwoman -- given how coy she's being about her age.  As the guys get with
the locker-room talk and Mao and Misato get thoroughly plastered, the Volunteer
Club is in full snooping mode.  They get to see the Berlin Wall, not so much
figurative as *literal*... and reinforced by the Chairwoman's gadgets, which
turn out to be shock bracelets that zap the students if they start feeling
sexy.  Claire claims this sadism is absolutely indispensable to maximum
expression of the students' Element abilities and the averting of another
Aquarion "tragedy" -- and that they were given to her in advance by the
Supreme Commander of Neo Diva.

If Alto has a weakness, it's certainly not apparent to Banarj or Audrey.
Kaname radios to them to keep watching, adding the old saw that "Nobody picks
up your corpse when you die".  Audrey knows all about that exhortation to
self-responsibility, to her cost.

Anyway, the more the students interact with the pilots, the more adolescent
hijinks unfold.  Andy _had_ recruited Amata to help dig holes under the Berlin
Wall to go hit on chicks during the concert, but MIX managed to fill them all
up _and_ threaten to tell on him.  Annoying, but it _is_ an occasion for Andy
to check out just how big MIX's tits are.  This results in him getting zapped
and MIX stalking off in a huff, only to run smack into Alto and then try to
blame him for it.

At about this point the special guests show up: Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee!
Not everyone on the team knows who they area now, but Sheryl sounds confident
they _will_ know once the concert's over.  Seeing Alto chatting with them
raises the old specter of his "double-dating" them, and some of the students
are either scandalized or jealous.  Amata though is more concerned about
cheering up Mikono, who he sees walking all alone near the school.

The cheering up gets interrupted when Kagura turns up.  He finds it odd that
Amata has no scent at all, and moves quickly to abduct the sweet-smelling
Mikono.  Amata gets punched in the face when he tries to intervene, but
luckily for him Schlede and his violin of PAIN are around to inflict intense
psychological pain.  True fact: wolves IRL are intensely pained by the sound
of a violin, while most domestic dogs are not.  After Kagura runs off, Schlede
tells Amata that he probably just faced the beast mech's pilot from a week ago.

Kaien comes running up at this point, predictably pissed off that his sister
was in jeopardy.  Schlede, who refers to him as his "best friend" in what may
or may not be a sardonic manner, ensures that Kaien doesn't berate Amata too
much.  It's left unstated if Schlede is somehow ill or merely a recluse, but
it seems his sonic powers include the ability to detect the faint whine of a
dimensional gate being opened.  That should mean evacuation time for Mikono,
but she somehow feels a need to apologize to Kagura -- a very familiar
presence when he was clutching her, despite the obvious menace.

The concert starts of very well, with even Rei stirred by Sheryl's songs.
Ranka doesn't disappoint either, painting the perfect picture of Earth's sights
and sounds and smells that gives Audrey -- raised as she was in the asteroid
belt -- a lot to think about.  Alto too looks to be finally held account to
his possible polygamous ways... until the Abductors show up.

That's Abductors, plural: there's a dude named Jin that Izumo has sent to
bring Kagura's order-defying ass back.  He tells Kagura that the brass view
this planet as being in the same position as Vega, and will act accordingly...
whatever that means.  In practical terms, it means that Kagura will be forgiven
for slipping out of the base if he mounts his mech and lends Jin a hand.

Aquarion EVOL will start with the same lineup as last time, but its pilots can
be Teleport-Changed at will.  Amata promises to try his best to help out, which
is good enough for Zessica.  As Mikono watches anxiously from the school, a
certain someone (aka Commander Fudou) tells her that the sweet honey that is
love can also attract ants.  And thus one meets, not one's true love, but
rather him who is forbidden!

 Get ready for the ham-handedness.  As Sheryl and Ranka start singing, a
 bunch of Vajra show up.  Normally that would be cool, since the two idol
 singers' songs include Fold Waves, through which it's been determined that
 the Vajra aren't actually a threat.  ...Except, these ones are.  And the
 same Quake that brought them also brought Kei and friends.  Fudou seems
 not entirely surprised to see them, taking it as more proof that this world
 is burdened with being the end of the Myth.

 With an effort, the team remember that Kei's mech is called the Orguss, but
 as Kei goes to greet "Apollo" and the slightly-changed Aquarion, the same
 old headache thing strikes.  And, more worryingly, with it comes an erasure
 of the associated memories.  The phenomenon doesn't seem to be affecting
 M.O.M.E., which Kei will have to think about later.  For now, he accepts
 Amata's help...

 Mikono's not the only one with a sense of nostalgia for Kagura: Amata somehow
 knows him too -- and is dead-set against giving Mikono over to him.

 Shin isn't one to go down easily, and readily switches to VERY long range
 fire that Aquarion EVOL seemingly can't match.  That's when Fudou pops up
 and moves to replace Zessica with Mikono.  But wait, isn't she NOT an
 Element?  Duh, of course she is.  Fudou (whose appearance shocks the
 command staff briefly) tells her that her brother only knows one way to
 protect those he loves: getting hurt himself.  Mikono's seen that many a
 time, and resolves (despite her oh-so-powerless self) to give it a whirl.

 Now, Kaien might actually have a reason for keeping Mikono off the
 battlefield: his precognitive abilities insist that if she gets near an
 Aquarion, her life will be over.  So d00d, everyone's got to die sometime.
 It takes Kei, nice-guy-at-large and enthusiastic-consent advocate, to tell
 Kaien to shut the fuck up and afford his little sister the dignity of a
 full-fledged woman.

 Mikono makes the perfect lightning rod for Youth(tm) to suffuse Aquarion: a
 limitless power that drives Aquarion's most ludicrous attack: the Infinite
 Punch!  Jin is momentarily astonished to find himself almost 240k miles
 away in space (though apparently he returns quickly), and then decides to
 take all this interesting new data back to Izumo.  Mikono can't maintain her
 dazzling Aura for long, so it's back to Zessica to finish the job.

 ...Meaning, thoroughly pounding Kagura's sorry ass.  This involves swapping
 Zessica for Schlede, who would rather risk his health (life, really) playing
 for Aquarion than sitting quietly in his studio.  Kaien now understands how
 to control Aquarion as the "Head" thanks to his sister, and handily
 rearranges it into a form that Kaien's Beast Mode can't dodge.  Schlede then
 takes over, playing a song both piercing and pure -- the innocent,
 unadulterated cry of a newborn child.  He then has Zessica swap in for Kaien,
 enlisting her rhythmic help to play the Moonlight Requiem.

Well, Aquarion is now well and truly leveled up, having access to (at least)
three forms.  Fudou tells a skeptical Claire that the situation is much like
the donut he's busily eating: the time is fast approaching when they will
break free of the closed Cycle and return to Nothingness.  ...Which is pretty
cryptic, unlike Fudou's next commandment to the students -- who, it turns out,
are marveling over the destruction of the Berlin Wall during the battle.
All romantic relations are FORBIDDEN henceforth!

Elsewhere, Izumo is glaring at the data showing Aquarion's variable-geo,
variable-capability antics.  Someone named Mikage sounds almost glad to see
their organization, Altair's new foe.  Mikage's been asleep for some time,
woken by the fairy-tale "kiss" of the Mechanical Angel's revival.  He tells
Izumo that that Vega is from a parallel world, and its presence is actually
good news for Altair.  Its presence should in turn awaken the Rhea Igler, which
all has something or other to do with the End of the Myth stuff people have
been babbling about elsewhere.  Kagura, for instance, has been chosen to run
off in search of Love Nirvana, which sounds much better than "dude broke curfew
and sortied against orders to the contrary".  Mikage thinks that whoever's
piloting the Aquarion might even become Altair's "True Eve", which would mean
an end to the LONG ASS karmic cycle they've all been stuck in.

Wouldn't that be nice.  It would be nicer if the LONG ASS CYCLE OF EXPOSITION
could be broken one of these games.  Show, not tell, is what they used to teach
people in school.  Instead, we get stuff like Gadlight and Annalotta gabbing
about how "they" overdid it with the latest Quake (letting Vajra and a
Singularity in when "they" shouldn't have), and how the "needles" Annalotta
stuck in "them" ("they" in this case being your team, one supposes) continue to
have their desired effect.  And since "he" must be frantic doing whatever it is
"he" does, the two of them have to keep alert enough that nothing screws up in
the meantime.  Boring as hell for Gadlight, with occasional glimmers of fun
that he's content to leave to his oh-so-able subordinate.  She's all full of
the pride of the "Geminus", whatever the hell that is.

See what I mean?  If this was any more obscurantist you'd think they hired
Ookawa Nanase to do the writing.  At least things are on good footing with AG,
who seems almost indignant when Kodama thanks him for helping him reach Ace
status [yup, that gives you an idea of how I've been minimaxing].  AG vows to
tune the Geneon so highly that even Kodama will never master it -- a good
challenge, one supposes.


------------
(Route Split)

Time for Kei to reintroduce himself, for everyone's benefit.  As one of the
original Singularities, he's had a long, strange journey since the mess with
the Spacetime Concussion Munition went off.  In theory the Singularities have
the power to untangle the various dimensions mingled into the Multidimensional
World, but doing that would require identifying the proper Nexus.  Which turns
out to be conveniently unpinpointable thanks to all the Quakes going on.
He's gotten a lot of practice at taking different worlds in stride, but as
he heads to say hi to Ootsuka, he can't shake the feeling that he's somehow
seen Aquarion before...

Predictably, the Aquarion is to be posted to the Far East Base, along with all
the various interchangeable pilots.  Happily, there won't be a need to
deliberately play musical pilots every time you want a different attack: the
Teleport System will do this automatically based on the weapon being fired.
And in between battles, all the Holy Angel students can continue their studies
at Rindai High along with the rest of the team.  I.e., logistical B.S. will be
kept to a minimum.

There is one question to answer first though: how does one obliterate a donut?
It sounds like a trick question, but the answer turns out to be simple -- you
eat it.  Fudou tells the quick-thinking Ootsuka that Nothingness will remain
once said donut is gone, but Ootsuka, clearly no stranger to eating copious
amounts of food, sniffs that the best cure for an absent donut is to buy
another one.  GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR!  Or, failing a cigar (because smoking is
bad for an already over-taxed cardiovascular system), a group of young kids
to look after.  Fudou asks Ootsuka to ensure that his new charges get plenty
of healthy playtime.

That sounds vaguely indecent.  Suomi has to wonder why Claire and Fudou are
deliberately having the Elements mingle with the opposite sex after going
through all that nonsense with the shock bracelets.  Just what do romance and
Aquarion have to do with each other anyway?  It's all down to Apollon and
Sylphie, the star-crossed lovers parted from each other by the end of the
war of the Fallen Angels.  Such was their love for each other that it lingers
in the world to this day, and is in some way responsible for Aquarion being
prone to go out of control.

After all, what Aquarion really does is amplify its pilots emotions into
fighting force... and the strongest of all human emotions is Love.  The
problem is the pilots to experience LOVE but not TRUE Love, since TRUE LOVE
makes Aquarion go all raegface and results in things like Donarl's little
accident (in which he lost someone precious named Nanaon).  So the plan is what
Fudou calls "Love Minus Epsilon", and for that the Elements will first need to
learn the basics of love from the outside world...

Back at Rindai High, the usual suspects have been called before the Student
Council President for god-knows what reason.  Kodama got nominated as Vice
President of the Volunteer Club while the team was away, and with little choice
he accepts this mission just as the prez comes strolling in.  He's pulled
a few strings and gotten a hold of Suzune's report on the Volunteer Club's
activities -- a report for the Principal's eyes only.  He's got a mission for
the club, which you can either accept or turn down.

 If you accept, go to 17A.  Refusing the prez at this point would only get the
 club an even harder assignment, and nobody wants that.  So much for vacation,
 is the short version...

 If you turn it down, go to 17T.  Kaname _is_ looking out for the well-being
 of her peeps, and knows how tired they must be after all that combat.  This
 works out well for Sousuke, who's been invited to a certain event by Kazama
 that he thinks the others might like...


-----------
CHAPTER 17A. Good Faith Trespassing

So Audrey's bumming, wondering what she's doing hanging out on this ship and
whether anyone at home has freaked due to her absence.  Banarj is bumming too
just from watching her.  Banarj's fellow pilots have a million and one bad
ideas for how Banarj should console her, so it falls to Amuro to restore
order.  He calls Audrey and Kodama over, and asks them to let the other pilots
help out the Volunteer Club.  This provides a convenient excuse for Banarj
to invite Audrey along too, as it were for a change of pace.  When even Hiiro
announces that he's helping, Audrey can't refuse -- though her glare as she
looks at Amuro doesn't escape the team's notice...

The team's volunteer work involves picking up trash, and Andy isn't the most
willing janitor at first.  But he and his fellow Elements get into the groove
in due course... just so long as MIX doesn't have to stand near Alto's two-
timing ass.  As social mixers go, this one could be worse.  Sazanka, who
evidence suggests is totally bi, couldn't be happier.

Only Kaien truly seems to resent being away from his simulation time, and
Shinn makes it a special priority to help him grasp the value of down time.
Shinn, after all, has an affinity for anyone trying to protect their sister
given how his inability to do likewise catapulted him into the previous war.
Banarj meanwhile makes a good foil for the buoyant Amata, who's got Mikono
and Zessica squabbling over his manly janitorial skillz.

Actually, the Elements' powers all come in quite handy for dealing with all the
different kinds of trash.  Kaname comes up with a different way to utilize
Amata's flight: she has him washing the fourth-floor windows, buoyed by the
sight of Zessica and (a visibly-embarrassed) Mikono hiking up their skirts.
That leaves the other kids to do more conventional cleanup tasks; though Kodama
shrugs off the thought of Suzune hanging with Ryouma in the interim, Kaname
suspects that he's more jealous of her time than he lets on.

Kaname's plans involve a quick floor waxing, powered by Kodama's Boost Mode.
Never mind the fact that it only lasts for ten seconds.  As the feasibility
of this gets debated, a trio of identical karate enthusiasts (which Kaname
refers to as "Maron", "Waffle" and "Chocolate") show up.  Turns out they're
bent on recruiting Kaname as their club's manager, and despite her flat
refusal are prepared to take matters into their own hands.  Camille won't
hear of a violent solution to this combat, and when they ask for his name they
belittle it as being only for girls.

THAT pushes Camille over the edge, and he drops Chocolate with one furious
blow.  Some might remember that his name complex is what got him mixed up
with the AEUG in the first place, though Camille asks that Shinn not be
informed.  Maron tries for a counter-attack, and learns just why Jeet Kun Do
has such a fearsome reputation: Kodama has neither the need nor the desire to
beat up a fellow martial artist through unfair means.

And then there's Sousuke, whose assailant claims to be a master of "practical
combat" arts.  In practical combat, the big gun wins, the winner gets a free
turn, and enemy after enemy burns... which is why Sousuke just outright shoots
the guy (with rubber bullets, to be sure).  This is when the president of the
karate club, Tsubaki Issei by name, shows up.  His master plan seems to consist
of getting the Volunteer Club to disband, and then recruiting the oh-so-
penniless and destitute Kaname for his own organization.  Turns out he's more
dangerous than he looks, capable of even shattering rocks with his Tai Dao Mak.

Ryouma shows up before things can turn into an all-out fracas with Sousuke.
Turns out Ryouma's already beaten a couple Firebug agents to a bloody pulp
after they tried sneaking into the school, and Issei is next on the menu after
he fails to respeck Ryouma's ahthoritay.  But then the head janitor comes in,
aghast at the mess the pile of bodies has made of his beautiful hallway.  He
openly yearns for an earlier, more innocent time when avarice and bloodlust
didn't taint the students' hopes and dreams.  He goes to rest his weary bones,
and unexpectedly Ryouma orders everyone to help haul the bodies somewhere
more discrete.  For reasons he will only explain with a cryptically nostalgic
smile, he's inclined to give the old geezer some of the peace he craves.

Unfortunately there's more Firebugs where this lot came from.  Among them is
Kan Yur, whose sorry ass the FBs took in and now basically own.  The FBs are
trying to kidnap Kaname (as usual) but get thwarted by the timely arrival of..
Bonta-kun!  ...Which is strange, considering that Sousuke isn't actually
aboard it and in fact can't even understand its speech from the outside.  The
pilot turns out to be Hiiro in the most stunning mismatch yet this game, and
even he realizes that Sousuke is better suited than he is.  All this ruckus
gives Kodama enough time to summon the Geneon, and with Bonta-kun at his side
the battle to defend Rindai High is _on_.

 Oh, and all that time Suzune's been spending with Ryouma?  Turns out he's
 been teaching her the basics of combat.  It takes Kodama a moment to digest
 that, but the net result is a nice smile on his face.

 That's nothing compared to the female pilots who're seeing Bonta-kun for the
 first time.  And remember this: unless you want Klan's battle pod's boot up
 your ass, the "-kun" is a CRITICAL part of the name.  Audrey, totally cheered
 up: check.  C.C., totally wanting to buy the stuffed animal: check.  Ayanami
 Rei, in the mood for some serious mofu-mofu: check, and check!  Karen does
 try to cheer Hiiro up by saying he looked good in it too, but Hiiro's too
 sad to be able to accept the compliment.

 Interestingly enough, Kan Yur doesn't have just one nemesis on this
 battlefield.  Karen still VERY much resents him sending her out in a
 bunnygirl getup way back in Kumen, and as everybody knows pissing off Karen
 is a Bad Plan(tm).  Anyway, Kan Yur is quick to blame his Balalant A.T. for
 losing this time, and vows that once he masters his (stolen) mech Kiriko is
 going to be very sorry.

The whole team will be sorry if the janitor wakes up to find his school even
more damaged than when the day began.  Cleanup isn't going to get any easier
with Issei out to finish his duel with Sousuke, so Kaname knocks him
unconscious(!) with her fan, explaining that the feared martial artist is also
blind as a bat without the Coke-bottle glasses he finds too lame to wear most
of the day.  Sousuke is assigned to wake Issei up and take him out to dinner,
promising not to start the duel from his side.  He in turn thanks Hiiro for
saving the day today, pleasantly surprised to find out that Hiiro's become a
junkie for the Calorie Friend rations Sousuke gave him before.

In fact, the janitor has never had as moving a surprise as the one he finds
waiting when he wakes up.  Everyone pitched in to make the food, including
Shinji (hidden talents!) and Sousuke (hidden talents AND unexpectedly not-so-
gross weird ingredients!).  Zessica is all down for the feasting AND the
mooshing her boobs into Amata's body, all of which makes Mikono kind of
jealous, even if she only means it as a joke (halfway, anyway).

Only. One. Little. Problem.  The weird ingredient that Sousuke used is actually
a 'koi'.  A huge one from out back, that put up one HELL of a fight.  Sousuke
and Issei just finish saying this when Ryouma runs into the room, realizing
he's too late to avert catastrophe.  Everyone had thought of him as the
baddest-ass at school, but he yells at them all to start running and not look
back if they don't want to get killed by the REALL baddest-ass of all.

Backstory: said koi was the janitor's dearest companion for the past fifteen
years, him having raised her from an egg (one supposes).  He even gave her a
French name: "Cataline", which... I guess makes it more precious than had it
been a Yugoslavian name or whatnot.  Evidently the boasts about catching and
butchering Cataline, and then feeding her seared flesh to his own self, have
awakened a chainsaw-wielding maniac in the janitor: one determined to cut out
all the malice pervading these whipper-snapper's hearts.

The result was gruesome, or at least sounded that way to the pilots huddled on
the cold floor all night.  Sousuke and Issei in fact survived the attempted
chainsaw massacre by virtue of running faster than a geriatric dude lugging a
gas-powered gardening tool... but it took MIX's special repair-shit powers to
put the building back together.  Though the janitor returned to sanity by dawn,
it seems unlikely that Sousuke or Issei will ever cross him again.  Beware,
says what we assume is the disembodied textual voice of Kaname, lest that
smiling, always-tolerant person near you turn out to harbor a ravening beast
within...

Right, back to business.  The Federation President has just granted the
Preventers and their helpers carte blanche to defend peace and prosperity for
mankind -- and independence from the usual Federation army chain of command.
Congratulations: that means total freedom to run afoul of basically every
malfeasant acting in the Earth Sphere -- and probably some that haven't even
entered the plot yet!  Oh and by the way, raise your hand if you remember a
dude(tte??) named Elgan Roddick.  Yeah, the one with the predictions of doom
and shit.  Apparently someone snooping in his old files found a note about
overcoming differences between Earthnoid and Spacenoid to defend the planet,
and after a VERY generous helping of alcohol, they came up with an acronym
that supposedly encapsulates his philosophy: "Z" (as in "everything") Busters
Link Universe & Earth.

Yeah, that's Z-BLUE for short.  What does it mean?  It means someone really
wanted the backronym to spell "Z-BLUE".  And if you don't like that suggestion,
you can use the "Omakase" button to get even more preposterous ones from the
archive.  Nope, Z-BLUE it is, and God have mercy on all our souls.  That, since
this vicious Earth-firstian named Saigas is unlikely to show any.  He too has
carte blanche from the President out of what sounds like a retarded "bringing
balance to the Force" type scheme.  He represents the vast and sinister
interests of Industry, and more importantly of the Federation army, and
"cautions" (threatens, really) that the Army is prepared to do what it must
should Z-BLUE interfere with its plans.  Well hell, if this newly christened
team can't handle some internecine politics, how're they supposed to save the
world at large?

For instance!  A certain someone (whose initials both happen to be the third
letter of the alphabet) has suggested to AG that Karen would look MUCH better
in a bunny suit, increasing the sale value (to juvenile boys) of the combat
footage by several-fold.  Hell, just Kan Yur bringing it up raised ratings
enough for AG to gift Karen with 100 bonus Z chips.  Karen is, shall we say,
not amused by C.C.'s not-quite sexual harassment.  As they stalk off, AG is
left wondering why Bonta-kun is so much more popular with chicks than him,
despite broadly similar body styling.  Is it the fur?  The lovable dialog?
Inquiring minds want to know...

-----------
CHAPTER 17T. The Festival After the Celebration

Things start with a mild variation on the other branch's conversation about
Banarj and Audrey's lack of communication -- this time Shinn tries to be the
voice of authority about guy-girl relations (though he himself hasn't been the
best correspondent with Lunamaria).

This time the team finds themselves thrust into a festival underway near one
of the Federation bases... basically a P.R. event that still has most of the
trappings of a genuine holiday.  Interactions between the team members again
echo those of the cleanup event on the other branch, at least until Banarj
saves Amata from floating away.  At this point the two guys run off in search
of tasty stuff to feed the ladies, who in turn find themselves being
propositioned by Akagi Ryuunosuke, a.k.a. the "Red Dragon".  The Dai Guard
team show up to help keep the pervy dude in his place, setting up an Akagi vs.
Akagi showdown that might have to be resolved with, you know, mahjongg or
something (raise your hand if you watched that anime).

It seems that both Akagis are students of mecha-piloting instructor Iizuka, and
an intra-base rivalry leads the evil Akagi to challenge the good Akagi to mock
combat.  Good Akagi isn't eager to commit Dai Guard to something so frivolous,
but when Iizuka tells him it'll do him good and that he'll get Ootsuka's
permission, Akagi accepts.  Evil Akagi seems convinced he'll win, and the
results of the annual inter-base mock combats certainly lend that some
credence.  Kazama, as the son of the base vice-commander, pleads with good
Akagi to reverse the string of futility, but Akagi won't agree to that.  He's
going to be fighting evil Akagi purely out of duty -- no hatreds or whatnot
here!  All the same, good Akagi means to win, and maybe teach a lesson along
the way.

Everyone else on the team will be filling the stands, each with their own
reasons for scrutinizing the battle.  Evil Akagi goes so far as to take the
mic before the battle for a bit of smack-talk.  His lines about the differences
in mecha being trivial in battle remind Amuro of someone he'd rather not
recall.  When Akagi and friends finally arrive, Sousuke is with him in a
customized M6, with Kaname crammed in for good measure.  Sousuke knows she's
doubted his skills as a pro in the past, and figures this will be a good time
to set the record straight.  She's willing to go along with this, on the
condition that he wins on Kazama's behalf.

As Misato gets liquored up (and wishes that Ritsuko was here to make it a
three-way Akagi battle), Amata and Banarj finally arrive with treats for the
girls: tako-yaki, that quintessential Japanese soul food.  The rules of
engagement seem pretty unfair: both teams have to defend their turf AND keep
more than 50% of their forces viable.  That is, neither Sousuke nor the Dai
Guard can be knocked out.

 Evil Akagi goes down pretty fast, even blaming his defeat on his own
 immaturity like a certain person Amuro and Camille know.  However, at this
 point Kan Yur and the Firebugs show up as on the other path.  They're after
 Kaname, and Sousuke knows he's not some kind of superhero who can protect
 her AND defeat the bad guys all on his own.  The regular army troops show
 up at this point, meaning to buy time for all the civilians to evacuate until
 reinforcements arrive.  Yes, that's the kind of thing real soldiers are
 supposed to do, and evil Akagi has to offer them thanks for snapping him out
 of his vainglorious ways.

 In this case, it's Kiriko instead of Hiiro who comes out in Bonta-kun.  The
 sight of him and Sousuke switching places to pilot the thing would be
 enough to send little kids to therapy for YEARS, but there isn't any more
 gentle way to keep Kaname safe AND fend off the bad guys.  He doesn't have
 to wait long for reinforcements though: once again the conversation goes like
 it did on the other side.

Evil Akagi is now Good Akagi Mk.II, just as Iizuka planned all along.  Plus
Kazama's dad has gotten a measure of vindication for how well the base's
troops handled evacuating the civilians.  There's still a lot of debris after
the battle, and the Volunteer Club kicks into high gear (Audrey included!) to
help out.  Plus, Rei is now a true believer in the cuteness of Bonta-kun,
despite Sousuke's best efforts to militarize the hell out of the thing.

Now, cue the dreaded Z-BLUE speech from the other path.  Gawd, what a
backronym...


----------
CHAPTER 18. Messenger from the Black Hole

[I kept 17A because, public service!  Also, chainsaw massa-creeing.  Despite
the fact that 17T netted me more Z and gold...]

Z-BLUE's first mission will be investigating an explosion at a deep space
observation post... the kind of thing that might make someone wonder if
elements _in_ outer space don't like being watched.  The team's withholding
judgment, however, preoccupied instead by how Black Ox "seems" (in some
hard to define way) to be "out of sorts".  M.O.M.E. isn't sure she can help
sort Ox out, but perhaps Lorelai can -- remember her?  Tsubasa certainly does,
taking the time to introduce herself to her son's teacher while dropping
Lorelai off.

Not only is she an epoch-forming badass, she's also plenty skilled in
motherhood, enough to figure that Black Ox has a care of the "Terrible Two's":
resisting all commands just because he can.  Shizuko (who's come along for
the ride) recalls that Takeru's Terrible Twos lasted a very long time... as did
the time it took to potty train him.  Tsubasa's got stories about Kouji too,
which we mercifully don't get subjected to.

Is Black Ox destined to be left behind, despite Lorelai and the others' best
efforts to get through to him?  Not if a certain frog has anything to say
about it...  Meanwhile, speculation runs rampant that Black Ox might actually
be afraid of the dark (which is very deep indeed in the hangar with all the
lights off).  Andy launches with relish into a traditional Holy Angel ghost
story at this point: the tale of the "Lost Element".  It concerns a certain
transfer-student girl, introverted and befriended by no one, who one day simply
vanished from school.  Her only friend was a stuffed animal, and some say
they've seen said stuffed animal stalking the halls at night, seeking to bring
her vengeance to a wider audience.

Nothing like a good ghost story to make girls hug their boyfriends tight,
and nothing like the feel of a would-be girlfriend to make Amato go all
"Zero-Gee Lovers" on that ass.  Still, as the team get ready to sortie the
main question is whether or not Black Ox will be in a mood to join them.  When
an unaccounted-for stuffed animal(?) turns up, the team are all too happy to
run off to their respective mecha without waiting to find out.

The destination is sometimes called the Bermuda Triangle of space, and comes
equipped with its very own bevy of bad guys.  In command is Duncan, gloating
about how this is his chance to rid of the Earth of its greatest threat.
Somehow the sight of Duncan causes Black Ox to blunder into the battlefield
and get targeted by every villain with a functioning ray gun.  ...So of course
the team has to fight to keep Black Ox entrailus intactus...

 You've got to stop the head flying saucer before Black Ox goes and does
 something stupid.  Interestingly, the pilot thereof recognizes the Geneon: a
 clue to why the Devil is so interested in the Earth... if only he would
 _share_ it with you rather than just going down in flames.  The Space
 Devil(tm) himself shows up in short order though -- an incarnation of black
 holedom, with the demand that mankind surrender immediately or forfeit their
 lives.

 From out of nowhere pop Simon and friends [gee, how convenient] in a bid to
 tell the Space Devil to go fuck himself.  He marvels at the blood of Beasts,
 the mingling of Waters, the destination of the Wind, the culture of Fire,
 and especially the shining of the Stars, and Black Ox seizes the
 opportunity to go get his ass sucked into a Singularity.  Cue some heroics
 from Simon and Viral, who manage to bust out of the Singularities gravity
 field by simply running their Drill in reverse.

 Let that sink in for a second.  After muttering something cryptic about "the
 more mankind resists, the closer the End of the Myth draws!" the Space Devil
 and his lackey withdraw, leaving a few "souvenirs" behind.  Ox seems to pay
 attention to Simon's bravo leadership style, leaving both Suzune and Shotarou
 feeling a tad inadequate.

Shotarou is in fact pissed off as all get out, and shows it by breaking his
first (we can hope, right!) on Ox's metal skin.  The point isn't to force Ox
into submission, but merely to vent.  Simon and Ryouma meanwhile think they
know what set Ox off in the first place: he was tired of being treated like a
kid and wanted to earn a bit more respect.  Simon still remembers when Kamina
decked him to get his attention and, in retrospect, as a sign of respect.
Certainly, that is _not_ Suzune or Lorelai's department.

As for what Simon and crew are doing here, well, it turns out that Rossieu has
the "New World Continent" (formerly the "Black Continent") under control for
the time being, freeing the Gurren Lagann (and Viral, freshly returned from his
martial training trip) to answer Lady Une's call for more help.  Doubtless the
rest of the gang will turn up if needed, but for now Lee Long's newly-tuned
mecha will have to help Gurren Lagann hold the fort.  Well that, and the though
of Nia's love waiting for Simon upon his return.

Speaking of Rossieu and Lee Long, they're pondering Lowgenome's most recent
utterance (which are few and far between after the previous war).  He agreed
with the idea of sending Gurren Lagann to Z-BLUE, which presumably means he
knows something about this Space Devil and the whole "End of the Myth" thing.
For now, they'll just have to trust Simon to solve this all, as he always has.


----------
CHAPTER 19. The Ties that Bind
</pre><pre id="faqspan-6">
Shinji and Rei are back in Neo-Tokyo 3 to have their EVAs retrofitted based on
all the combat data they've been accumulating.  That lets the other pilots get
in some urban combat training from the Dai Guard team... whose specialty is
minimizing collateral damage.  Kaien peevishly notes that there are times where
collateral damage is the lesser evil compared to letting the enemy off lightly,
and as he stalks away Andy relates that Mikono simply cannot seem to manifest
_any_ Element ability whatsoever.  She's still determined to help out however
she can, but between battles she's taken to shutting herself up in her room.
Kodama encourages Amata to go check in on her, leaving a bit of free time that
Andy wants to fill by getting some ghost stories from occult otaku Kodama.

Kodama isn't really in the mood though, absorbed instead ins pondering the
riddle that Space Devil left.  The bit about Beasts and whatnot reminded him
of a saying about the Age of the Beast, the Age of Water, the Age of Wind, the
Age of Fire, and the Age of the Sun -- that old trope from the Mayan calendar!
Now, the world may not have ended at the end of the last Long Count, but if
nothing else it sounds like the Space Devil may be familiar with Mayan culture,
almost as if he's visited Earth before... and if so, is it possible that Ashura
is familiar with him?

Cut to the scene where Shinji tries to drop off Rei's key card and ends up
with a handful of her breast by accident.  After sorting out the pratfall
and pile of panties, Shinji asks if Rei is scared to pilot her EVA, after the
major accident he heard she had.  Yep, she's fine, and maybe just maybe Shinji
should try believing in the work his father does a bit more.  Or... maybe not.

The Sixth Angel has a very long range beam weapon, and it damn near kills
Shinji before they can get him and EVA-01 off the battlefield.  It is starting
to sounds like self-destructing NERV HQ is the only option, until a certain
someone sends email to Misato.  Whatever the plan is, it's the only option
anyone knows of that might work -- and it will need Shinji (or, in the worst
case scenario Rei) in the cockpit to make it work.

For what it's worth, Shinji (who wakes up in the hospital 90 minutes before
"Operation Yashima" begins) is in kind of a sucky situation.  Should he show
anything but the highest enthusiasm for piloting a mech that seems to injure
him at every turn, he'll simply get abandoned and tossed out with the other
compostable garbage.  It seems that his time with the Volunteer Club hasn't
really helped him prepare for circumstances like this.

When he sees Misato next, he musters enough spine -- or resentment -- to call
her demands for his painful service unfair to her face.  She, after all, gets
to sit in her nice safe base and issue orders instead of getting fried by
particle beams and whatnot.  She takes him on a little tour, reminding him
(as though he needed it) that the Second Impact killed off nearly half of
humanity -- the Third Impact will _definitely_ finish the job.  NERV HQ is
designed to self-destruct should an Angel reach level Triple-E, and Misato
shows him just how seriously the command staff take their job.

She admits him to Central Dogma, where the second angel Lilith hands crucified.
She is the origin of all life on the planet, and the trigger for the Third
Impact -- and something that only Shinji and his purpose-built EVA can
adequately defend.  Why him in particular?  No reason, other than that he's
the one who lost the Destiny lottery.  If there's a silver lining, it's that
he won't be risking his ass alone.  After a long pause for thought, Shinji
decides to give it one more try.

Shinji will get to fire a ludicrous long rifle, with Rei, Aquarion and the
Geneon  keeping him protected from the Angel's counter-attack.  The rest of
Z-BLUE will be in harm's way too, in the spirit of "All For One", and the only
one of them not actively busy with battle prep comes to give Shinji a message.
Yup, that'd be Mikono.  She's really impressed at how much better than her
Shinji is, what with all this support and all his resolve to fight and whatnot.
He corrects her and points out that it's _only_ because of all that support
that he can fight, and guesses that it's the same for her.  This cheers Mikono
up immensely, and she heads of happy.

It may be the first time Shinji has actually cheered someone else up, and that
thought starts to get his own optimism flowing.  Still, it's too much to ask
for Shinji to put a lifetime of pessimism behind him all on his own, so
Lelouch shows up for some added pep talk.  Shinji actually recognizes the
supposedly-dead emperor from pictures on the web, and rightly wonders what the
heck he's doing here (alive).  Lelouch has but one piece of advice for Shinji:
to live for his own sake, not his father's or anyone else's.

Lelouch then dons the garb of Zero, the man who causes Miracles to happen, and
gets busy with his part of the battle.  All Shinji need do is concentrate on
his marksmanship.  No sooner does he walk off than Rei shows up.  When asked
why she pilots her EVA, she calls it the "ties" that bind her to everyone.
Not that she has anything else...  With that she bids him farewell and gets
into the cockpit.

Shinji is nervous as hell, even with Rei, Aquarion (with its Infinite Punch)
and the Geneon (with its robust D-Field) for protection.  Meanwhile Gendou is
entertaining Zero in his office, claiming his judgment isn't needed in the
control room.  Gendou observes coolly that Zero sounds less than fully
confident in this plan despite being the one who came up with it -- rubbing
Zero the wrong way in the process.  Zero asks if Gendou will finally share some
details on his people's big Plans(tm), not appreciating Gendou responding to
his query with one of his own.  Gendou smirks that he's not in this for Zero's
appreciation, so Zero outright tells him that he condones neither NERV's plans
nor Gendou's attitude as a father.

He stalks off, leaving Fuyutsuki to surmise that Zero hasn't yet figured out
everything about the Human Complementation Project yet.  He _has_ figured out
quite a bit though, thanks to his rather unique position in the grand arc of
world history.  In every world, mankind has to make its move before the sun
sets, and it'll be up to Z-BLUE to help fend off dusk at least a little longer.

AS the operation begins, the Angel apparently recognizes the energy buildup in
Shinji's sniper rifle.  That's Z-BLUE's cue to mob the Angel and try to keep it
distracted until the charging completes.  Actually, "distracted" is putting it
too mildly: Aoi wants to demolish the Angel herself if she can, never mind how
much trouble NERV went through to set up Operation Yashima.  It's anyone's
guess if Zero (who Ritsuko refers to as Misato's new boyfriend) would be
disappointed at that, and we won't get to find out.

BEACUASE(sic), even the best efforts of Z-BLUE can't destroy the Angel's Core.
Only Shinji can do that, and Shinji comes under fire from a group of well-
hidden Abductors.  Jin is in command, and wondering just why Mikage is so
obsessed with this crew.  What's worse, a bunch of Mecha-Beasts are on the
scene too.  The operation hasn't failed yet though: systems are recharging and
conceivably Shinji can get another shot... if he's still up to staying in the
cockpit.  Though he's badly shaken, with a bit of pep talk from the team he
manages to get it together enough that Gendou doesn't scratch him from the
mission.

 Soon enough recharging is complete, and Jin is determined to get in the
 way anyhow.  This is where Fudou pops up again, and proves that the legend
 of the Lost Transfer Student is actually true!  Kind of.  You know that
 stuffed animal that keeps appearing all over the place?  It's owned by said
 student, whose maidenly power is to turn completely transparent when
 flustered.  This allows the Aquarion to stand in the direct beamline of
 the Angel without suffering damage, and in order to counterattack Fudou
 sends in Zessica and Mikono, telling them and Amata to lay bare their
 bodies and souls.  Yup, lots of clothing coming off, with the result that
 Aquarion's spirit levels are off the charts... and that all the pilots
 totally enjoy the result.

This time Shinji's right on the mark, but the damn core proves very difficult
to precisely target.  Rei has to step in and protect Shinji from the
resulting counterattack, and it seems that even the computational might of
NERV can't figure a way to get Shinji the next shot first.  Zero then
intervenes to take up the slack, and the members of the team pool their own
mechs' energy to give Shinji the power he needs.  Even Zero can't figure out
how to solve the final equation until Kodama gets the idea of utilizing his
D-Fold tech to properly warp the beam.

Mind you, he's risking his mech getting destroyed in the process, but with
Shinji's resolve holding and Kodama's Boost Mode in full effect (enough to
make him lose consciousness), the Angel gets trashed but good.  Zero's glad to
see Shinji starting to find his own way to fight back, and opts to not linger
and participate in the celebration.  Said celebration includes a promotion for
Misato, whose insistence that Gendou give Shinji another chance didn't go
unnoticed.  He tells her that she'll need every ounce of ingenuity to help
everyone avoid the noose of 12,000 years from closing around their necks.

Cue Shinji checking in on Rei and telling her not to say goodbye.  He's
crying like a mo-fo, and when Rei tells him she doesn't know what her
expression should be at a time like this, he recommends that she smile.  Also
cue the moral support from Z-BLUE.

At least someone on Seele is in league with Kaworu, who's in league in turn
with Mikage.  Apparently all of them are like "dude, THIS time we can make
things work!", since the previous two Impacts kind of turned out to be duds.
Kaworu for his part is very much looking forward to meeting Shinji at last.

By defeating both the Abductors AND the Angel [assuming you did that, of course
-- it's not entirely trivial] AG will commend Amata for violating one of the
oldest adages in the book: "He who chases two rabbits will catch nary a one."
Amata seems to be following in Alto's footsteps, and about the only hope AG can
hold out is that if and when Amata decides on a girlfriend, that he tell her so
_firmly_.  As for Yunoha, AG makes the understandable mistake of assuming her
frog stuffed animal is a, umm, frog.  According to her, it's really a cat...


----------
CHAPTER 20. A Quick One Night Stand

Soundtrack for this next segment: Nightwish's "The Kinslayer", and not because
Kith-Kanan is somehow involved.  Some hapless mo-fo perpetrated a mass shooting
at Haneda Airport, Japan's second-busiest, and upon capture his blood tested
positive for an agent related to training Lambda Driver pilots.  It's now clear
that whoever's opposing Mithril has Whispered of their own, which bodes
especially ill given the high-level talks between the Federation president and
Hamarn Khan going on tonight at the Sweet Water colony.

The Haneda shooter is brought in, and Karinin cautions Tessa that the guy's
already displayed a propensity for violence, as well as memory loss and other
side effects from the chemical treatments he's undergone.  Tessa's intuition
says that he's "Black", which should mean that a Lambda Driver-equipped mech
for him is somewhere in Japan.  No time to locate it though, as terrorists
stage an unheralded raid on the Mithril base with A.T.'s...

Unaware of the carnage, the Elements are formally introducing themselves to
their new fellow pilots.  Yunoha has been impelled by Shinji's example to try
to actually fit into society and not stay permanently see-through.  One of the
upshots of all of this is that Sousuke belatedly remembers about a promise he
made to Kaname (and broke because of, well, saving the world).  Kaname kind
of understands but still gets pissed, and instead of inviting Sousuke to
dinner, invites Karen instead.  Karen has a lot on her mind after catching a
brief glimpse of Lelouch -- a man she probably loves despite a stretch where
she wanted to kill him dead -- but the deliciousness of Kaname's cooking helps
her put all that on the back burner.

Karen then asks Kaname how things are going "with the Volunteer Club", by
which she really means "with Sousuke"... who happens to live next door.
Karen knows full well that Kaname's massive feast was meant to be shared with
Sousuke instead of her, and encourages Kaname to knock on the Mithril
safehouse's door.  Inside we find Tessa lounging around in a T-shirt (and
nothing else), causing Kaname and Karen to jump to the conclusion that she's
Sousuke's secret girlfriend.  Tessa doesn't help matters by playing coy --
far from the steely Mithril submarine commander one might be led to expect.
But their captive Takuma is the real deal: a bona fide terrorist from a group
called A21 which, to Karen's horror, used to be numbered among the Black
Knights...

Turnabout, they say, is fair play -- and A21 has abducted Karinin as though
to maintain balance.  Karinin figures A21 for Black Knights collaborators
straight away, and Seina explains how her group's founder Takuma went from
wandering mercenary to founder of a group for troubled orphans, using Spartan
tactics to give them a sense of purpose.  Only natural that they'd sign up for
Zero's revolution in order to further their own skills, but why continue to
fight after the dream of a liberated Japan came true?  Call it "Vietnam Vet
Syndrome": people with no skills but war and no welcoming folks back on the
home front.  Resentment toward the society they helped save is what fuels A21
now, and since they can't bring themselves to burn down the Japan they helped
liberate, their plan is to burn down one of the other ones.  Not the best
reflection on the founder's ideals, but don't expect A21 agent Seina to
grasp that.

Who would have thought that the prisoner would have a transmitter hidden
inside?  Karen would, in fact: the Black Knights did that all the time.  At
any rate, Sousuke is heading off for reinforcements from Z-BLUE, which should
trump anything A21 can muster.  Karen unsuccessfully tells Takuma to knock off
the terrorist stuff if he values what the Black Knights stood for, while
Kaname does something very clever -- she uses a focused beam from her microwave
to disable Takuma's transmitter without requiring any sort of surgery.  Tessa
reckons that's further proof of Kaname's hidden powers, and tries to do what
Karen cannot: get Takuma to maybe admit the error of his ways.

The most she gets out of him is an admission that he looks up to his sister,
whereas Hiiro shows up to help out while Sousuke brings around a getaway
car.  Wufei shows up in short order, claiming that the joint is surrounded
and that he's working with A21.  _He_ claims that A21's unresolved issues are
all Zero's fault, and seemingly the threat of A21 surrounding the safehouse is
enough to make Karen and Hiiro back down temporarily.

He then divulges the location of the A21 safehouse to Z-BLUE as the quickest
way to get his adversaries to show up.  Seina is okay with this, saying that
she wasn't planning to be the Victor in this battle anyway (thus stirring some
bad memories for Wufei).  Their plan, such as it is, is to attack Taigauchi and
the folks from 21st Century, in the hopes that Z-BLUE will show up.  Mercs
who've lost their way in battle, versus salarymen who've found it -- who do you
think will win?  Especially when Karen is effectively fighting to defend
Lelouch's (and her own) honor?

 Tessa had tried to give Kaname a chance to escape, but she deliberately
 didn't take it.  Part of that might be distrust of Tessa (who's been acting
 uncharacteristically schoolgirl-like) and part of it is her belief in
 Sousuke riding to the rescue.  Tessa is of course in love with Sousuke also,
 though she won't let on.

 Sure enough Sousuke busts in, checking first if Kaname's okay before touching
 base with his commanding officer.  She orders him to get Kaname to safety,
 and if possible to rescue Karinin along the way.  Hiiro, fast on Sousuke's
 heels, will stay behind to deal with Wufei.  Wufei demands that Hiiro get
 into his Gundam and learn what lies at the end of this false peace the A21
 are struggling against.  Hiiro agrees.

 In the hangar on the way out (and failing to set Karinin loose), Tessa and
 Kaname spot something ghastly: a 40-meter tall A.S. that Takuma means to
 pilot in the middle of town.  Why?  'Cause he's a terrorist and he wants his
 15 minutes, and is somehow convinced that the more things he breaks and the
 more people he kills, the happier his sister will be.

 Sousuke shuts that noise up real quick with a bullet to the shoulder, before
 Seina counterattacks and forces Sousuke and the others to make good their
 escape.  Seina turns out to be the sister egging Takuma on all this time,
 or rather driving his ass via emotional (etc.?) abuse and forcing him into
 his cockpit despite all the, you know, blood loss.

 He's got enough blood left to be vengeful, but protecting Hiiro and the
 others' frantic escape in a truck is Dai Guard -- which somehow has the
 capability to match the "Behemoth"'s Lambda Driver.  The other 21st Century
 members kick in with driving directions through the windy streets of Odaiba,
 helping Hiiro evade the remaining pursuit.  Once in their mecha, Hiiro and
 Sousuke quickly turn the tables -- Sousuke isn't even in a mood to wait for
 Takuma to finish monologuing before opening fire.  As that little tiff
 unfolds, Wufei is just begging for a lesson from Hiiro.

 Wufei still isn't ready to self-destruct his mech and leave all this stupid
 fighting behind him.  The question is, why?  Maybe he's just stupid?

 Takuma is definitely stupid: his Lambda Driver is pushing his body far
 past its physical limits, and it falls to Tessa to use her psychic friends
 networking with Kaname to relay a solution (via cel) to Sousuke.  The
 designated spot works like a charm and dumps his crying ass out onto the
 ground (though it takes Sousuke a moment to trust the directions).

Tessa (who is unconscious at the moment) is finally revealed to the team to be
the fearsome Mithril commander.  And no, nobody can try to wake her with a
kiss, unless they want Mao's boot up their ass.  Karen reflects on A21's
misdeeds: they certainly weren't paying attention when Zero lectured on
self-belief, in protecting others, and fighting for pride.  Those are lessons
Karen learned quite well, and she's sure Zero's still practicing what he
preached somewhere... somewhere she'll see him again.

It turns out Seina survived the battle after all -- and no she's not really
Takuma's sister, she just used the guy's messed-up memories to her advantage.
She's got time to chat with Karinin, yet opts not to kill him on account of
hastening to wherever the next plan's gonna come together.  Karinin thinks
he knows why she's spared him, aggravating her with his wise attitude.  Still,
she seems certain she'll meet him somewhere again in this messed-up world.

Tessa then takes her turn acting as Takuma's beloved sister, allowing him to
slip peacefully into death.  Karen hates the thought of these lunatics
continuing to fight after they've lost their beliefs AND anything to protect
AND their very pride.  Well, that's why Z-BLUE is here.  Before calling it a
night, Tessa issues a bold-faced romantic challenge to Kaname over Sousuke.
If only there were enough time for some kind of love-comedy horseshit at this
time, that might carry some weight.

Instead, it turns out strange things are afoot at Sweet Water.  With the
cameras of the world rolling, Hamarn Khan relinquishes her position as Neo-
Jion commander to... Supreme Commander Char Aznable!  He introduces himself,
proclaims Neo-Jion independent from the Federation, and declares war -- all in
one paragraph.  Camille and Amuro, who can tell this is the genuine article,
are aghast, but the bad times are just getting started.  Wufei phones up to
announce that the Marimea army is sending troops to that relic of Earth
cultural memory Brussels, in order to make an announcement of their own.  One
involving Rilina and Nanaly.  Will Hiiro do as Wufei directs and fly his
Gundam to Wufei's chosen duel spot?  And what of Rilina??


----------
CHAPTER 21. Endless Waltz

Something bad's happened to Jino, captain of Nanaly's secret service detail.
There's a gap in his memory, followed by an incident where he voluntarily
handed the girl over to the bad guys.  Even worse, a part of him still feels
like that was the correct course of action, even though he finds his actions
intellectually abhorrent now.  Could this be some kind of Geass at work?  If
so, Karen is super-adamant that it's not Lelouch's doing -- after all, what are
the odds he's deliberately put his beloved sister in danger?  Or, for that
matter, that he'd want anything to do with the Marimea army?

Nevertheless, _someone_ with the apparent ability to manipulate people's
hearts is obviously trying to foment war between the Surface and the Colonies.
Is it possible that Char hasn't realized this yet, and that's why he was
willing to declare war?  This is Saigas' cue to call up for some plot-mandated
douchebaggery.  Some genius has decided to respond to the Brussels hostage
crisis with an N2 Mine, set to be dropped at 2200 hours.  If Z-BLUE know
"what's good for them" they'll stay far clear, he gloats.

This is the sort of BS that calls for more than your average hostage rescue
mission.  As Hiiro knows all too well, anything less than a thorough uprooting
of the forces behind this mess will be, at best, temporary.  It's as though
the ghost of Treize is reaching out from the grave, imploring the team to
become the Losers.  Somehow... that seems unlikely.

Meanwhile Dekim is whipping the troops into a frenzy, with Nanaly and Rilina
looking on in disgust.  Rilina openly doubts that Marimea, with her inability
to tell fanaticism apart from fealty, is actually Treize's daughter.  She's
certainly dangerously deluded about how readily Earthlings will flock to her
cause, especially if she can force Rilina and Nanaly to give her an
endorsement.  More likely, Rilina sniffs, that the Feds will _sacrifice_ them
all in order to prevent Marimea's scheme from going through.  Well, with
Marimea so confident in her army -- even against the might of Z-BLUE, who she's
sure will come -- there'll be no breaching her invulnerable ego shield.

Wufei is waiting for Hiiro, bound and determined to find out whether or not the
peace built on all this sacrifice is really worth it.  So strong is his
conviction that he's willing to put himself in the line of fire, and Hiiro
seems only happy to actually light that fire.  What he really wants it to make
Hiiro use the Zero System and look into the future, confirming the
inevitability of false peace generating an even worse conflict than what
Marimea's begun.  Hiiro however refuses to look into the future, concentrating
only on the fight at hand.

 Dekim uses this duel as an opportunity to take on both Gundam pilots, pieces
 that don't fit into his puzzle of the "True Operation Meteor".  Lucky for
 Wufei, Karen is on hand to support him and his spiritual comrades in A21.
 Neither she, nor Quatre or Trois, want to see him compound his error any
 further... so of course Wufei decides to be a stubborn ass and Hiiro has to
 beat him down anyway.

 The debate ultimately boils down to whether combatants like A21, no longer
 needed to advance the agenda of Pacifism (by waging war), were abandoned by
 the world OR, as Karen suggests, chose to abandon the world from their side.
 Wufei struggles to see Hiiro and the other warriors as anything other than
 fighting machines, and it's precisely that difficulty that jeopardizes
 every victory won in the name of eventual peace.

 If Wufei has a point, it's this: all Rilina's "Absolute Pacifism" didn't
 prevent the rise of Marimea, whose totalitarian crew seem a far more suitable
 home than the breadline the Federation would confine obsolete soldiers to.
 All the same, it's quite unlikely that the solution to more fighting is EVEN
 more fighting.  That was the lesson the battle with Treize made clear, and
 unless the world can continue moving forward, more soldiers like Wufei and
 Hiiro -- forced to abandon everything else in order to fight -- will be
 inevitable.  How many more, Hiiro asks, must he and Wufei kill in the name
 of duty?  THAT the Zero System will not reveal to him, and it seems Wufei has
 no answer either.

 High time, then, to take out the rest of the genuinely bad guys.  If the Zero
 System won't reveal the future, the only option is to find it for oneself.
 Sometimes that means dying.  Sometimes, that means killing a lot of people.
 Or, as they say euphemistically, testing their "ejection seats"'
 effectiveness.  Marimea has the captives held up with her in what she
 thinks is the safest bunker on Earth -- capable of withstanding a strategic
 strike by the Federation army.  Never mind the fate of the various troops
 stationed outside.  Here we get the analogy of history as a three-count
 waltz (war, peace, revolution)

 Marimea does believe in defense in depth, and only part of Z-BLUE's full
 strength make it to the final battle.  Long odds, and short time, but the
 G-boys aren't depressed: only victory will make all the fighting to this
 point mean anything.

 Oh, and evidently Char thinks it's a good idea to commit some of his troops
 to seeing that Z-BLUE fails.  VERY few of his troops as it turns out, and
 those he does send are prone to whining about how gravity feels instead of
 actually doing dick in combat.  Seeing no other option, Dekim sends out _all_
 his reserve Serpents, which in some delusional writer's mind somehow pose a
 threat to Hiiro (or any of the other units on the active roster for that
 matter).

With the world's media watching, Z-BLUE get systematically swatted aside trying
to protect Hiiro, which is absurd even beyond the usual standards of
plot-mandated jackassery.  When _Karen_ gets shot down without so much as a
fight (to the gloating of the A21 commander), all "seems lost".  That's when
Rilina grabs the mic and hijack's Dekim's gloating to give the world a message
of hope.  She and Nanaly both get bitch-slapped, but not before the word gets
out and Dorothy starts shaming all the townsfolk within earshot into action.
As Rilina said, peace isn't something someone else grants you.

With the anti-Marimea riot underway, there's only one thing left to do:
demolish her and Dekim and their oh-so-impervious-ass shelter.  Two consecutive
direct hits and the shelter stands on the brink of ruin... as does the Wing
Zero itself.  Rilina and Nanaly are prepared to be sacrificed for the greater
good, even though in some sense doing so would make Hiiro the Loser.  Watching
this, Seina realizes that even Losing won't cost Hiiro his pride.  Before
Hiiro fires one last time, a transmission comes in.

Seems Lady Une has invaded the shelter, determined to save Treize's daughter
even if she's a misguided little twerp. To Dekim's consternation, she declares
that this battle has no Victors -- just as Treize would have wanted it.  A bit
of Losing is good for the soul, was his motto.  Dekim tries to keep Rilina from
lecturing Marimea on the error of her ways, prepared to shoot the both of them
if that's what it takes, but a familiar force intervenes just then.

It's the Knight of Zero, and where Suzaku goes, so also goes Zero himself.
He's come not to judge Dekim, but to ensure that he receives a little message
before someone else does: only he who is prepared to be shot should shoot
others.  Dekim then gets promptly killed by his own men, and Zero refuses any
and all credit: it's all thanks to Hiiro and Z-BLUE that things got to this
point in the first place.  Zero tells Nanaly that the brother she knew is
dead... and adds a bit more kindly that he hopes the next time he sees her
won't involve a horrible place like this.

Zero does make time to say hi to Karen, who asks if he remembers a man named
Takechi Seiji.  Zero remembers him well: a gifted marksman in the Black
Knights' zeroth squadron who had charge of a number of young recruits.  He was
also an awkward sort with some difficulties separating ideals from reality.
That's evidently what Karen wanted to hear, and she doesn't try to hang out
with Zero any further.  Hiiro, likewise, makes no attempt to meet Rilina now --
he believes he'll have his chance later.  And off in the distance Seina
realizes that just maybe she didn't need to screw Takuma over in order to make
a difference in the world.

There'll be precious little rest for Z-BLUE after all this throwdown: the
declaration of war from Neo Jion needs an urgent response.  About the only
reward the team will get is seeing Saigas' consternation that everyone is still
alive.  Things could be worse.  For instance, the team to could be Wufei, who's
forced to face that he might have been fighting for the wrong cause, or at
least in the wrong way, all along.  What is wrong, he wants to know, with the
world, that the fighting keeps on going?  Zero turns up (on cue) and offers
him a chance to find out, as part of a little expedition to Sweet Water...

Speaking of Sweet Water, Char is busy being governmental.  He tells Hamarn not
to let any harm come to the Federation president (who's still in an uproar over
that whole declaration of war thing) or his entourage, and announces that
he's going to drop "her" off himself.  Hamarn seems highly skeptical of his
good faith, but he assures her he's got no intention of sullying the throne
she so graciously ceded him on behalf of the Spacenoids.  She meanwhile has
already gotten started absorbing the remnants of the Marimea army into Neo
Jion, having anticipated Char's plan of letting Dekim run too far ahead and
get himself killed.  Hey, dude had to go sooner or later -- his ass deserves a
medal just for delaying the Z-BLUE on Earth as long as he did.  Char calls her
level of insight reassuring, and tells her he's counting on her.

She scowls on her way out that she's counting on him too: a more candid display
of emotion than at least Full Frontal has ever seen from her.  Char muses that
he's partly responsible for how she's ended up, but isn't interested in
elaborating on the period of his life where he left Axis behind (and Hamarn
holding the bag).  Having a conversation with a mirror image of oneself would
put anyone in a weird mood, especially one who got sort of unemployed by one's
returning (as it were) from the dead.  Full Frontal assures him that, unlike
Mea Campbell, he's actually proud of being a kage-musha, so that's all right
then.

Or NOT.  As Full Frontal goes off to assail the Londo Bell and ultimately
try to open "Pandora's Box", Char reflects on how seeing his kage-musha makes
all his faults that much clearer to him.  Even worse, Char knows Full Frontal
is somehow lying to him... but the masked man is also an indispensable part of
his arsenal and largely to thank for his citizens being ready to take up arms
again.  Then again, said citizens know nothing of Z-BLUE's valor either.  With
direct action against Earth coming ever closer, Char seems to _want_ Amuro to
figure out what he's up to...


[Route Split]

Yay team!  If you're the President's faction that is; otherwise, it's Boo Team
from the warmongers and haters in the Federation.  Lady Une vows to do what she
can to dilute the haterade, and tells the team to focus their energy on the
front lines.  Marimea, pawn though she was, will be kept under lock and key at
Lady Une's chateau until the heat dies down.  Surely everyone's attention will
now turn to Neo Jion and Char Aznable, whose return scared Bright Noah more
than anything else.  Pan-orbital war may have been an inevitability, but Char's
formidable intellect and charisma have surely moved up the timetable.

Ostensibly, squelching the pent-up hatreds of the common Earthnoids and
Spacenoids for each other should fall to their respective governments, yet here
we are.  Certainly Amuro has little stomach for facing his sometime-rival,
sometime- comrade-in-arms in open warfare, yet that's precisely what Lady Une
asks him to do: to predict Char's next move.

 Amuro says carefully that something within him still wants to believe in Char
 -- that there must be some deeper purpose behind Char voluntarily committing
 his people to warfare once more.

 If he decides to investigate, go to 22I.  Zexis will head to space to do some
 snooping around.  Does Char really want a rematch with Amuro in space that
 badly?

 To observe from a distance, go to 22O.  Amuro therefore recommends returning
 to the 'Far East base, to make repairs and prepare for whatever emergency
 comes next.  He can only hope that Char won't do anything stupid in the
 meantime...


While Marimea is still in range, Audrey goes to tender an apology for dithering
so long about what to do.  As a member of the Zabi family, she could have
(in theory) acted sooner and prevented the need for Marimea to get dragged into
being a political figurehead.  No matter: she promises Marimea that going
forward she'll do whatever it takes to prevent war between Surface and Colony.

Meanwhile we get to learn a bit more about the Altairans, suffering under the
so-called "Curse of Eve" in which the females of their race have systematically
become infertile and died off.  Easier to justify invading other worlds,
kidnapping women, and then rape-impregnating them when it's in the service of
"preserving the species".  Oh wait, does that sound judgmental?  Certainly I'm
no better disposed toward Jin, even if he _is_ the last child born on Altair...


-----------
CHAPTER 22I. Chance Encounter at Londenion

Albert's been in a tizzy ever since the Neo Jion declaration of war, taking
his frustrations out on an admirably patient Banarj.  Many of the pilots
suspect this to be due to the mysterious NT-D system, since Banarj himself is
steadily improving as a pilot (even edging Kodama out in the simulator).
Shinn offers to help Kodama level up his simulation scores, saying that even
he had Camille and a certain someone to thank for his own acumen.  But who
_is_ that certain someone?  He remembers that that person was important to
him, but not who or why.

Camille, by the way, is bumming hardcore over the thought that Char has
reverted to being a bad guy.  Char, it turns out, _does_ have an ulterior
motive behind his consent to taking up his father's banner: he believes mankind
must be made to change, and in a big hurry.  Otherwise, there's no chance of it
withstanding what he calls the coming onslaught... of which the various aliens
Z-BLUE battles are but a prologue.  He tells the Federation president as much
before letting her and her entourage go free -- the stage set for a war that
will hopefully eliminate the Earth Uber Alles folks with a minimum of civilian
casualties.  Yeah, as if.  Char seems almost desperate for Amuro to come and
stop this crazy train, which if you think about it is pretty irresponsible...

Amuro and friends rendezvous with the Ral Kairam, planning a bit of hanging
out at the Londenion colony.  Waiting for Amuro is Chain, an engineer from the
nu-Gundam project and a bit of a fangirl too.  That seems to bug Quess, who
sees Chain as a threat with ulterior motives even if she can't directly
express it.  Hathaway has to try to mollify the girl while the other pilots
do their best to ignore her.

For one thing, Banarj has Audrey to worry about.  Audrey has her own secret
identity to worry about.  And Camille has Char to worry about, who turns up
quite unannounced to ruin the team's vacation.  It's Amuro who runs into him
first, and the confrontation turns ugly fast.  Amuro demands to know why a man
who's fought alongside the Zeuth folks would voluntarily start a war, quite
unconvinced by Char's claim that mankind must be drained of its "pus" before
it can proceed to its next necessary stage.  Watching this from the sidelines,
Quess seems rather persuaded by Char's version, and she speaks up as things
are about to come to blows.

Camille and Banarj intervene at this point, since Char has a bodyguard who
doesn't mean to let Amuro land a punch.  Char isn't sure he likes Full Frontal
getting his gun off at the drop of a hat, and decides to withdraw before
things get any messier.  He does however decide to take Quess with him, and
on the way out spies "Audrey" as part of Amuro's crew.  He makes the quick
decision that it's safer for her here than back at Axis, where she'd just be
made into someone's pawn amidst the political gaming there.

The pilots race back to the hangar.  However distraught Char's appearance
makes Camille, Amuro's like 10X more upset.  Upset, but not irrational -- he
cautions the team that they're facing a Neo Jion foe that isn't interested in
mere reconnaissance this time.  Full Frontal's got like triple the acceleration
of your average mobile suit, and seems slyly interested in scoring as many
points as possible in the interval until Char's ready to depart.

Full Frontal and friends can manage that much at least.  After Char slinks off
back to Axis in the Neo Jion flag ship, Amuro fills Bright in on his encounter
with Char and "Full Frontal", the body double with more similarities to Char
than just his face and voice.  What's more worrisome in the short term is
Char selecting Londenion, the Londo Bell HQ, as the place to release his
Presidential hostages -- a very provocative move toward his former comrades.

Hathaway meanwhile has shut himself up in his room, badly shocked at the sight
of his would-be girlfriend choosing instead to go hang out with the leader of
the enemy.  Amuro guesses that she sought in Char a sort of father figure,
which if true would mean that Char's gotten more mature than when Amuro and
Bright saw him last.  At minimum, Amuro knows that Londo Bell will need more
than its current batch of shitty MS's to fend off the Sinanju (Full Frontal
told him as much in as many words) -- stay tuned for the nu and Zeta Gundams!
And if Char doesn't get his head out of his ass by the time they arrive, Amuro
may have to put the guy down, even if Lalah wouldn't have approved.

The other new pilots get a quick history lesson in Char's background, including
his fragdowns with Amuro and toppling of the Zabi House in revenge for his
father's assassination.  Interestingly, Team D doesn't seem too bent out of
shape over the "betrayal" by their former comrade-in-arms: they bear Char no
personal ill will, at least when not actually toe-to-toe with the guy.  Kaien
makes the interesting observation that that, too, is like a wild beast:
languid when its belly is full, and ferocious when starving.

Oh, and naked.  Let's not forget naked.  At least, that's how Aoi sleeps, as
the team finds out when Andy asks.  Dude is nothing if not self-confident with
the nanpa actions.  All the resulting banter has Jin (who's snuck aboard and
is spying on everyone) all hot and bothered and unsure if he'll be able to
complete his mission.  Almost certain he won't, after a certain "disembodied"
stuffed animal asks what he's doing here...


-----------
CHAPTER 22O. One-Eyed Transfer Student

Char is proving to be a capable political operator, hanging on to the
Federation president for the purpose of "fine-tuning" his war declaration while
the Earth First-ists sit and stew.  The goal seems to be averting an
indiscriminate attack on the Colonies, and the timing couldn't have been
better.  And, since Z-BLUE has decided on "watchful waiting", there's little
for the student-age folks to do but cool their heels and check out the latest
transfer student: a dude whose hard-to-spell name abbreviates to "Jin".  Sure
and he's passed all tests as a gifted Element, and he's to be integrated into
the fighting forces as of, well, yesterday.  Needless to say that data security
seems at an all-time low...

Though the other Elements think of him as a fellow student, the ever-serious
Kaien takes Jin forthwith to meet the rest of the pilots.  Oogi seems content
to leave Jin's edjumakashun to his fellow classmates, preferring instead to
spend time reminiscing(?) with Karen.  That leaves Jin plenty of time to
scrutinize the other pilots, and he surely doesn't know what to make of either
Shinji or Rei.  And he DEFINITELY doesn't know how to handle Karen, mega babe
_and_ second only to Ryouma in kick-assfulness on the team.  Speaking of whom:
the Volunteer Club's latest project is garbage pickup on the nearby beach,
and by the looks of it, the sheer do-goodingness of the team is more likely
to win Jin over than any force of arms they might deploy.

Club activities are cut short by an Abductor raid, and to Jin's amazement it's
_Shinji_ who vows that he and his friends will protect him and the rest of the
school.  Time to see what teamwork is really about.  As usual Kagura is getting
his gun off regardless of who gets hurt... but that changes rapidly when Mikage
decides to "help" by sending a bunch of rapid Vajra.  Mikage doesn't like this
level of chaos and leaves in a huff; Alto can't figure out why the Vajra won't
just behave for a change.

Normally, it would be unthinkable for an adversary to be able to summon and
dispatch Vajra at will (after all, the Vajra are from a parallel universe).
But guess what: this is a game where the unthinkable must be thunk on a regular
basis.  For instance, what are the odds that Jin would voluntarily help clean
up trash on the beach?  Zero, but for folks like Shinji pointing out that where
_they_ come from, the Sea is all red and uninhabitable and junk.  Could it be
that the secret to the good guys' power is Community Service?!  Jin seems
determined to find out...

Back in Altair land, Mikage is doing something super-nefarious to the helpless
Kagura, as comeuppance for his disobedience.  Kagura hopes he's seeing all
sorts of dreams of his beloved, apparently so she can violate that memory
further when he wakes up.  Kaworu has to intervene at this point, sick and
tired of watching Kagura's perversions.  If she's trying to achieve something
by using the same tired old tactics, maybe she needs to learn the "definition
of insanity" and change herself instead?


-----------
CHAPTER 23I. He Who Shoulders the Next Generation

A little snag's arisen with giving Amuro and Camille some actual credible
mecha to pilot: Anaheim Electronics has decided to keep the nu and Zeta Gundams
under lock and key.  Amuro figures it's because anti-Spacenoid forces are
afraid of all Newtypes, but we know the real reason: plot-driven artificial
scarcity of kick-ass combat potential.  The net result is some politicking on
Bright's part, involving Amuro's old flame Beltorchika.  In a typically
altruistic move, Amuro asks Bright to prioritize retrieval of the Zeta:
Camille has an even bigger complex towards Char than Amuro does, and at this
rate it's likely to rub off on Banarj.

As on the other path, Jin has infiltrated the team under the cover of being
a newly-discovered Element.  He finds himself in danger of being bewitched
by the pheromones (or whatever) given off by all the powerful pilots...
especially the women.  To her credit, Suzune has been practicing his
tongue-twisting name like a sportscaster, and manages to not flub it when
introducing Jin to his fellow pilots.  Sazanka has Jin pegged as the shy,
"receiving-end" type, touching off much hilarity among the other pilots.  Who,
by the way, have just been forcibly volunteered into helping Kodama make
dinner after he lost a simulator-combat bet with Alto.  Even more hilarity
ensues, and Jin can't believe that these buffoons gave side such an ass-handing
until Yunoha materializes, giving him a very strange sensation...

Meanwhile, Quess is rapidly garnering a reputation as a mecha prodigy, thanks
largely to her Newtype powers.  She doesn't seem to like head Newtype
researcher Nanai, but Gyunei tells Quess not to dog the woman who's sort of
helped him figure out Char's private agenda behind the Spacenoid rights
crusade.  Gyunei reckons Char is basically acting out of pent-up frustration,
expressing itself in truly world-altering ways.  Someone's got to stop him
before he goes too far, and that's why Gyunei had Nanai Fortify him... not
nearly as awesome as Quess is, but better than nothing.

About this time Angelo saunters in, touching off a serious round of trash talk.
Angelo might be "captain of the royal guard", but the fact he's been assigned
to guard Char's body double doesn't impress Gyunei much.   Full Frontal happily
shows up with a better idea than quarreling in the hangar: fragging down Z-BLUE
on the open battlefield, and seeing who can capture the Unicorn Gundam first.
Since Quess seems to trust Mareeda (a Fortified human, like Gyunei), she'll
play nursemaid so Gyunei can battle Angelo to his heart's content.

Amuro's prediction of the bad guys coming after the Unicorn Gundam is right on.
Best to turn the tables and capture the enemy leaders' mecha, in the hopes
of finding out something of what Neo Jion actually want.

 What they actually want is Banarj and his mech, as Camille finds out when
 he carelessly pursues his vendetta with Gyunei instead of protecting Banarj
 as assigned.  His lapse triggers a rush of UG's showing up out of nowhere:
 that puts Z-BLUE in survival mode.  Things get even worse when Hathaway
 pursues Quess in a vain attempt to get her to come back to him.

After the battle, Bright delivers one of his patented bitch-smackings to
Hathaway.  Amuro somewhat more kindly tells him that getting Quess back is
futile: Char means to use Quess' excessive empathic abilities for all she's
worth, but when Hathaway won't give up on his would-be girlfriend, Katsu steps
in and promises his father to keep Hathaway in one piece.  Katsu, as it turns
out, has a little practice with chasing girls that are infatuated with older
men.  It always ends in tears -- tears he'd prefer to see Hathaway not shed.

With the little kid brigade all grown up and shit, it falls to Amuro and Shinn
to talk some sense into Camille.  Shinn in particular is all up in arms, seeing
in Camille the same kind of fear that once made him subject to other people
aboard the Durandal telling him what was right and wrong.  It was Camille who
snapped him out of it back then, so why the hell is Camille so afraid of Char's
shadow now?!?  Camille sort of gets the message, and with a little hint from
Daguza where Banarj got hauled off to, he's determined to set things right.

AG needles Audrey about why the four-winged Gundam attacked the flagship with
her on it specifically, and her irate reaction convinces him that _something_
is going on with her.  He then reiterates Bright's words to Hathaway: under no
circumstances should he do something his mother will regret.  Sensible
enough...


-----------
CHAPTER 23O. He Who Summons the End

Kaien can't sleep these days, plagued by nightmares about a one-eyed giant.
Schlede, who he went through for advice, speaks coyly of a still, small "noise"
that's infiltrated their harmonious band of late, which of course refers to...
Jin!  Who has gotten Misato and Shinji to agree to give him a tour of NERV
(Mikage's intrigued by Shinji's talk of a "Red Sea" in the world he's from).
Mikage in fact can engage in pan-dimensional ESP -- handy when you don't want
someone like Izumo eavesdropping on your radio communications.  She transmits
him an image of what they're really hiding within NERV -- something that the
future of Altair depends on.

When Shinji finally shows up, Jin pumps him for info on a so-called "Book of
Creation" he believe NERV has on hand.  Despite his dad being the NERV high
honcho, Shinji's never heard of it, leading Jin to plan a serious bout of
computer hacktification once he's inside.  Misato FINALLY shows up too, some 30
minutes late, and promises Shinji that there's quite a surprise waiting for
him.  She then warns her two guests not to in any way disobey her orders while
inside NERV: the guards there are under orders to shoot to kill anyone out of
place.

During a bathroom break for the boys, Misato asks Yunoha for her impression of
Jin.  She shyly says he's a good guy, and Misato figures out right away that
she's got a crush on the long-haired dude.  That makes it _less_ likely that
Kaien's warning about Jin is correct, but the probability shoots right back up
when Shinji comes back from the bathroom alone.  Misato's fast on the draw
with the alarm button, much to Jin's consternation... still, he wins if he can
get the data he wants.

But trouble comes from an unexpected source: Kaworu turns up and tells Jin he
won't stand for anything that would make "him" sad.  Adding that what Jin
seeks is beyond his ability to handle, Kaworu leaves just in time for Shinji
and the others to catch up.  Misato orders Jin to put his hands up, not
hesitating long to shoot him when he refuses.  Yunoha tries to shield him,
but he ends up shielding her instead as his Element ability (to deflect
bullets, or some such) finally awakens.  Misato IS about to arrest Jin anyway
(irrespective of his lame claim to have merely gotten lost) when the P.A.
system orders her to the control room: an Angel has just appeared over the
Pacific.

Misato leaves Jin up to Gendou, and orders Shinji to concentrate on the task
_he_ has to do.  Most of the team are away for maintenance, so it will fall
to a rather limited crew to fend off the Seventh Angel.  Then again, Asuka
shows up in short order (mainly to boss people around) so things can't get
_that_ bad, right?
</pre><pre id="faqspan-7">
 Well, things go well at first, with Shinji actually showing a little backbone
 in dealing with Asuka's bitchiness.  But then a bunch of Mechabeasts show
 up just as the Angel regenerates: Brocken means to finish off the Z-BLUE
 folks and _then_ the Angel.  Retreat isn't an option as that would let the
 Angel come ashore, and when Yunoha points out that Shinji can see how Jin
 is doing _if_ he comes back alive, Shinji's as committed as anyone to seeing
 this fight through.

 The TdD shows up to help in another turn, giving Tessa a chance to restore
 her reputation after her humiliation the last time she was with the team.
 Between her and the other commanders, they keep Brocken monologuing long
 enough for the rest of Z-BLUE to arrive.

We all know how this battle goes: lots of water, decreased firepower, increased
PITA factor -- end result: bad guys still beaten senseless.  Tessa and her
crew are now full-time Z-BLUE auxiliary members, though of course they'll be
off making themselves useful by submarine while the regulars duke it out on
land and in space.  She's looking forward _in_particular_ to seeing Sousuke
again...

Asuka's proper introduction to the team will have to wait until Jin is dealt
with.  To Misato's astonishment, Gendou and Fuyutsuki have decreed that Jin is
to be released: there's no evidence that anything he did, including accessing
the Magi, actually _disrupted_ any of NERV's operations.  Though visibly
skeptical, Misato tells Gendou that she isn't interested in questioning his
orders.  She does tell Jin, as heads to rejoin his "comrades" in Z-BLUE, not to
betray them who have put their trust in him.  Gendou declines to give her a
message to Shinji, so she escorts Jin off the premises.  Once alone, Gendou
tells Fuyutsuki that Jin is merely one more unknown factor to keep track of...
and probably a necessary one for bringing about The Conclusion(tm).

Back at school, Jin wonders if Shinji is one of those people who're trusting
in him.  Shinji answers this by asking him straight up if Jin asked for the
NERV tour to spy on it.  Jin manages to say "no", and is privately amazed when
Shinji simply takes him at his word.  Asuka -- who's transferred into the class
like every other frigging character below legal driving age in this game --
finds this to be the most idiotic thing she's heard in the last five minutes.
And she certainly isn't in any mood to get all cozy with her fellow pilots.

Letting Shinji take out the Angel is good for some Z Chip-worthy combat
footage.  Asuka's arrival isn't good for anything concrete, but the intangible
joy in AG's heart at Asuka's amazing level of condescension may be worth it
anyway?  Who knows...


-----------
CHAPTER 24I. Raid on Parao

Full Frontal has an eye for small details, such as recreating the Supreme
Commander's office from A Bao A Qu in Parao.  This is where he chooses to
receive Banarj, who's more than a little curious to see the man behind the
mask.  Full Frontal's resemblance to Char is more than a bit uncanny, which has
served the real Char and the Neo Jion cause quite well so far.  Full Frontal
is of course interested in knowing why Banarj was entrusted with the Laplace
Box, and isn't inclined to think that the Unicorn's inventor just handed it
over to the first bum he met on the street.  Banarj is polite but not exactly
inclined to volunteer much information... and Full Frontal is equally polite
when he points out that Banarj doesn't have to answer willingly, but he _does_
intend to get his information one way or the other.

The real question is this: what is it about the Unicorn that would make the
Neo Jion commit acts of terror and murder civilians?  Whatever it is, Full
Frontal assures Banarj that the Unicorn _is_ that valuable when weighed as part
of the eventual goal of Spacenoid self-governance.  That, presumably, is what
got Char motivated... or so Full Frontal claims.  Banarj can somehow sense
that Full Frontal isn't in full agreement with Char on this point -- compared
to Char's human warmth, there's something very wrong about Full.

Angelo is getting increasingly enraged at how honest Full is letting Banarj
be, but Full seems to find Banarj's insight refreshing.  However, Banarj is
also rather young and not yet wise to the ways of the whole world, and Full
holds out hope that, given enough time to see Neo Jion operate, he would come
to aid them of his own volition.  As for Full, he _will_ become Char if that's
what the Spacenoids need.  He leaves Banarj in Genneman￾fs care, thinking to
himself that the world will learn the truth of Char Aznable soon enough...

The Ner Argama will play a critical role in the attempt to get Banarj and the
Unicorn Gundam back, and more than just Captain Otto are nervous.  Audrey seems
especially worried that the fighting will spill over into the residential zone
of what used to be a mining asteroid before Neo Jion moved in.  Easier said
than done perhaps, but Amuro is determined to show Char that there's other ways
to solve problems than fighting.  Jin isn't buying it, but Shinji and Yunoha
tell him that he's about to see what it is that makes Z-BLUE so special.

Banarj has been shepherded around by Gilboa, who bears him no ill will despite
their two sides being technically at war.  Not so with Mareeda, who doesn't
like Banarj' strongly anti-war stance.  For his part, Banarj is struggling
with the Neo Jion claim that the Federation forced their hand, and even
Mareeda has to agree that there is no such thing as a "just" war.  The problem
is that it takes more than Justice to save people.  Jion's role was to be the
light of hope for a whole generation of space colonists that were all but
abandoned by those on the surface, and anyone who doubts the value of that
hope -- insubstantial though it may be -- is either exceptional blessed or
exceptionally ignorant of how the world really works.

Banarj once heard someone say that only people have the concept of God.  That
God is that possibility within that lets people overcome the "now" in favor of
the future.  Mareeda notes that whoever uttered those words must love humanity
and the world very deeply, and finally tells Banarj her actual *name*.  As they
walk through the city, a "drunk" bumps into Banarj and passes him a note..

The plan is for the Ner Argama to fly to a particular spot and fire its Hyper
Mega Particle Cannon, and in the resulting chaos send the troops in to rescue
Banarj.  Time for Camille and friends to make up for their past mistakes!

 The Ner Argama pulls off its part of the bargain, and Banarj manages his when
 he tracks down the Unicorn.  He's heading for the cockpit when Mareeda shows
 up -- he implores her to let him leave on the theory that that will bring
 the immediate fighting to the swiftest end.  There's no need to get the
 average civilians (e.g. Gilboa's family) mixed up in this mess.  Mareeda
 doesn't much buy it, what with the Princess still "hostage" to Z-BLUE, but an
 explosion nearby takes the issue out of her hands.

 Banarj is about to make good his escape when Gaulun and a bunch of mercs
 turn up, reinforced by Martial forces.  Things are about to get ugly, but at
 least Daguza is around to help shepherd Banarj to (relative) safety.  It
 seems Daguza may have some sort of soft spot for either Banarj or at least
 this kind of humanitarian mission.

 Gaulun doesn't have enough hardware to last long in the face of a concerted
 Z-BLUE assault.  It's easy to see why Martial would ally themselves with the
 Neo Jion and the war they're fomenting, but Sousuke can't believe Gaulun
 would buy into their pseudo-religious mumbo jumbo.  In which case, what _is_
 he up to??

It's possible that the "accident" that kept Mareeda from sortieing may not have
been any such thing.  In any case Full Frontal seems to be playing a long game,
hoping to make Banarj manifest his full power during their next encounter.
Char seems well aware of what Full Frontal is up to, but for the time being
he's more concerned with the young Newtypes in his care.  Gyunei and Quess
are both being assigned under Hamarn at Nanai's urging, having determined that
Quess' mental instability is overshadowed by her prodigious Newtype abilities.
Char isn't thrilled by the thought of using Newytpes as weapons, but he's also
got his eyes on the larger objective of overthrowing the Feds and bringing
about a true human revolution.  Or... whatever you want to call it.

Certainly _he_ isn't a fan of the Martial ethos of evolution through warfare:
human Possibility has already slain the gods of old.  This Laplace Box, if it
can truly be opened, should shed light on any number of things, including the
unsolved assassinations both of his own father and of the first Federation
president.  He doesn't need those answers for his revolution though, and
privately doubts that there _could_ exist any sort of information dire enough
to controvert world order in an instant.  ...Not that that sounds very
convincing coming from him of all people.

Meanwhile, he's called in a few old friends, if "friends" is still the word.
Wufei seems ready to trust the resolve he sees in "Char"'s eyes, but a lot
depends on what he wants to request the shadowy team do.  A little detective
work, as it turns out: "They", whoever are behind the UG outbreaks that
Sumeragi's been tracking, are of considerable concern.  That there would be
someone even more menacing than the UG themselves is hardly a cheerful thought.

Banarj has Audrey's smile to cheer him up, but that too is tempered by the
thought that she might be Mareeda's "princess".  And really, WTF is up with the
"Laplace Box" stuff?  Well, it'll have to wait for later... for now, Daguza is
as happy as anyone as he watches the welcome-homing ensue.  Even Jin finds
himself slowly warming to such friendly scenes, even as Kaien's suspicions
toward him grow.

AG for his part is very happy to see the AEUG ground forces back in action,
though Daguza and friends aren't nearly as enthused.  They'd mostly given up a
life of shooting people to perform more humanitarian forms of aid... but when
there's folk what need shooting, they certainly won't shy away from it.


-----------
CHAPTER 24O. Char's Shadow

With a certain sense of irony, Char has chosen to set the Federation prez free
on Independence Day (in New York, no less).  This is basically Char's
conversation from the other path, where his big plans to change mankind are now
finally in motion.  And, as on the other path, he seems to want Amuro to come
and stop him, despite all his palaver about how much he believes in his goals.

Asuka meanwhile is seemingly going out of her way to find things to be pissed
off by around the base.  Karen, whose red Guren seems a bit too similar to
Asuka's EVA, takes Asuka's bitchiness in stride, seemingly finding her amusing.
C.C. in turn is amused by how much Karen enjoys her "older sister" act, just
like she did back among the Black Knights.  The ensuing bickering might keep
everyone occupied until the meetup with the Ral Kairam in North America...
which would be better than hanging out moping like Camille's been doing since
Char's declaration of war.

What unfolds next is the fast-forwarded version of the setup for Z Gundam,
including the filter-less Quess and Hathaway's ill-fated romance and the
uniting of Amuro with Chain.  This time, when Char shows up and grabs Quess,
the evildoers head to Minot AFB in a bid to grab its stash of nookular
missiles.

 Long story short: Banarj gets himself captured by Full Frontal, and Gaulun
 shows up for more dickery.  Did I mention that half the nukes got stolen
 before Z-BLUE even showed up?  This battle is JUST like the one on the other
 path except with more cat-herding.

Post battle dialog, including Camille's conflicted feelings about Char, is
also like the other path.  Audrey's heart will flutter a bit when the Sinanju
is shot down, which is worth 100Z after A.G. helps cheer her up.


-----------
CHAPTER 25I. NT-D

Banarj is starting to piece together that this Laplace Box thing, which his
mech is mixed up in, was something his father wanted to give Neo Jion... and
which Audrey wanted _not_ given to them.  Whose wishes should he honor: his
deceased dad, or his possibly-girlfriend?  Camille's advice is: don't pilot if
your head's not on straight.  Lidy points out that that would leave an
uncomfortable hole in the team's lineup, and says that as a soldier he knows
only one way to stop a war: WIN that war by overpowering the enemy.  Jin is
watching this and wondering if Banarj was somehow brainwashed into not
fighting, only to be caught off guard by the might of a strawberry daifuku.
Even more amazing is MOME's ability to "dislocate" and relocate her shoulder at
will: further proof of just how scary a bunch he's dealing with here.  AAAAND
then there's Misato, some kind of drunken master of strategy, and the
COLOSSAL colossalness of Klan when not Miclonized, and even Rei checking in
to be sure Jin isn't any kind of threat to Shinji.

Basically, infiltrating Z-BLUE is an invitation to get your mind blown wide
open.  Shinji and Yunoha have both been pretty helpful in (sort of) socializing
him, since both of them have had to go through communication difficulties in
their lives.  One person with no trouble speaking his mind is Kaien, who
marches right up to Jin and demands to know who he really is.  These nightmares
about a one-eyed giant only started since Jin showed up, and Kaien's Despairing
Foresight is not known to be faulty.

As Kaien accuses him of being a spy, Jin manages to protect Yunoha from a crane
that just CONVENIENTLY happens to fall onto them both.  His force-field
ability gets labeled Severing, and Kaien must at least concede that Jin is an
Element like himself.  Is there hope for Jin after all?

A small band of Neo Jion forces have been sent to try to get Audrey back,
pitting Mareeda versus Banarj in a battle neither of them probably want to
fight.  Shinn's advice to Banarj is that, all else being equal, activity is
better than inactivity -- and so here he is.

 Banarj really does have no choice but to fight Mareeda for now: as she told
 him, it takes more than the Truth to save lives!  Genneman warns Mareeda not
 to overextend herself on a throwaway mission like this, so of course that's
 precisely what she tries to do...  This really peeves Banarj, enough for the
 NT-D system to activate -- just as Full Frontal planned.

 He had his technicians attach a Psycho Monitor to the Unicorn, and with a
 little Newtype-on-Newtype combat, he hopes to collect boatloads of data to
 solve the riddle of the Laplace program.  He tells Angelo that once NT-D is
 active, the pilot's abilities become moot: they only exist as a conduit for
 whatever combat consciousness the system taps into.  Come to find out that
 NT-D stands for "Newtype Destroyer": a mechanism whereby the Unicorn's
 limiters are disabled whenever it senses it's fighting a Newtype.

 Given that it's got a Psychoframe built into it, it's not impossible that
 further maturation will grant it the ability to control Psycommu-style
 weapons.  Full Frontal declares that the Unicorn is the centerpiece of the
 so-called "UC Plan", whereby Fortified Human technology becomes ubiquitous
 and bona fide Newtypes become effectively obsolete.  Oh and um, did we
 mention that Mareeda is a Newtype?  None other than the 12th and final member
 of the _Puru_ Project no less (remember them???), and Full Frontal shows few
 qualms about "letting her finally find peace" in battle.

 Banarj takes down Mareeda handily enough, but the Unicorn then locks on to
 Camille and starts doing its best to kill him all on autopilot.  Albert is
 aghast at seeing the Unicorn fully awakened -- seems he knew this could
 happen all along, which was why they've been keeping all the Federation
 Newtype-style mecha under lock and key.  He blames this mess on Mareeda,
 which does Camille not much good at all.

 The good comes when the Zeta is sent in, followed in very short order by the
 bad: a fleet of Abductors bent on killing Mikono and bringing Jin to his
 senses.  Camille will have to throw down with the NT-D system while the
 rest of the team tries hard to stay alive.

 One problem: the Unicorn's Psychoframe is so strong that it can convert the
 power of thoughts into physical matter -- as was done during the Dimension
 Healing incident back when.  The sight of it is stirring memories inside the
 pilots' heads, but the real question is how to get through to Banarj before
 the Unicorn's strain kills him.  Amuro tells Camille to try something he
 should have done in the first place: use the Zeta's Biosensor to contact
 Banarj.  He manages to salvage the poor kid's consciousness, and Banarj
 snaps awake, calling out to Audrey.

 Having proven stronger than The Machine(tm), Banarj can get back to stopping
 the war, showing people what possibilities lie within, and protecting Audrey!
 Certainly more than Albert bargained for out of his youthful test pilot.

 Kagura meanwhile still can't cut the mustard, yelling out as he retreats (in
 a way that somehow none of the rest of the team can make out) that Jin needs
 to get off his ass and help.  Oh, and Izumo is pissed because he can't
 actually get Jin on the radio or whatever it is they use to communicate.
 Mikono meanwhile is very sad-face at the thought of being at odds with
 Kagura, even though he's like a murdering bastard.

Banarj can't let down his guard just because he defeated the NT-D system once;
like the Zero System, it's a constant threat.  Jin meanwhile is starting to
think he's going crazy, not responding to Kagura OR Izumo as he knows he ought
to.  But something about being in such loving company is impossible to ignore.
And as for the Zeta's release, one can only assume some HEAVY pressure was put
on Anaheim... and the main suspect is none other than Char himself!  If so,
Amuro suspects that Char may be deliberately helping arm Z-BLUE as a counter to
whatever hidden game Full Frontal is really playing.  This much is certain:
whatever Full Frontal wants from the Unicorn, it's probably nefarious and
certainly has Banarj worried.

..Aaaand, let's not forget about the full-scale war Char seems determined to
start.  Getting rid of him, much though it would pain Camille to do, would seem
on the surface to be the best way to stop it.

Meanwhile, Ryouma has reached Ace status and gotten the obligatory congrats
from AG.  He's almost disappointed that it didn't take a round 100 enemy units
to get there, and vows to shoot down a THOUSAND units before all is said and
done.  He gives AG a joking(?) feral grin and tells him to hope that he won't
be part of the tally.

-----------
CHAPTER 250. Rampaging Unicorn

This is the battle to get Banarj and the Unicorn back, only this time the
Zeta (and Nu) Gundam has been handed over prior to the battle... and along with
it the doubts about Char helping arm Z-BLUE.

No seriously, it's the exact same plot except for the fact that you have to get
your units to multiple points on the map.  Kinda not impressed, actually.


-----------
CHAPTER 26I. The Magical Beast Prince Awakens

We begin with a random Basara sighting, and an impromptu concert for no one
in particular.  But because it's Basara, he's got an audience anyway in the
form of Kaworu.  Who, as it happens, has some folks in mind who need to hear a
little J-rock.  Getting to them might require some rocketry however...

Vacation Timez!  The team are all standing in line for a hotly-anticipated
lecture on the latest and greatest from the world of archaeology!!... which
sounds pretty lame until you realize that half of the ancient civilizations
out there seem all-too alive and out for modern blood.  Tickets for this sold
out show came thanks to Simon, whose excavational prowess served the PIs
(that's Principal Investigators, to you non-academia types out there) quite
well.  One might expect Kodama and Suzune to come along, given their shared
interest in the occult, but even jocks and stoners might find the "special
guests" to their liking: Sheryl and Ranka.

Yeah, so uh, two of the world's top idol singers are deigning to perform at
a glorified Egyptology convention.  Gotta hope the merch proceeds are worth it.
The smart kids will be focused on the big unveiling of a time capsule of sorts,
buried at a depth consistent with 12,000 years of history -- yeah, that 12k
year number keeps coming up ominously.  Asked what he hopes will be inside the
capsule, Shotarou wants to see some kind of ancient-ass person who's been
slumbering all this time.  Someone who wants to be friends, say.

All the theatrics involving Macross Frontier folks might be easier to
countenance if one remembers that Frontier is from a world with _deep_
historical roots (example: the genesis of the Zentraedi conflict), though Alto
is still understandably flummoxed by the juxtaposition of archaeology and pop
music.  Maybe Ranka, who shows up in person, can help?

As she and Alto run off to the beach for a one-on-one, the rest of the team get
busy _not_ watching the capsule opened on live TV -- seems the broadcast was
cancelled due to "technical difficulties.  Watta jokes that maybe there was a
ghost or something inside, and as if on cue, a person with unfamiliar clothing
turns up and asks why all these people are here.  Shotarou offers to show him
around since he obviously is from elsewhere, and the guy eventually names
himself "Ghoula".  His bearing and speech have the hauteur of nobility, even
though he's willing to be talked into a street vendor's shaved ice.

On the beach, Alto is all about good-advice mode.  Ranka (and Sheryl) are both
worried that their songs -- which couldn't reach the Vajra -- have somehow
fallen from grace.  Far easier to ascribe it to overwork, since neither of them
have had a real vacation since this world was formed.  He advises Ranka to
spend the time before the show absorbing the view of the ocean, and thinks to
himself that he can't recall the last time he saw Ranka this depressed.

Meanwhile Ghoula is dragging the boys all over town, headed at last for the
towering Ferris wheel.  So guess what: Ghoula turns out to have been slumbering
inside THE capsule all this time.   As though that didn't have the clumsiest
foreshadowing this past 6 missions.  Apparently Mackie's dad and friends
discovered that the capsule was actually a Cold Sleep device just in time to
cancel the broadcast, but Ghoula still managed to somehow elude the scientists
and come out here.

At about this time a shipment of mecha from the Devil appear (and pod boy
_disappears_) to menace Odaiba and all those archaeology buffs and concert-
goers.  Z-BLUE will soon put a stop to that!

 While the bad guys are getting themselves added to the endangered species
 list, let's do some math: ancient stasis pod, plus wayward aristocratic dude
 with TOTALLY non-threatening name, plus alien invasion, equals: yup, Ghoula
 is part of the bad guys' royal family.  Shotarou wants to think of Ghoula
 as a friend, hoping that shooting down the UFO headed to his location will
 in some way "save" him.

 I suppose stranger things have happened... such as a herd of Vajra showing up
 out of the blue.  They're at the beck and call of the Devil, who's trying to
 remind his son "Ghoula King Jr." that he's the rightful overlord of the
 Earth.  As Ghoula moves to take up arms, the Devil intones that the Age of
 the Sun is on the road to RUIN~~!  The monologuing stops abruptly when
 that Basara guy shows up, apparently unconcerned that he's facing a living
 black hole.  There is a certain logic to his idiocy though: it's not whether
 his songs _reach_ his targets, but whether he's singing at them when and how
 he wants to (listening, Sheryl and Ranka?).

 The Devil leaves cleanup of the full-scale rock concert to his son, who
 realizes that his dad was more frightened of this racket than he let on.
 Dutiful kid that he is, he's determined to throw down with the Earthlings.

 Gamlin echoes the theory that Ranka and Sheryl's songs aren't affecting the
 Vajra because they're trying to _control_ the critters.  Maybe Basara's
 value-neutral songs are the right medicine for whatever ails them?

Shotarou had outright rotten luck on the making-friends front today; the best
he could do is be the one to repulse Ghoula's mech.  After the battle, and
while the Fire Bomber crew are (re)introducing themselves, Basara goes to try
and cheer Shotarou up.  This apparently works, although what precisely was
decided is anyone's guess.  More useful is Schlede turning up with his violin,
prophesying that someday soon his yin and Basara's yang will combine to make
an entirely new melody.  Sweet.

Kodama meanwhile has been pondering two important facts.  Number one: the Devil
knows about the Mayan calendar.  Number two: his _son_ has been alive for at
least twelve millennia.  That places these bad guys in a class of their own.
We see a bit of that class in the cockpit of Ghoula's new flagship, where
Robby the Robot introduces himself as the chief of staff.  He's a pretty
knowledgeable robot, but even he doesn't know what cosmic secret the Devil used
to black holify himself after Ghoula's slumber began.

Nowadays the Devil travels the stars at whim, able to project visions of
himself at any distance, and to absorb and any all cosmic truths within.  I
guess the thought that his father is so kick ass inspires Ghoula to try and be
worthy, and unlike some opponents he determines to actually _prepare_ carefully
before confronting Z-BLUE, who he fingers as the greatest obstacle to conquest
of the Earth.


-----------
CHAPTER 26O. The Prince of Darkness

We open with Bright's trademark bitchslapping of Hathaway from the other route.
This time around Jin gets astonished by the team while helping cook (in the
wake of Kodama losing badly to Camille in simulated combat).  Among the most
daunting parts are when he accidentally cuts C.C. with a knife while trying
to irritably wave her away -- the sight of her wound closing before everyone's
eyes is one he won't soon forget.

Instead of a convenient crane distracting Kaien, this time it's Shotarou
facing him down for doubting a comrade so much (not that Kaien thinks of Jin
as a comrade, but whatever).  Shotarou in turn gets distracted when the call
comes in for help from Shikijima.  He's found some artificial asteroids in the
solar system, and it turns out that one of them contains some kind of
capsule... within which is a boy!

This time there's no ambiguity: the capsule is 12k years old, and almost
certainly made by aliens.  The occupant, Ghoula, is auto-defrosted with a mild
case of amnesia... and a head full of unconscious education courtesy of his
pod.  Though Shotarou and friends seem to assume he'll automatically want to
be friends, Ghoula is preemptively derisive of their planet... and they won't
get a chance to set the record straight with all the UGs suddenly on the
scene.

 Ghoula sneaks off and steals a shuttle the first chance he gets, triggering
 the big homecoming confab from the other path.

Same battle, same outcome, same sucks-to-be-you mode for Shotarou.  Yawn...
The only difference is that this side has an INFINITE MONSTER MILL, so if you
feel you need to farm money or Z or whatnot, be my guest.


-----------
CHAPTER 27I. The Path of Tears

Time to peg the Uncanniness Meter, as Kaworu and Fudou get together for a
little moonlit chat O_O  Kaworu seems to be high on life, entranced a bit that
a certain boy is, once again, thrust into an all-too familiar role.  Call it
karma?  Unimaginative writing?  Whatever it is, Fudou's never been one to bend
over when the Powers That Be call for it... or if not "never", then at least
not for the past 24 millennia since he violated a certain taboo.  If there's
anything left to bind him, maybe it's a sense of duty?

If so, Kaworu recommends he toss that too and try being more honest with
himself.  Neither of them is all that different from humankind, after all.
And if there's one thing Kaworu doesn't relish seeing, it's the sight of "him"
shedding any more tears.  Let "him" be happy, even if it's in the arms of
someone other than he himself.  And even if the most recently opened path
off of this crazy carousel leads to the End of the Myth.

JUMP CUT to the Altair-verse, where Izumo conveniently narrates the plot for
us.  Life in Altair sucks if you're a dude, mainly because life CAN'T suck if
you're a dudette, because dudettes CAN'T live there in the first place!  Why?
Some kind of allergy or whatnot, immunity to which is only to be found in the
so-called Rare Iglers (that's humankind for those keeping score at home).
Thus was hatched the brilliant plan of kidnapping human women to become the
new Eve for Altair.

So like uh, how's that going again?  Not brilliantly, if "Alicia"'s condition
is anything to go by: Dimensional Transferring to this world has left her in
a coma.  Izumo evidently doesn't feel he can stop at this, and really hopes
Jin can somehow lure one of the Rare Iglers from Aquarion back to the Altair
for another go at the whole repopulating the world thing.

In case that wasn't creepy enough, Mikage seems to have Kagura tied to the
bed in his chambers, babbling about moths and resurrected forbidden love.
Evidently Mikage has been applying his tender mercies to Kagura ever since
his defenseless shota days, abusing him body and soul in the interest of
cultivating a blinding, animalistic rage.  A rage that will, for example,
drive out any remaining memories of Apollon and Sylphie.  What Mikage wants
instead, is for Kagura to want to fuck Sylphie like an animal, because Nine
Inch Nails should be driven to each one of everybody's eyelids.

With Kagura well and truly fucked up in the head (and probably elsewhere, given
the preceding dialog), the only thing left before Mikage's day is complete will
be the sight of the End of the Myth: twisted beings seeking out new life and
new civilizations merely to snuff them out.  For the time being, he contents
himself with psychically radioing in to Jin and showing him some scary vision
meant to encourage him to fulfill his mission.

Such dark visions are interrupted by Yunoha, who tells Jin where Shinji's at:
visiting his mother's grave at his father's invitation.  They both gaze out
at the Red Sea, the only memento of their former world left.  Gendou seems
unusually pensive, telling his son that while forgetting allows people to
live, there are some things which must never be forgotten.  Yui taught him
that, and he comes here as though to confirm to himself that her words still
ring true.  No pictures of her remain, except those within Gendou's heart.

All things considered, this brief heart-to-heart represents a quantum leap
forward in Ikari family relations, and Misato for one is hella smug that she
persuaded Shinji to give it a try.  Since Gendou has headed back to the funny
farm, Misato drops off Jin and Yunoha instead.  Jin tries to have the
conversation from the other path about the "Book of Creation", only this time
he already knows that hacking into NERV for the info is futile.  Shinji's
heard nothing of this tome, and rather than try to push him on it Jin changes
the subject to the Red Sea, realizing as he does so that he's actually happy
about the prospect of failing in his mission.

The longer he stays here, the less like his original self he becomes, and the
thought of disappointing Mikage about the NERV stuff doesn't sound so bad so
long as he doesn't blow his main assignment -- returning with the strongest
Rare Igler.  He remarks that this Red Sea, so out of place in this world, seems
like an apt metaphor for himself.  Yunoha finds that unbearably sad, and Jin
flashes a rare two-eyed smile at the thought that he actually has real friends
to turn to here.

Warm fuzzies get put on hold when an Angel abruptly surfaces, trudging through
Neo Tokyo-2 en route to Neo Tokyo-3.  The latter might stand some chance, but
everywhere along the way will get pretty much flattened... unless the few good
guys currently capable of sortieing can intervene.  This, the Seventh Angel,
looks so different from the one before that Fudou remarks it's almost like it's
a different species.  Which is a not-so-subtle way of showing that he knows a
LOT more than he's letting on.

 As Jin gets busy trying to persuade Yunoha to come with him, Asuka shows up
 to more or less save the day.  Sadly the Angel doesn't just die when killed,
 and Misato is forced to rapidly reconfigure squads when the rest of Z-BLUE
 show up.  Watching all this, Fudou sounds fairly certain that this time, the
 team can break the cycle of karma -- all that remains is the today's final
 guest...

 Yunoha meanwhile has figured out where Jin means to take her, having heard
 him chatting with Mikage earlier.  She is understandably reluctant to leave
 all her friends behind, so Jin plays the "But I _neeed_ you!" card.  She
 counters with the "Are you sure ALL your happiness since coming here was
 a lie?" card, adding that if anything, the rest of the team needs _him_ more
 than anything.  Hell, _she_ needs him.  As he's about to be persuaded...

 ...Kagura and friends show up, on the warpath and conveniently being
 regenerated by the Angel.  Someone(tm) is feeding the Angel's powers to
 Kagura's mech via insubstantial tubing, much like the Internet is made out
 of: a "red thread" joining a Wanderer to the love-scenting Beast.  Said
 Beast has the Element power of Reversal, turning fire to ice and light to
 darkness.  Or some such marketing bullshit.

 Basically just take out the Angel first so the Gimp can't regenerate.  The
 team will learn the hard way that Kurama's Reversal means he can
 resuscitate the Angel just like it can do him.  At this point Fudou gets
 peeved and commands Mikage, who's been lurking in the shadows _of_the_
 _control_room_ to reveal himself.  Donarl will never forget Mikage's
 spiteful mug: it was he who triggered the Aquarion accident that took Nanaon
 away from him.

 Mikage treats that as a minor oopsie, a prank as it were he pulled because
 the two of them were too much in love.  Mikage's come to trash-talk Fudou
 for jettisoning his "true form" somewhere in the last 12k years (or two),
 but cain't nobody out smack-talk Fudou.  Appearances are but the chains of
 the past, which Mikage seems to know allll about.  Mikage ignores this,
 and asks where the Book of Creation and the True Sun are at.  After all,
 weren't he and Fudou butt-buddies those 20 and 4 thousands of years ago?

 If so, Fudou sure as hell isn't letting on, nor is he coughing up the answers
 for Mikage now.  Mikage vows to lay waste to all Fudou loves before
 vanishing, so Fudou takes especial pleasure in Element Changing Jin (who
 he calls by his true Altairan name) and Yunoha.  Jin as much as owns up to
 being a spy after all, and points out that only his Element ability can set
 this mess to rights now.

 Misato isn't inclined to believe the guy... but she _does_ believe in the
 friendship Shinji and Yunoha have shown him.  Jin and Yunoha then learn the
 true pleasure of Combination, just in time to save Shinji's bacon.  With
 Yunoha's help, he severs that red thread of fate B.S. and simultaneously
 shoves the Angel somewhere into inter-dimensional nothingness.

 Shinji isn't happy about being lied to, but he's inclined to forgive Jin if
 Jin will tell him the whole truth about himself.  Jin is down with that, and
 doesn't let a little... something or other by way of revenge from Mikage
 crimp his style.  Amata takes point in fending off Kagura, though Jin does
 point out that he could wish that Kagura too could experience the full-
 understandingness that comes from Combination, as he has.

Kagura is all raving about the various ways he wants to do Mikono in, but all
that gets him is a furious ass-whupping from the Aquarion.  It's a good
victory, but in the aftermath Jin seems to be in a very bad way.  His life
actually flashes before _our_ eyes, as Yunoha and Shinji are replayed telling
him just how much they believe in and accept him.  Is he, in fact, about to
die?  Put it this way: even AG isn't in the mood for his usual happy speech...


-----------
CHAPTER 27O. Fallen Giant

Cue the Basara/Kaworu conversation.  And Izumo's fretting over Alicia.  And
Mikage's sexual assault on Kagura.

Afterwards, the pilots confer about how to cheer Shotarou up after the shock
he's received (with a detour into poking the polyamorous(??) guys on the team
a bit for fun).  Maybe a trip to the cinema would help, with a sampling of
interspecies-love movies on tap?  The ideal movie turns out to be "The
Dancing Skies of Aquaria", and Fudou pops out of nowhere to announce that he's
got it all cued up and waiting.

In fact, the screening turns into a major event thanks to Urajimiel's PR
superiority and the promise of a certain idol star taking the stage as
prologue.  Alto gets some time alone with Sheryl, even as we catch a glimpse
of the Jin situation drawing toward a close.  Alto knows Sheryl well enough
to know that something must be on her mind if she's hanging with him instead
of rehearsing, and sure enough, there is.

Sheryl and Ranka have both had time to reflect after their songs failed to
deter the previous Vajra assault, and Sheryl for one admits to how shocking it
was for her singing to _not_ reach her audience, for maybe the first time in
a life devoted to doing exactly that.  Alto assures her that it's more likely
fatigue talking, after Twinkle Project's nonstop morale touring, rather than
something genuinely being wrong with her... or with Ranka for that matter.  The
best advice he can give her is this: she should give herself a bit of time
_for_ herself for a change.  And she takes him up on it, vowing to enjoy what
little time she has before the show as just the two of them.

Awaiting the film, Amata feels he owes Mikono an apology for indirectly
mixing her up in all the scary Aquarion stuff when he greeted her back when.
She maintains it was her decision, and quotes the upcoming movie as saying
that everyone has wings so they can fly above their fate.  Amata wonders if
that's what his mother, none other than the actress for Alicia, did when she
abandoned him as a kid.  Yow, Real Talk Mode(tm) engaged!  Mikono, who's faced
her share of rejection too over the years, is sure that Amata's mom must have
loved him somehow or other.  Encouraging words, and Zessica (watching from the
sidelines) consciously decides NOT to Bogart her way into the scene.  Asuka
sniffs that _she_ totally would have Frankly My Deared the whole damn tableau,
but Zessica sounds confident in her own approach to romance (plus, it's not
like she'll never get to chat with Amata again or whatever).

PLUS, she gets a nice bit of paybackage when Shinji actually strolls up and
nicely asks Asuka to watch the film with him.  Zessica cleverly evaporates,
but unfortunately Shinji's smoothness turns out to be due in part to his
invitation being among all three fellow EVA pilots, instead of as a potential
romantic overture.

The film is a masterpiece of preaching to the ENTIRE choir of pilots,
reaffirming every personal narrative that's been at work for the past couple
dozen chapters.  It's also a good occasion for Kaworu to have his chat with
Fudou from the other path.  About the only person unable to bear watching the
film is Donarl, for whom the pain of having one of his wings ripped off (as it
were) is still too fresh.

That means he's in the control room when a bevy of Abductors show up, kicking
off what is again basically this battle from the other route, only without the
Angel in evidence.  That means we have to put up with Basara, whose singing
encourages Jin and Shinji to combine their powers and sever this battle's
version of the infinite power source for Kagura.

 The only real difference is that this battle can be used as an infinite
 enemy mill, in case you're feeling under-powered.

[I kept the "I" path.]


----------
CHAPTER 28. The Poetry of Darkness

Jin's death makes for great political theater, given how he was the last child
born in Altair and whatnot.  It was also not entirely in vain, insofar as his
contact with Z-BLUE has revealed to Mikage the identity of the reincarnated
Wings of the Sun.  Rather uncouth of Mikage to prate on about how happy Jin
must be, and how maybe his soul will be reincarnated into Altair's next
child...  when he is of course the one who did Jin in.  All Izumo knows is that
there are far too many "unexplained" bugs infesting the Altairan master control
system his mother slaved away to build.  Is this the beginning of the end?

Elsewhere, we find Kaji watching over a very strange scene.  The Third Angel,
apparently chopped into little pieces for safekeeping, has just broken out of
its seal.  This requires an emergency sortie of EVA 05, whose pilots' ill-
fitting plug suits are squeezing a tad too tightly in the chest region.  They
charge the Angel, defeating it basically by self-destructing on the spot: a
concession to the adults that Kaji rather wishes they didn't have to make.
His work here done, Kaji heads back to HQ, with at least one of the pilots
still (somewhat) alive.

Kodama meanwhile hasn't been able to help those terrified kids any, and has
good reason to fear that their bodies will die just as their hearts seemingly
have.  After all, there's a lot of dyingness going on these days.

The other pilots are grieving too in their way.  Shinji's off with Misato to
Neo Tokyo-3, and one can only imagine how battered he must be.  Yunoha's shut
up in her room, but Fudou won't let her stay there long: as he points out to
Mikono, Yunoha's power to Disappear could very well obliterate her completely
if she's allowed to wallow in it.  Neither she nor any other Element is
permitted to cut themselves off from the others.  Amata tells her that Yunoha
probably feels "left behind" by Jin, as he felt about his own mother's death,
and that's enough of a push to get her moving.

And since you haven't heard enough of the sad piano music yet, we have Misato
telling Asuka to keep Shinji company tonight (her apartment only having one
spare bedroom, and whatnot).  Yeah maybe Jin was a pan-dimensional alien and a
spy, but he was also one of Shinji's best friends.  Asuka, under the polite
fiction that Shinji's asleep and "couldn't hear her anyway", declares that she
intends to keep piloting her EVA despite the anguish and agony she knows are
coming.  Why?  She's got nowhere else to go, and no way to run.  Food for
thought.

While Yunoha struggles with saying goodbye to Jin (and Mikono implores Yunoha
not to disappear herself), the team grimly assemble in the graveyard.  Claire
explains that Jin, an Altairan, came to them in order to kidnap a female
Element for reasons unknown.  One must expect the Altairans to get even more
forceful going forward, and the senior leaders (with some experience with loss)
tell the team that they've got to figure out how to put their sorrow behind
them...  lest they follow in the dead's footsteps.  Even Basara is grappling
with grief, though in his case he's wrecking the silence of the graveyard with
electric guitar playing.

Fudou then orders something truly bizarre: all the Elements are to be buried
alive, right here in the graveyard.  All of them, Mikono in particular, are too
attached to this life, too burdened by the various passions it brings to
experience true freedom.  Kodama totally wants to try it too, and only Mikono
opts out of being buried alive (not that she's allowed to leave either).  The
real question is, what will all of this prove?

The whole tableau resurrects some of Jeffrey's concerns about Kodama's
background, but before he can hash them out with Cathy, a bunch of UGs turn up.
And among them is Annalotta, seemingly determined to ruin everyone's day given
that Kodama hasn't shown up.

 Mikono really dislikes how _right_ Fudou is about everything, but that's
 precisely why Suzune wants to chat with him.  He explains to her that
 Kodama's Boost ability is no gift like the Elements' abilities; rather, it's
 a curse stemming from the same thing that's debilitated the children with
 the blood-red eyes.  He tells her not to worry if this all sounds vague: in
 due time Kodama himself will determine whether he'll sink to the Divine Hell,
 or whether he'll destroy the Time Hell.  Maybe, while Kodama's busy being
 oxygen-deprived, she can learn a thing or two about herself too?

 Oddly enough, the Elements aren't enjoying being buried alive, which
 definitely isn't getting them back onto the battlefield any faster.  Mikono
 for one is getting rather desperate for them to come back, and with some
 justification: Gadlight informs Annalotta that some "Imitations" are located
 in that part of campus.  Annalotta somehow blames them for destroying what
 was left of her pride, and gets mighty upset when Shinji gets in her way.

 Oddly enough, Shinji somehow grasps that deploying his A.T. Field would be a
 bad idea -- what he's felt is in fact the walls the Elements have erected
 around their own hearts.  Fudou sounds pleased, and informs Mikono that only
 she can save her comrades from the despair that grips them.  See, humans are
 dying by angstroms constantly, with every cell and faltering memory that
 ceases to be.  But it's only when the mass of dead flesh and dead thoughts
 solidifies that one is cut off from the flow of the Universe, ending up
 alone.  Hers is the power of the Mushroom: to feast upon rotting flesh unseen
 beneath the soil, and sprout new growth into the sun.

 Come to find out Jin, whose voice somehow reaches Yunoha, has loved her for
 the past 12 thousand years... of which at least the past eight thousand have
 made her more beautiful than ever.  In fact, all these graves resemble
 cradles (if you squint hard enough anyway), insofar as all that continuous
 dying also means continuous rebirth.  And just like that, the Elements
 find themselves outside the grave ("Happy Birthday!") and head back to
 combat.

 It falls to Suzune to get Kodama back, seemingly with some true confession
 tiemz.  She admits to being weak and cowardly, but gets no further due to
 Annalotta's rude interruption.  Sensing her danger, Kodama too emerges from
 the grave, apparently finding his purpose in protecting others.  And to do
 that, they both have to live long enough to get back to the Geneon.  No
 problem.

 Thanks to Mikono, all the Elements can now freely use each other￾fs powers,
 and that spells trouble for their opponents.  Kodama and Suzune seem to have
 leveled up their rapport as well, and when they force Annalotta to make a
 "strategic advance to the rear", Kodama is bad-ass enough to make her
 actually give her name.

Randomly, Zenitory is also on hand, with an item to hand out to Kodama for
beating the battle.  The real shenanigans involve the EVA Mk. 6 (and Gendou's
plans for it), and the question of whether Kaji can actually be trusted.  AND
whatever's going on with Annalotta (pride still wounded from today's failure)
and Gadlight.  The latter consoles the former with the thought that Z-BLUE
needs a little lesson in despair, to be tendered just as soon as a certain
troublesome island is dealt with.  Things then get surreal when an incredibly
haggard dude walks in that you ought to recognize...


-----------
CHAPTER 29. The Beginning of Summer

Guess who joins the plot next?  It's Traia, the famously foxy (in various
ways) scientist who turns out to be somewhat in cahoots with Mithril.  Her
sponsors have had her researching about all these Quakes and what not, and
the news ain't good: all her charts flatline around four months from now.
Though Superdimensional researchers don't exactly grow on trees, the terrible
truth her team's uncovered can't be kept secret for long, especially since
real people out there in the world are already starting to feel its unsettling
effects.  Tessa intends to make a report directly to the Federation president,
but it's not as though he personally will be able to set things right.

Nor has Tessa been any help in Traia's research about the Spheres, those
pivotally important things from the previous Z games that you might have
almost forgotten about by now.  At least Tessa _has_ had some luck in tracking
down how Carlos Axion Jr. has managed to reconstitute the "New Imperium",
though it's yet to be seen if it will shine light for Traia on whatever Carlos'
_true_ objective was in founding it in the first place.  Certainly with
hindsight he seems to have been hunting bigger prey than just the Earth
government of the time.

One thing's for sure: this "Eternity Flat" vision of the future sucks it long
and hard, and although Traia has no rational basis for it, she's sure that
understanding the Spheres must somehow be the key to avoiding it.  Because, you
know, Banpresto wouldn't have made such a big deal about them otherwise.
Significantly, even Traia is afflicted by very specific headaches that seem
to distract her from something crucial within her memory every time she starts
to think on the Spheres...

Meanwhile, the G-boys get contracted by Lady Une to provide security for a
Twinkle Project holiday at Rindai Academy -- this while Schlede is waxing
poetic about the damn riotous cicadas and how they only make all that noise
during the one week of their life that they spend above ground.  It's not that
having Sheryl and Ranka around is a bad thing in and of itself... but if word</pre><pre id="faqspan-8">
gets out, there's likely to be rioting in the streets from all the fans.

The Volunteer Club has no time to lay in plans, as the two singers manage to
make their way to the club room with help from various students and other folk
nearby.  This cues the DRAMTIC MUSIC for no particular reason, and with much
shouting and histrionics Alto ends up showing the two singers around his
school.  Case closed?

OF COURSE NOT, since for reasons unclear terrorists have set explosives all
over the school.  We quickly find out that Gaulun is on hand and out to capture
the singers and -- while he's at it -- Sousuke himself.  Sousuke implores Alto
to get Kaname to safety while he tries to avoid Gaulun killing him.  Lucky for
him the G-boys show up, driving Gaulun back to his mech while Sousuke gets a
pep talk from Hiiro.  Executive summary: don't fear personal evolution, if
that's what Kaname's presence has brought him.

As the pilots prepare for battle, Sousuke takes the time to call Kaname's cel
and invite her to the beach tomorrow.  This I guess serves as doubling down on
the premise of keeping the bad guys at bay.

At the end of the battle, Gaulun actually surrenders instead of running off.
Gritting his teeth, Sousuke arrests him instead of shooting him dead.  This
leaves the other pilots to ponder why the bad guys wanted Sheryl and Ranka:
probably some bid to "unify" the various peoples in space or whatnot.  Said
singers have two different answers to MIX's irate question regarding why Alto's
so fly (she's still peeved at the thought that Alto is poly).  Sheryl smirks
thoughtfully (yup, she can do that) and values the way that Alto doesn't
treat her specially the way everyone else does.  Ranka blushes that Alto always
saves her when she needs saving.

Kaname meanwhile still stoutly refuses to admit she and Sousuke are a thing,
even when asked about the little beach trip Sousuke suggested.  Turns out said
beach trip involves a _pier_ at the beach, and at the other end of it: the
TdD!  Where better to keep Kaname safe than a stealth submarine?  ...Unless,
it's the very same stealth submarine where Gaulun will be imprisoned, in which
case just about anything could go wrong.  At least in between news segments on
the carnage, everyone can watch the new commercial for Z-traders, recorded by
none other than Ranka and Sheryl.


----------
CHAPTER 30. Trembling, Into the Blue

Kaname isn't very good at pretending not to be in love with Sousuke.  And
Tessa -- genius though she is -- isn't very good at physically-demanding tasks
like making a cup of tea.  What they have in common is being Whispered:
repositories of "Black Technology" totally incommensurate with the world's
ambient tech level.  They also share a dangerous form of telepathy, in that
fusing their consciousnesses to communicate could result in not being able to
_separate_ them again later.  Certain people out there would do anything and
everything to get their hands on a Whispered, and Mithril intends to see they
never do.  Tessa also means to see that Sousuke ends up as hers, but that's
a battle the two girls will have to wage as time permits.

For now, Kaname gets a little appreciation ceremony for all the cool stuff
she's done to date, which metamorphoses into a one-year birthday party for
the TdD.  Elsewhere though, Gaulun is chafing in captivity, watched over for
now by the two pilots least likely to fall for any funny business he might try.

The party is pretty raucous, with one of C.C.'s prized stuffed animals as the
fourth prize for a round of bingo.  Third prize is a collection of "candid"
photos of female pilots that Sazanka's been taking on the sly (in the airlock,
meaning everyone's fully dressed -- she will put the proceeds towards a group
dinner for the ladies), with second prize being a good luck charm made from an
ultra-rare Dimension Grizzly tooth Kodama snagged during his Beast Hunter days.

First prize is to be a passionate kiss from none other than Tessa herself...
which is news to her.  Even as she reluctantly agrees, Sousuke confides to
Hiiro that he doesn't feel like playing bingo.  In fact, what he feels like
doing is having a F2F with Gaulun.  Trois sagely allows this, waiting with
Shakko right outside the door.  Sousuke's plan is to figure out what's
really bothering him, and it's unclear if letting Gaulun run his mouth is for
the best -- he has it that Sousuke's desire to protect things is precisely
the force that will result in those things being laid waste.

Kiriko actually bingos first, kind of a foregone conclusion for the "One In
Twenty-Five Billion Man", but voluntarily skips his prize.  Tessa actually
seems unsure how to feel about that, though to everyone's good fortune it's
Macallan who wins next and graciously accepts a kiss on the cheek from his CO.

Because these games work like that, Sousuke has taken Gaulun's critique to
heart, despondent and determined to keep Kaname at a safe distance when he
runs into her in the hall.  Kurtz overhears the whole exchange, and seriously
weighs in as the voice of reason.  NEVER should Sousuke think he's somehow got
to fight his battles alone -- what else is Z-BLUE for if not to help each other
out?

As it turns out, Gaulun has his collaborators to, infiltrated into the TdD's
crew.  They manage to shoot Macallan dead, and get an unexpected assist from
a group of UGs attacking the TdD.  Their plan is to steal Kaname on their way
out, or more precisely, to take her and the rest of the crew of the TdD hostage
in the name of their organization "Amalgam".  They've even got a disk of
control codes from yet another traitor from all the way in Mithril HQ.  Gaulun
traps the unsortied Z-BLUE pilots inside the hangar and cuts all comms with
the outside world.  The only hope is to retrieve the Universal Key from Tessa's
cabin and to take it to the main computer room on deck three.  Tessa manages
to buy Kaname some time to run off, and Gaulun responds by ordering the TdD's
atmosphere to maximum oxygenation -- even the slightest spark will incinerate
everyone onboard... everyone except the folks in the hangar, whose oxygen is
being siphoned away to fuel this.  Apparently Gaulun is willing to commit
suicide if doing so means taking out the gazillion-dollar boat and its crew in
one fell swoop.  Where does he get that level of reckless ferocity?!

 Whaddya know, Sousuke (and Kodama) didn't get bottled up in the hangar with
 everyone else -- thanks to Sousuke having something "important" to tell
 Kaname just prior to launch.  Kodama leaves them alone after helping dispatch
 one of the traitors.  After a bit of reconciliation they make it to the
 main computer room, where Kaname's Whispered abilities take over.

 Gaulun means to have the enemy sink the TdD with everyone aboard, but Tessa
 (via Kaname) takes control at just the right moment, avoids a barrage of
 torpedoes, and manages to give Sousuke the chance to make Gaulun flee.  He
 all too happily obeys her order to pursue Gaulun in his AS, finally figuring
 out how to face the murderous bastard without feeling all inferior about it.

What a fracas, eh?  At least now you know that these "Amalgam" people are in
league with the UGs.  Hiiro has only one piece of advice for the exhausted
Sousuke: don't fear change.  If he can manage that, he'll become the answer
that Wufei's been dicking around in search of.  At the very least, he renews
his promise to take Kaname to the beach -- not _this_ beach, but a much better
one that they can get to once all this warfare is done with.

Back in the captain's quarters, Karen assures Tessa that she's neutral between
Tessa and Kaname's romantic rivalry.  She's just glad Tessa is turning out to
be as nice a person as she thought.  Bon homme gets interrupted though when the
UG and Amalgam attack Orb in large numbers...

En route, it's hats-off to Sousuke for defeating his arch-enemy: mucho bonus
Z-Chips for that.  Likewise for Kodama continuing to mature, though as an
interesting turn of events, C.C. re-donated that DG Fang back to the D-Traders,
since although she won it in the bingo game she felt she had no use for the
legendary talisman...



----------
CHAPTER 31. Fate Forced Open

By this point the other pilots know Shinn is likely to rush off to Orb on his
own, so they preempt him.  While he sneaks around to Orb through the back
door, the Skull Squad will raise hell at the front door, disrupting the various
UG forces arrayed in advance of the main fleet.  Camille will even act as
Shinn's personal air chauffeur, which is good because -- if Kodama's red eyes
are any indication -- the "Angel" must be nearby.

Cagalli is having a hell of a time trying to direct Orb's defenses.  Just the
first UG attack was enough to leave the Archangel badly damaged and most of
the Orb mobile suits are reduced to scrap.  It's anyone's guess why the UG
chose Orb as their target -- symbol as it as of the better angels of mankind's
nature -- but Marina and all the civilians being evacuated may be about to
witness its downfall.  Cagalli and her loyal troops will do what they can to
prevent that, but in the interest of not sacrificing the common people in the
battle, Cagalli has Marina promise to take them all in as refugees to her
nation... just in case you know, someone or other happens to detonate the whole
damn country again.

It's a race against time between certain terrorist forces (hired by none other
than Saigas) and Shinn, who doesn't give a damn who's busy attacking his
homeland.  In his rage it seems like he may have inadvertently removed the
"Needle" that Gadlight's people put into him, and he's followed in short order
by Kira (who shows up from space for the same reason Shinn came from the
surface).

 The Celestial Beings show up in short order to pick up the slack, joined by
 Z-BLUE.  The CBs have totally figured out that it's Annalotta and her posse
 that are behind the Earth-Colony war's escalation, and at this point it
 doesn't much matter to Kodama and friends if Annalotta had a "noble"(??)
 motive or not.  ..Aaaand that's where things gets complicated.

 Annalotta maintains that she's _not_ being unfair, just protecting the
 "Geminid" people of planet Gemini.  She declares that Z-BLUE are doomed now
 that they've broken free of her seal, but that's all the more reason for
 Kodama to level her ass.  He admits privately to Suzune that he's shitting
 bricks inwardly, but even more than that, his INNER RAEG won't permit
 Annalotta to be left on the loose one second longer.

 Gadlight, watching his forces get methodically chewed up by Z-BLUE, pats
 himself on the back for unsealing Annalotta's mech (the Diosk)'s full
 potential.  Its power is seriously harshing Kodama's mellow, and when he
 charges in alone the Diosk predictably puts up stiff resistance.  Things
 get weird when a dude named Advent turns up out of nowhere, smacks Kodama
 out of the way, pummels Annalotta a bit on the theory that human evolution
 must be protected, and then tells Kodama that all this is for his own good.

 Advent's got friends, and friends of his are, we're told, friends of Kodama.
 This is more than a little abrupt, but as a show of goodwill Advent has his
 troops assist in evacuating the civilians from the danger zone.  His advice
 to Kodama is to focus on staying rational -- fear is his own worst enemy at
 present.  Bewildered but focused once more, Kodama agrees -- hopefully he'll
 be able to "show Advent his potential" or whatever they're calling it these
 days...

 Somehow Kodama actually likes being bossed around by Advent -- it's as though
 he knows the guy from somewhere.  Annalotta gets pummeled so effectively that
 she's starting to wonder if _she_ is the common factor in her string of
 defeats.  No need to pursue when she flees though, that score will get
 settled soon enough.

For now, it suffices that Orb's been protected.  Setsuna does the whole "no
need to actually SPEND TIME WITH MY GIRLFRIEND, our paths head in the same
direction thing" that must be part of family planning in this universe.
Advent, leaving behind only his name and a set of GPS coordinates for now.
Time for Kodama and friends to go find out what's really been ailing their
world.  But first, a little fond reunion between Cagalli and Shin and Kira.
The news from the Plants isn't good: despite Aslan's best efforts, they're
likely to side with Neo Jion in the upcoming war with the surface, even with
all the new evidence of the Geminis' involvement in fomenting said war.  It's
no longer about who started it, but rather who finishes it...  Oh and by the
way, if the preserved flower Marina's got is any indication, even when an
entire country gets burned down (by Arrows, in this case) life can sprout
once more -- a symbol of hope, one supposes, unless you're the insurance
company left holding the bill.  Marina gives said token of hope to the boys to
pass along to Setsuna.

In the reunion with the Celestial Beings, it comes out that this is Lockon
the new holder of the title... after his twin brother's demise.  Kurtz
promises to bend his ear with all kinds of stories about the sniper duels he
had with Lockon Mk.I.  The new Lockon's mech is less about sniping and more
about a balanced attack, and Ian tells Amuro that the all-important Twin Drive
capability is being transferred from the Double-O Riser to a new machine.
Setsuna sounds confident that he can make due in the interim, a bit more
communicative than he used to be.

Allelujah and Mary are off in Tibet somewhere, no longer part of the CB combat
machine.  Tielia meanwhile is shut up in the CB lab, frantically searching
through Veda for answers to what's ailing the world (some of which are locked
to even him).  What info on the Geminis they've been able to piece together
has been delivered to Char as well as to Z-BLUE, in the hopes of maybe ending
the war with the surface faster, if they can no longer stop it from taking
place to begin with.

What's clear is that the Geminis are not to be underestimated, even though
they seemingly prefer to have the humans kill each other instead of doing it
themselves.  Just look at all the havoc they've wrought already...

----------
CHAPTER 32. Within Clouds of Oblivion

Everyone, including this Advent guy, keeps babbling about the End of Human
History.  Apart from being a mythical beer, it's the kind of phrase that
would normally attract nothing but scorn.  This time however, the team are
agreed that it's worth checking out the GPS coordinates in question -- just to
be on the safe side.  A quick check of Google Maps shows they point to an
unremarkable spot in the middle of the ocean, but it's anyone's guess if some
sort of secret lies beneath the waves.

The TdD has to go back to Merida for repairs, but Tessa agrees to let Kaname
stay around with Z-BLUE; as a fellow Whispered, there's a decent chance that
she'll experience some Inspiration that could prove useful.  She tells Kaname
to do her utmost to investigate in the event that the word "Sphere" somehow
comes up: any advice from Traia is to be taken seriously.

Whatever is going on at this island is SERIOUS BUSINESS.  It freaks Kodama the
fuck out, sets Aoi's hot-blood ablaze, and comingles Amata and Mikono's hearts
like the joining of waters.  It is the blue of the sky Simon first saw when his
Drill pierced the heavens, the Fire of Prometheus that lit mankind's crooked
path across the world and into the stars.  But what lies at the end of that
journey?  The long-dead Lalah Sun isn't around to provide Amuro the answer.

As for Kodama, a fearful vision of Suzune ushers him into Paradigm City: land
of collective amnesia.  As Kodama gets ministered to by Norman, Kei and MOME
find themselves in the office of MAYOR Beck.  Something about the name of this
town, and its mayor, tickles Kei's memory, and Beck seems very intent on
finding out what's going on outside the city's walls.  In fact the team are
scattered all over the place, figuring out quickly that nobody in this town
has any memory of anything older than 40 years ago.

All positioning systems are down, lending credence to the theory that this is
some other dimension.  Could it be that Advent lured everyone here as some
kind of trap?  What's clear is that IF this place is something to do with the
End of History, the team needs to investigate it more.  Maybe this dude on
the street mumbling about "Who am I??" might be a good place to start?  At the
least, he seems to have had his memory wiped recently enough to NOT be used to
it like the rest of the citizens.  The sight of him stirs something within
the pilots' memories, and they wisely set off in pursuit.  Watching from the
shadows, Angel seems both happy and sad that Roger has made contact with the
newcomers...

Norman explains to Kodama that the city's citizens are all operating on what
little memory they have left of life before coming here.  He for instance
recalls being some kind of functionary, and now works to help newcomers
adjust to life here.  What's very strange is that, despite the 40-year gap in
memory, nobody seems to be _physically_ aging a day.  Maybe time itself has
stopped for this city?  If so, it may have something to do with Kodama's
terrifying enemy, who seems to be close at hand...

A bunch of UGs show up, lending further credence to the idea that Advent has
set the team up.  But then something weird happens: a passel of beat-up Neo
Jion and Federation mecha show up, blow away the UGs, and then turn their guns
on Z-BLUE.  These new mecha are all unpiloted, and the local sheriff's office
claims no knowledge of them either.  Watching this, Angel isn't surprised that
the mecha would attack those with the Stigma -- these days of peace and quiet
are about to end...

The mystery mecha certainly are no friends of the UGs, and what's more it seems
someone's tuned them up massively versus their normal specs.  Meanwhile, it
turns out that this is where Gadlight's been hanging out drinking -- and he
decides to take the arrival of Z-BLUE as a positive, especially since the
system has recognized them as a foreign contaminant.  Couldn￾ft really expect
the lynchpins of Destruction and Creation to stay away forever, now could he?
Heck, they might even prove useful...

Meanwhile, poor Roger is busy being terrorized by some dude wrapped all in
bandages.  Said dude, Schwarz by name, can't believe that Roger of all
people would turn his back on the Truth... but not to worry.  That Truth will
be laid bare, and the land once again wreathed in flame!!

Gadlight is still musing on Z-BLUE making it to the Crosspoint, and how time
seems to be inevitably heading towards stopping entirely.  He's expecting Roger
to join him, but instead in comes Advent -- who not only knows Gadlight's
name, but even offers to buy him a drink.  He then declares that his friends
and Z-BLUE will put a stop to Gadlight's people's plans, and walks off.  This
much is certain: Gadlight's supervisory position just got a LOT more
interesting...


----------
CHAPTER 32. Roger the Negotiator

Roger tries one more time to ask Gadlight who he is, figuring Gadlight must
know something.  Gadlight recommends living on in blissful ignorance of the
truth, but Roger isn't having it.  He goes to the outskirts of town and accosts
an old guy named Gordon, who definitely knows Roger but also realizes Roger
isn't going to have his memory jogged quickly.  Roger stalks off just before
Angel turns up.  Gordon muses to her that the circle of twelve thousand years,
or rather of 120 MILLION years, as about to close.  Angel can't bear to watch
Roger lingering in this twilight ignorance, tormented by his Stigma, and Gordon
has but one task for her.  Should Roger remember his original duty, she is to
hand him a book entitled "Metropolis".  No need for her to read it herself,
especially the last chapter that Gordon himself wrote.

Roger is proving remarkably hard for the team to lay hands on, and at this
rate the homeless guy might succumb to the elements (or worse).  On the other
hand, something seems to have gotten into the Dancougar pilots -- as though
some deep-seated, pleasurable heat has been rekindled within.  This is scaring
the other pilots who rush on ahead, just in time for Schwartz to reveal
himself to the Beast Squad.  He declares that they are the Beginning of the
emergence of the Truth -- a truth that he too seeks in this artificial world.

Norman points out one of the few benefits of forgetfulness: it lets one make
peace with the past -- the past, by the way, being immutable and therefore not
worth worrying about.  Mind, that which _can't_ be forgotten should be
confronted without delay.  In fact, Kodama gets his chance IMMEDIATELY, when
Gadlight actually walks up and introduces himself as the commander of the
Geminis.  Kodama is all but paralyzed with fear, managing about one coherent
word during the encounter.  Gadlight says only that Kodama's world is just like
this Paradigm City, and bids the "Imitation" farewell for now.

Kodama's teammates are wondering where the hell he is, or for that matter
where the hell Advent is and what's going on with the "Angel" that may be
responsible for Kodama's eye discoloration.  OR, for that matter, the dude in
the suit.  Angel turns up, asking what the team wants with Roger.  She's not
surprised, but maybe a little sad, that they don't remember her in the
slightest, but before they can say what they _do_ want with Roger, Schwarz
turns up to gloat at the helpless Oblivion of the Stigma-bearers.

He blames Angel for this current state of affairs, as Roger shows up and
demands to know who he is... and why he's wearing a watch with no numbers
on it.  The watch, intones Angel, symbolizes his lost power -- and his lost
time.  Roger's been able to live only because he's managed to NOT face the
unreasoning, primal fear that grips him -- but Kodama (who turns up on cue)
isn't satisfied with that.  He, at least, is prepared to seek the truth no
matter what the cost, and the idea seems to catch on quick.  Roger Smith first
remembers his name, then his pride at always carrying out whatever job he's
accepted -- and the sight of this starts to jog the other pilots' memories too.
Angel can't bear this, but Dorothy has turned up, ready to welcome her master
back to the land of the cognizant.  When Dorothy is willing to call him by his
name, he fully reawakens.

The rest of the team are starting to follow suit, and Kodama realizes that
this must be what Gadlight was talking about regarding their home world too.
But that discussion must wait: Beck too has recovered himself and his quest
for vengeance against Roger.  Roger wants to handle his old foe personally,
and has word sent to Norman that they'll be hosting a little party tonight.

 Lots of time has passed, but the result is the same: Roger kicks Beck's punk
 ass.  Unfortunately this city has a defense mechanism against foreign
 elements: The Bigs.  Schwarz knew these guys were coming, and means to see
 just how firm Z-BLUE's resolve is.  He strides in and tangles with Team D,
 completing their animalistic return from "hibernation".  Gadlight is aghast
 at this chain of events, blaming it all on "her".

 There's only one way to take Schwarz down: all at once!  Totally doable.
 He bids a temporary farewell to the Accursed Wanderers with their Stigmas,
 to see them again on the day everything burns.

Looks like Angel may have to say goodbye to Roger at this rate (though they
totally don't say why).  The party is about ready at Roger's mansion, but first
Kodama spots Gadlight.  The entire team turn up and surround the guy, who
slyly claims that he started all trouble on Earth just because he was bored
(which is obviously a lie).  As the team prepare to attack, Gadlight does...
something, causing everyone's emotions to do a 180.  The opposite of anger is
fear, for instance... and the opposite of cooperation is strife.  Yes, this
is the power that created all those abrupt quarrels.

The team do their best to struggle against this sudden turn of events, and the
fact that they're not completely neutralized is either a testament to their
fortitude, or to Gadlight's "immaturity"... or both.  In any case, he tells
Kodama that the Earth only has three months of history left.  Though the
heavens will still continue to turn, what Gadlight calls "absolute time" will
halt.  Dying, and birthing, will be in stasis just as they are here in
Paradigm City -- the "Time Prison" mentioned before.

All this is thanks to the Spacetime Quake that created the world in the first
place... though who caused _that_ event Gadlight is coy about.  Gadlight would
rather see humanity destroyed rather than condemned to such a fate, which
seems to explain why he's done what he's done.  Oh, and one other thing: like
Paradigm City, everyone back on Earth is being mind controlled... not to
mention moved around like chess pieces to keep certain people from being in
the same place.

Not, he smirks, that they should blame him for any of that -- it's someone
else's doing.  And in any case, he can't keep suppressing the team's wrath
forever, so it's time to break things off.  "He" seems to have initiated
a dimensional transfer anyway.  He tells Kodama that the next time they meet,
he _might_ just have to get serious.

The team find themselves back on Earth, where three weeks have elapsed.
Advent appears before them, confirming that he's on the humans' side against
Gadlight's terrible schemes.  His people were well aware of the Earth's
impending time stoppage, which Mithril refers to as "Eternity Flat", and he
pledges ongoing help to the humans in the form of information.  The next
coordinates he hands over are in space near the Earth, and just before he
leaves he names his organization "Chrono".  And as for Kodama, he's out cold,
which eerily seems to be to Suzune's liking.  SOMETHING is up with her...

One thing's for sure: this Gadlight clown is something very different from
any of the super-powered foes the team's faced so far.  He has, however, made
one very grave error: actually confronting Z-BLUE with the truth, and
thereby giving them time to do something about Eternity Flat.  At least,
that's the healthiest way to think about it.  In any case, Roger is back in
action, and determined to help save the world.  But before the team heads off
to Advent's next scavenger hunt point, he notices something in his suit
pocket...

AG checked into why Earth mobile suits -- _spacefaring ones_, in particular,
were in Paradigm City.  Apart from some ash, signs of forced reentry for mecha
not intended for that role, there's nothing of note.  On the other hand, AG
is very happy to have a professional Negotiator like Roger among his clientele.
..Just so everyone's clear there's no haggling at the D-Traders.


----------
CHAPTER 34. The Universal Cycle of Karma

The cycle of life and death, the closed path which all desire to leave.  For
that is the way to Evolution...

The commanders pow-wow about the team's returning memories; evidently, the
effect is spreading throughout the whole Earth.  Traia for instance has
achieved total recall and is back to work researching Dimensional Science.
It's still a lot to take in, that Eternity Flat is actually on the horizon, and
that someone is capable of not only controlling minds on a global scale, but
also interfering with the special abilities of Z-BLUE's members.

In point of fact, "absolute time" is already running 2% slower than normal,
as hinted at by abnormalities in the expected global birth rate.  That 2% isn't
tangible to the unaided human yet, but in another month or so it will be.  And
by the third month... it's GEIMU OOBAA unless someone goes and saves the day.
And lest someone (Otto for instance) think it's all totally impossible, Bright
recounts a tale of a girl he knew whose internal progress was in total stasis.

A Sphere is believed to be responsible, and thanks to that girl's positive
attitude she was able ultimately to free herself from that state... with help
from Dimensional Energy.  Tessa observes that the Eternity Flat phenomenon
seems to be accompanied by a stabilizing of the dimensional barriers around the
world, thereby deepening its isolation.  An artificially-caused Quake might
reset the doomsday clock, but there's no known way to cause such an event, and
little hope of developing it in the remaining three months.  Therefore, the
only hope is to pry info out of the mysterious Geminis, or the even more
mysterious Chrono.

Roger offers up the pamphlet from his jacket pocket: "Escape from the 12,000
Year Cycle" by Gordon Rosewater.  Gordon's the same mysterious dude who wrote
"Metropolis", the historical fantasy novel that turns out to be full of real
life prophecies -- a sort of Akashic Record that sounds very much like the book
Kaji says NERV has.  In any case, it's all about this Dimension Energy and
figuring out how to harness it.  Otherwise, mankind faces the prospect of
horrors like children growing up mentally while trapped in grade school bodies
forever.

Kodama (who woke up while we weren't watching) seems a bit skeptical that
Spheres hold the key to all this, but in fact the longtime Z-BLUE folks have
actually had no fewer than three of Sphere-bearing mecha on the squad in the
past.  The Maiden of Sorrows, the Wounded Lion, and the Swaying Scales have all
been around at some point, but with the team's collective memories doctored,
it's best to assume all three of those mecha and their associated Sphere
Reactor pilots are out of reach.  The team has also fought the False Black
Sheep and the Inexhaustible Water-Bearer... leaving seven Constellations
unaccounted for (although the team feel like they should remember at least
one or two more of them).  Recall also that Dimension Power waxes and wanes
depending on where one accesses it from, and that the Earth is an especially
advantageous spot (leading to numerous alien invasions).

Something is DEFINITELY up with Suzune, which makes it all the more ominous
that Amuro and Camille seem certain that the Geneon must have a Sphere of its
own to account for its special abilities.  It's almost too much to hope for,
and if true would put Kodama and Suzune in line for more of the tragedy that
seems to dog all the Sphere Reactors...

What awaits at the designated point in space?  Well, it seems to be the
aftermath of a Quake, including a large mass of ice with something metallic
inside.  With a little friendly banter to the female command staff, Ryouma
goes and fetches the thing -- and not a moment too soon, given another Quake
is in the offing.  Come to find out Ghoula is interested in the icy mass too,
though he won't stay around to fight the team for it.  Instead, from the Quake
emerge a herd of Invaders -- and if Advent's people were able to _predict_
their arrival, it means they're helluva powerful indeed.  Best not to let
the Invaders get anywhere near the Earth...

 Something about all this is driving Ryouma to go increasingly nutso on the
 bad guys.  This comes to a head when a new, monstrous Invader appears -- it's
 as though the Getter Rays are warming him from within, just like Aoi and
 friends.  I guess he was planning on destroying it from the inside out, but
 we get a momentary diversion into the Getter Dimension (yeah, there's one of
 those) where his self instructs him to wake his ass up.  Back in the real
 world, Ryouma gets a bit of support fire from Kitan and Youko... and the rest
 of the Getter Team, whose arrival Ryouma somehow senses on instinct.

If the Invaders want to Invade, they'd better prepare to face the full wrath of
Shin Getter Robo, unsealed especially for the occasion.  Meanwhile we get
introductions for Kitan and Youko (who Kitan is carrying a torch for, as Kurtz
recognizes right away).  Rossieu is busy with preparations to fight enemies
from outer space, including refurbishing Shin Getter Dragon, and he's sent
Kitan with a message for Simon from Lowgenome.  The Baals are coming, and not
just Invaders like the team fought today.  Mankind might just die out entirely
before Eternal Flat at this rate...

By the way: that big ice cube thingy?  It had a robot inside, with a woman at
the controls.

Tessa briefs Gendou (who's never heard of "Metropolis") about the Eternity
Flat mess.  As NERV has no immediate means to help combat it, they'll defer to
the Federation regarding it.  After Tessa hangs up, Gendou reckons that the
Eternity Flat business was just an excuse to ask about Metropolis.  Presumably
Mithril has some idea of the existence of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and are busily
snooping around NERV just as NERV snoops around them.  That Tessa seems
genuinely interested in keeping the peace reminds Fuyutsuki of Shinji's school
club -- to which Gendou makes no reply.  He specifically isn't worried about
a few pesky Invaders or the impending stoppage of time: this world's been
doing that dance for the last 120 million years (give or take).  It's high time
that they end this Myth.

What about Black Getter, by the way?  AG at first plans to scrap it, but Karen
and Roger persuade him that black things shouldn't be thrown away, because...
they're cool.  AG instead modifies it so that all three Getter pilots can use
it, counting on Karen and Roger to mind the store in the meantime.


----------
CHAPTER 35. Catastrophe Strikes

Remember that 2% absolute time slowdown number?  Turns out that's kind of the
median score.  Certain areas, which Traia and her staff are busily
investigating, are slowed down by over 50% already, and if they're not careful
the researchers could suffer the same fate by overstaying their welcome.  Ah,
but not to worry, quoth Gadlight (who shows up unannounced) -- everyone's
gonna end up like this in three months.  Oh, and nothing even Traia can do will
change that, so no need to like, bump her off or anything.  If there's one
thing Traia hates more than intractable science problems, it's people other
than her asserting what science problems she can't solve.  Gadlight will pay
for the sleight, oh yes... but not just yet.

Meanwhile, something shocking has happened in space.  NOT ONLY has Kodama
picked up on his partner's occasional bouts of uncharacteristic frankness (if
that's the word; she went and got roaring drunk the night before as an
example), he actually CONSULTED THE TEAM about it.  This never happens.  In
fact, it SO never happens that the other pilots are at something of a loss as
to what's going on.  Maybe it's stress?  If so, Basara's prescription is some
good old-fashioned rock'n'roll, and Schlede at least is all in for that.  Fact
of the matter is, whatever change has come over Suzune may not be anything to
fret about _if_ accepted at face value.  In short: Suzune may be simply
shedding the pretense of being a respectable teacher of kids, and returning to
her natural born self.

Despite all the missions past and enemies vanquished, Kodama has to admit that
he basically knows nothing about Suzune the _person_.  Gamlin interjects
smoothly at this point, getting Basara to shut up long enough to explain to
Kodama the results of their investigation into that ice-encased robot.  Which,
by the way, is fully 200 meters long!  Indications are that it suffered one
hell of a battle before being frozen, and its pilot (some 17 or 18 years old)
is still unconscious.  Z-BLUE will be returning to Earth to report about the
Invaders, and hopefully get her the medical care needed to awaken her.

Kaname's Whispered abilities are starting to chew on the problem of Eternity
Flat, and its apparent cause from all these Quakes.  She might have the germ of
a solution, but needs more information about the precise spot to instigate it.
All of this is subconscious of course.  A more immediate problem surfaces: the
Neo Jion, who seem intent on preventing Z-BLUE from returning to Earth.  Rezun
does NOT heed Jeffrey's claim that they're not looking for a fight, and thus
we get a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Kodama does NOT immediately sortie, ordered to stand by in the hopes that it
will reduce the stress on Suzune.  Who, again uncharacteristically, sounds
bored by this.  Meanwhile, the frigging Neo Jion forces seem to not understand
that this is hardly the time for mankind to be fighting itself -- maybe due to
the lack of a public announcement about Eternity Flat (which to be sure, would
cause a huge panic).

 A Federation force shows up, but Jeffrey doesn't want their assistance lest
 it provoke further war with Neo Jion.  He radios to them to stand down, but
 rather than do so, they open fire on Z-BLUE.  Dollars to donuts Gadlight is
 behind this, and that means he must be nearby.  Time to take out the Fed
 forces too then, though clearly the team needs to be careful not to kill the
 pilots.

 Warmongering seldom pays, but it's REALLY true this battle.  A second wave
 turns up after the first one gets eviscerated, but Zero and Suzaku put a
 hasty stop to them.  Yep, Zero's back on the scene and ready to lead the
 Earth to victory... and his dogged pursuit of the Geminis has born a wide
 variety of fruit.  For instance, he trivially uncovers Annalotta's hiding
 place, thereby giving her the opportunity to SERIOUSLY put her foot in her
 mouth.

 Which she does: "all" she's done, she claims, is make humans fight each
 other and thereby "slightly" hasten the inevitable.  As though that's going
 to make anyone go "Oh, duh, my bad!".  Kodama is as pissed off as anyone,
 and alas he won't be able to let Suzune rest this time.  Not that she's in
 that restful a mood, telling Kodama and friends that Annalotta isn't the
 type of woman to be reasoned with.  Better to break every bone in her body
 for STARTERS.

 The Geneon seems to like this a lot, and AG radios in to tell Kodama that
 the Geneon has just blown past its power limiters.  Geneon G.A.I. mode is now
 freely usable, but only for one turn.  Better make the best of it!

 Piece of cake: Annalotta is weak sauce compared to a fully aroused Kodama
 and Suzune.  On the other hand, Gadlight is still mightier yet, in a mech
 that resembles the Geneon in every detail.  Is this why he's been berating
 Kodama as an "Imitation" all this time?  Yep: say hello to the pinnacle of
 Geminis science: the Geminia!  Oh, and Gadlight himself?  None other than the
 Sphere Reactor for the "Quarreling Twins" Sphere.

 That his beloved mech is nothing but a knock-off version of an entire
 planet's signature mech comes as very bad news to Kodama, and Gadlight seems
 poised to punish both him and the whole team.  He orders a reluctant
 Annalotta to go home, declaring that there's no way the Earthlings could
 beat him in a fair fight... if anything, they should feel GLAD he was toying
 with them for this long.

 In fact, he gives Z-BLUE one turn to try to defeat him.  This is a practical
 impossibility the first play-through at least, though his claim that he's
 "stronger than all of Z-BLUE put together" is in fact bullshit.  Basically,
 he's just got too much armor, though the game designers have put his ass
 tantalizingly within reach (40k HP left after one ally turn, with admittedly
 non optimal positioning).

 The fact is that relative to the team, this dude is even more dangerous than
 Yuusar.  But before he gets to demonstrate it too much, a bunch of new
 foes gate in -- foes that Zero recognizes.  They are the Incarnations of
 Endless Destruction, which sounds kind of overblown until you remember just
 what level of power he touched in the Room of Twilight when he wielded the
 Sword of Akasha.

 Gadlight is profoundly unhelpful when he terms these Baals "Space Monsters"
 with a capital S and M.  Gee, kind of suggestive, that.  Even Ryouma's
 finely-tuned instincts know these are BAD NOOZ, and when Gadlight takes his
 toys and goes home, the only thing left to do is fight it out.  This goes
 smoothly if slowly, and as such has everyone nervous.  That is, until Noriko
 and Gunbuster (how many other 200m robots do you know in this series??) thaw
 out and hit the scene.  Noriko is sans "elder sister" figure, and her mech
 has seen better days, but it's still better to fight than just let the
 Earth suffer.

No sooner do Z-BLUE defeat the bad guys than the Feds show up, under the
command of Saigas.  He demands two things: data on the Space Monsters, and the
immediate surrender of Noriko and her mech.  Jeffrey will send the data via
Lady Une as usual, but insofar as Saigas has no interest in hearing Noriko's
opinions, Jeffrey has no interest in listening to him.  Saigas accuses Jeffrey
of staging a military buildup, and Jeffrey counters that he's looking after a
_person_, not a weapon.  In fact, by even trying to insist on force, Saigas
has just cost himself any credibility he might have had in Noriko's eyes.

The most insane part of this all is not that Saigas seems to have had advance
notice of the Space Monsters' arrival.  Rather, it's that Noriko has actually
fought them before -- and HAD assumed they were all dead.  That being a
_looong_ time ago.

Zero explains that he and Suzaku have been busily investigating the Geminis...
at Char's request!  As Amuro surmises, Zero originally went to Neo Jion to try
and figure out what Char is really up to.  At the least, he can assure Amuro
that Char is _entirely_ determined to carry out his duties as Neo Jion's
commander.  Zero was unable to sway that resolve, so he and Suzaku will be
forced to fight alongside Z-BLUE should Char continue on this warlike path.

The good news is that Noriko will be joining the team too.  It _appears_
she's from another world, ejected here from the black hole caused by the
destruction of the center of the galaxy.  Hopefully the data in her mech, made
as it was specifically to fight the Space Monsters (aka the STMC, if you
recall waaay back when), will help in this Earth's defense -- especially since
it's not clear whether today's Space Monsters are survivors from her world or
were spawned in this one.

Kodama actually seems to have bounced back (mostly) from having his mech
outed as a generic version of the main bad guys'.  He knows that this is no
longer just his fight, and with friends like Noriko at his side, there's still
a chance of VWIKTORII yet.

One more shocking fact before we go to intermission though.  Zero's research
into Geminis' collaborators has turned up a number of affiliates.  Amalgam is
one of them, but another -- about which they know only the name -- is Chrono.
That's especially troubling to Kodama, who didn't think Advent was lying to
him.  Well, with no proof one way or the other, the team will just have to be
patient for now.  AG himself has little idea of what's going on with the
Geneon, but since it's the only mech Kodama's got he, Kodama and Suzune will
have to make due...


------------
[Route split]

The war with neo Jion is stalemated.  So, it seems, is the quarrel between
Saigas (and his Earth-first hawks) and the cooler heads in the Federation.
Lady Une already knows that Chrono is backing Saigas, and that they're somehow
in league with the Geminis.  Saigas shouts on his way out that opposing the
guardians of human evolution is race treason, and all Lady Une can do at this
point is send Z-BLUE on another errand...

Chrono is a very well-compartmentalized organization, and those people Zero
managed to lay hands on are like three or more tiers away from anyone who
really knows what's going on.  Not only do they have their fingers in many
pies, they've also got the wherewithal to keep their activities secret even
from the likes of Mithril.  It's a point of pride for Zero that he extracted
his information without resorting to his Geass, though the result is that
it took longer than it could have and delayed his rejoining Z-BLUE.

Chrono has already arranged for the deaths of all the people that Zero
collared, and it suddenly occurs to Zero: why would an organization willing
to go to such lengths seemingly _allow_ him to learn their name?  And why does
Advent seem to be _against_ the Geminis?  Is it some kind of trap?

And then there's Amalgam, a combination of a secret mercenary force and a
weapons merchant syndicate that undoubtedly has at least one Whispered among
its ranks.  In fact, their very choice of name (Amalgam, as in adulterated
silver) is a direct and deliberate counterblast to Mithril (truesilver),
suggesting that whoever's in charge knew about Mithril all along.  And let's
not forget that Amalgam has ties to Martial and their war god worship.  To
follow all those leads, Z-BLUE will split into three.

 To head to space and a showdown with Neo Jion, go to 36S.
 To stay in Japan and maybe catch up on some of that schooling, go to 36J.
 To stay with Mithril, go to 36M.

Char learns that Zero and Suzaku have joined Z-BLUE, making noises like he
thinks they might be in the right.  At the very least, they -- like everybody
else -- are entitled to judge right and wrong for themselves, and that sounds
to Wufei like he needs to pull up stakes himself.  He's not sure where he's
going yet, but he does thank Char for helping him see where to look next.
Char meanwhile seems himself as a tragic figure, legacy to the heritage of
Elgan Roddick and the like.


-----------
CHAPTER 36S. The Chorus of Life

Traia seems more than happy to tell Char everything she knows about Eternity
Flat.  She may care little for the Surface/Neo Jion war, but she's all in favor
of minimizing distractions from what's really important.  She knows as well
as anyone that Char isn't going to abort his campaign just because, I dunno,
THE END IS NIGH or whatnot... but let no one say she's not done her due
diligence.  And that's enough that, were a Certain Someone in this world,
Char might actually have sized with Z-BLUE.

As it is, he's down with a dude named Full Frontal and out to terrorize nice
law-abiding folk like your team.  They've been briefed on what info the
Federation president has shared with Char, and if _that_ won't stop him,
little else stands a chance.  At least there's Sheryl and Ranka around to keep
spirits up (never mind that Sazanka doesn't need the help, so long as there's
potential yaoi relationships among the pilots to ponder...  Yeah, like Char
and Amuro.  Word.)

Need some other kind of excitement?  Check out Kagura, who somehow snuck aboard
a shuttle and ultimately made his way onto the Quarter... where he's taken
Mikono hostage.  Mikono can't really fathom what she's done to earn his ire,
but interestingly he can't seem to bring himself to simply do her in.  Is this
because of his Reversal power, which could reverse even his own intentions as
he gets excited?

Before Kagura can make off with his "Sylphie", the rock stars kick in with a
little serenade to "welcome" the dude who's come so far to see the woman he's
obsessed with.  It seems Kagura can't contain himself when the music is
pumping him up, and the team handily rescue Mikono.  Amata then soundly decks
Kagura in the face, and the other pilots start to realize that Kagura doesn't
actually hate Mikono at all (despite what he says)... he's actually in love
with her.

This love battle will have to be settled outside due to a bunch of Altair
reinforcements attacking.  Basara will act as Amata's personal soundtrack for
the romantic faceoff.  Only fair then that Mikage calls up some Vajra to assist
Kagura, though what he does next is rather _unfair_.  He shows Zessica, who's
been thinking a lot about love lately, a vision of the distant past in which
Mikono and Kagura appear to be Bound By Fate(tm).

 Basara is all about egging Kagura on, even though that makes him much harder
 to get rid of.  Zessica is all emo and depressed at the thought that Mikono
 is somehow destined for Kagura, but that raises the interesting question: is
 Fate absolute?  Fudou has a very interesting proverb for just such an
 occasion.  Water cannot flow from low to high, but by the mingling of waters
 in an ocean, the distinction between low and high becomes meaningless.  Amata
 need not fear the past, not after his little buried-underground episode.
 It's time to reclaim his wings!

 And, like, for Zessica to finally confess her love for Amata.  Kinda awkward
 timing given that Kagura is coming.... or maybe it's perfect timing, as
 Aquarion acts on its own and delivers a Superdimensional Infinite Punch of
 LOVE!!  In that instant, the pilots glimpse the true, Mythical form of
 Aquarion -- the fruit of their forbidden romance finally kicking into full
 gear.  They've still got to concentrate to win this battle, but that doesn't
 seem too hard at this point.

Story timez!  Once upon a time -- the first day of the world in fact -- there
were these dudes who dwelt among the stars, ruling them from between the great
Tree of Life.  As they fought as two factions, the Wings of the Sun awakened as
Tree of Life flowered, though it bore no fruit and its flowers withered, saved
only by the mingling of Waters.  12 thousand years later, that being 24
thousand years ago, the Wings of the Sun once again sacrificed itself to save
the world from tragedy.  But the bad guys (of whom Mikage is apparently one)
haven't given up yet, even after 120 MEEELYUN years.  Mikage thinks it's time
for "I and I" to have vengeance at last, all aroun'.

Good news for the singers: maybe the Vajra haven't _forgotten_ their songs
from before.  Maybe these are simply from a different herd of Vajra that
hasn't yet gotten the memo... in which case, prolonged singing might yet
avail!  At least, that's Luka's working theory, and there's no reason not to
try to prove it with more data.  And in the same vein, wouldn't it be</pre><pre id="faqspan-9">
deliciously ironic to use those damn Altairans' pan-dimensional technology to
bust out of the whole Time Dungeon thing?

That will require ongoing warfare, but uh, that's why the game's only
half over.  Speaking of which, the Neo Jion have sent a large force to
Fifth Luna, a mining asteroid that sounds like a tempting prize to help fund
the war effort.  The Neo Jion flagship itself is among the assailants...


-----------
CHAPTER 36J. Off-the-Field Worries

Just how long has it been since the team has had a normal stay in Japan anyway?
Watta is massively behind on his homework, but Suzune isn't going to let him
get away with neglecting his studies forever... especially since Shotarou has
caught up on everything except his final book report.  And unless Watta wants
to see the "fierce" Suzune back, he'd better submit to her tutelage.  Since
Sousuke is off on a separate mission for Mithril (the timing being more than a
little odd), Kaname's got time enough on her hands to help Watta out with
science and math.

The 21st Century folks have some time to kill as well, and Ibuki decides to go
visit her family home... where it sounds like she's going to face a fight with
her father, who according to reports would rather she get married than risk
her life as a mecha pilot.  Come to find out that her father is the head of
a university medical department, and wouldn't you know it: the rest of the team
decide to try to stage an intervention.

This _has_ to go well.  Ibuki's dad hears Akagi and the others out, then
launches a verbal counter-offensive that makes the sound designers pull out the
combat music.  He lights into the pilots one by one, though in Shinji's case
it's actually a positive(!) example of parental concern that earns the
eminent physician a "thank you very much".  Kodama and Noriko get off lightly,
and before any sort of resolution arrives, Akagi gets a call about a monster
attack in Odaiba.

While Watta has been off getting yelled at, his crew has upgraded part of
Trider's armor, returning it to its originally-designed all-Galvanium skin.
Akagi apologizes to Ibuki for running off ahead to parlay with her dad, and she
doesn't seem to mind: he's actually very like her father in that regard.
But for now there's Brocken to deal with.

 Brocken gets a somewhat unwelcome assist from Duncan, here on orders from
 Ghoula and the Space Devil.  When Brocken tries to flex, Akagi and friends
 *punch* him in midair, leaping prodigiously dude to "guts" or whatever.  It
 gives Ibuki's dad enough time to lead a hasty evacuation of some random
 kids in town.

 This battle has a rather peculiar Skill Point condition: Takeo General
 Company has to raise enough money during the battle to pay for all that
 new armor plating.  That is, you actually have to get Watta kills for a
 change.

Brocken gets unceremoniously demolished, and after all the dust settles it
turns out that the fateful phone call Ibuki had with her did, which started all
the hub-bub, was some mundane family disagreement.  Her father has been proud
of his daughter's service on mankind's behalf for years, so Akagi and co
totally needn't have worried.  If any good came out of it, it's that Shinji
now has another person he's proud to call (surrogate) "dad".  And if there's
any mystery, it's how precisely Ibuki's dad is so well informed about all
the members of Ibuki's squadron -- it's not something she exactly broadcast in
her calls home...  That they answer in short order: Kojirou is one of the good
doctor's patients, and has been filling him in on Ibuki's exploits.  AND, as
a drinking buddy, is tied up with the doctor for a pub crawl tonight.  Thus,
Ibuki's determination to not go to an arranged meeting with a potential
husband (that's what the phone call was really about) will likely go unnoticed.
All the same, as she tells AG, she'd rather go and simply tell the guy no than
let any unpleasantness linger.


-----------
CHATPER 36M. The Winds of Home

Here we get to actually see Sousuke and Kaname temporarily part ways.  Sousuke
gives her a little something to remember him by -- his way of protecting her
from afar.  It's a beautiful, handmade earring that's also a very powerful
bomb.  He's been rising in cluefulness slowly but steadily, so he recognizes
that Kaname isn't precisely thrilled with such a present, but Kaname for her
part has also matured enough to take the gift in the spirit it was intended,
and not quarrel right before he leaves.  Watching this, Tessa can do little
but get frustrated... though since Sousuke will be with her detachment for
a while she may yet have a chance to make up ground (as it were).

Tessa actually comes over to the knot of chatting pilots and in tones she only
uses during battle, tells Sousuke to come chat with her privately in a room
Sumeragi's specially set aside for the purpose.  It seems he's got orders
straight from Joint Strategic HQ to not only stop guarding Kaname, but to
specifically have no contact with her.  Shocked, he demands to know if he's
committed some sort of an error, and Tessa will only tell him that it's his job
to concentrate on piloting the ARX-7 with its all-important Lambda Driver.  An
Intelligence Branch agent code-named "Wraith" will be watching out for Kaname
in the meantime.

This "Wraith" character has supposedly already been looking out for Kaname from
the shadows for a while, so in theory there should be little discontinuity.  On
the other hand, the fact that Kaname has faced mortal peril more than once
would suggest that Wraith hasn't been doing a very good job.  On the third
hand, HQ's decisions are absolute.  Sousuke asks if this is an order, and after
a long moment Tessa snaps and yells that Yes, it is an order!  Near tears, she
yells that earning Sousuke's ire, and splitting him and Kaname up, is the last
thing she wants to do... but she's got to think of the safety of her
subordinates, and the danger their enemies pose.  What if one, or more, of them
die next time!  And why won't Sousuke be honest enough with himself to tell
Tessa straight up not to get between him and Kaname?!

Sad though that would be, it would also in a way be easier.  Face downcast,
she murmurs that she hates him, especially when -- as just now -- he tries to
apologize.  With nothing more to say, she tells him she's dismissed.

Tielia rejoins the team and immediately gets busy briefing them about Amalgam.
Tessa is in no shape for it, so Zero will be chairing.  They've been able to
piece together that Amalgam is about to test a new Lambda-equipped mech in one
of the "-Stan"s.  Zero has the team ready to move in to investigate and if
possible destroy the thing, leaning in part on an old friend of his from the
area.  Sadly Tielia won't be able to sortie in the Gundam that brought him,
as it's still being calibrated.  Oh, and one other detail: among the Amalgam
forces will be... Wufei.

The team reach the arena, anticipating Amalgam launching an attack against
the self-defense forces of a village a little distance away.  Sousuke is a bit
distracted, so Hiiro will be the one to lead the group... after all, he once
trained in this region back when he was first becoming an Agent.  His mission
then was guarding the charismatic Tiger of these parts, a man named Majid that
as fate would have it, was once one of Setsuna's assassination targets.  In
fact, Sousuke too was once affiliated with a rival military junta in the
region, and the fact that they may have once been shooting at each other
doesn't exactly make the three of them more communicative now.

Well, not so fast.  Setsuna has evolved quite a bit since his days as murderous
cannon fodder, and Hiiro certainly has been through a lot.  Sousuke is
certainly trying to change, though to change you have to know where you started
from.  He isn't sure where he was born, but this Tiger guy was charismatic
enough that he convinced Sousuke to switch factions and join his group, giving
him the name "Kasshim" and a place to call home... as well as the training
necessary to stay alive.

It should be pointed out that the team are being awfully talkative for a bunch
of doods on a recon mission.  Wufei comes out of the bushes to do the pointing-
out, blaming his siding with Amalgam on the CB's siding with Mithril.  This
is tenuous logic at best, even as an impromptu declaration of war, and Wufei
as much as admits that he's ceded all responsibility for dealing with Eternity
Flat to Char while he goes off and sheds blood.

The commanders quickly start to suspect that the team were deliberately
lured to this -Stan as a grand-scale trap -- more evidence of Amalgam's
power?  The help Zero was hoping for hasn't made it in time for the beginning
of hostilities, and with every likelihood that the bad guys have reserves
lurking somewhere, Zero reminds all the pilots to watch their back.  Sousuke
says in words that he's ready to put his mech to good use, but it doesn't sound
like his heart is much in it.  Kiriko meanwhile spies more of the Martial
forces arrayed against him... gotta wonder how Fiana is doing.

 Reinforcements arrive on cue, led by Seina -- who you might remember as an
 able merc commander from the days of yore.  Evidently her version of Justice
 is to faithfully fulfill whatever military contracts come her way,
 impartially.  That willful ignorance is going to get her killed, but at least
 she shows a certain measure of personal peace -- if all you can do is kill
 people, do so with PRIDE.

 This does put the lie to the Wufei's idea that today's combatants are all
 miserable... with the possible exception of Sousuke.  Wufei somehow knows
 that Sousuke's hesitance must be due to him feeling bound by his orders
 instead of acting according to his heart -- and that's not good news
 considering a couple of twin assassins have been sent to specifically get
 the guy.  It might be giving Wufei too much credit that he's discerned this
 all on his own, but whoever￾fs in command clearly knows psychology AND has a
 good grasp of the local terrain.

 Maybe Tielia can help even the odds?  His new mech is called the Rafael, and
 though it lacks a Solar Reactor, Tielia's confident in its combat prowess.
 And indeed, the Jewel sisters get rebuffed in short order, though that just
 brings more bad guys to the scene.  Tielia tries to head off on his own in a
 bid to distract the enemy forces, which at long last lures the enemy
 commander out of hiding.

 Tielia (barely) survives the first volley of Syeed's Gatling Cannon, but
 the next round will be fatal.  Fortunately, a couple of long-awaited folks
 turn up at precisely this moment, just in time for Sumeragi to launch their
 Gundam.  Allelujah and Mary hastily climb aboard, and manage to buy Tielia
 enough time to withdraw to a safe distance.

 Sousuke, it turns out, knows Syeed very well: he is none other than Sousuke's
 original combat instructor from the days of yore.  Sousuke demands to know
 what Syeed's doing working for Amalgam, and Syeed replies that he's seen far
 too many people die like dogs for the sake of some shitty ideals or
 whatnot.  He wants to be the victor for a change.  Treize certainly wouldn't
 have approved, but unfortunately Sousuke can't just go over and cream his
 former teacher with the Lambda Driver -- it won't work with him in such a
 confused state of mind.

 Seina, it turns out, has fought long and hard to see Zero again.  The fact
 that he clearly remembers her is all the memorial she wants, and fully
 expects to join her brother Takuma shortly in the afterlife in short order.
 Zero demolishes her mech with one well-placed strike, sparing her life and
 allowing her to depart the battle for... wherever she intends to go.  Karen
 can only hope to meet her once more under happier circumstances.

 When Wufei gets his ass kicked, Sousuke rushes over and demands to know why
 Wufei's fighting against Z-BLUE.  Wufei yells back that he'll answer _if_
 Sousuke can explain why he himself is in battle.  ...And then answers anyway
 when Sousuke can't: he's fighting to save sack-sack warriors like Sousuke who
 _need_ a reason to fight.  Not precisely what Sousuke wanted to hear.

 Turns out that Syeed survived the attack on Gaulun -- and not just survived,
 but became Gaulun's subordinate.  He sees in Sousuke the same impulsiveness
 he had as a child, despite his aptitude for the knowledge part of mercenary
 life.  To think that Gaulun was laid (temporarily) low by such a kid as
 this!  The least he can do is put Sousuke out of anyone's further misery.

 How's that working out?  Not so well for Syeed, who Sousuke pursues in a
 seemingly rash display of wasted bullets.  But in fact Sousuke remembered
 Syeed's lessons well -- that in close-in combat, those using their mecha-
 sized knives have the upper hand.

After what feels like a Pyrrhic victory for Sousuke, the team beats a hasty
retreat lest anything else go wrong.  Watching from the sidelines are certain
nefarious folks, one of whom is disappointed not to see the Lambda Driver in
action but plenty turned on (both his brain and his "southern hemisphere" area)
at some of the other mecha he's seen.  Said man's companion will head to Japan
to "comfort" a princess who's lost her knight.  After all, fighting Teresa in
her still-immature state would be no fun...

After getting out of earshot of the others, Wufei goes and has a little pity
party about how everyone's found meaning in their life except him.  Ahh, but
maybe Xingke (remember him?) can help...

It's now clear that Amalgam is FAR more dangerous, and prescient, than anyone
had realized.  Tessa knows the feeling of facing an unbeatable foe well... ever
since childhood, in fact.  Wait, could it be that the Amalgam's Whispered is...
someone they'll keep us in suspense about until later?!

Sousuke's not in the best of shape after having to kill a dear childhood friend
on top of his other worries, and Karen wants to contact Kaname to get Sousuke
some help.  Kodama implores her not to intervene and to trust Sousuke to figure
things out, and it's only with the greatest reluctance that she agrees.  Kaname
for her part can't reach Sousuke's cel for some reason, though her friends
convince her that that's nothing out of the ordinary.


-----------
CHAPTER 37S. The Battle For Fifth Luna

It's a race against time to see if Full Frontal can occupy Fifth Luna or
whether Z-BLUE can make it there in time to stop him.  Char sounds a bit
worried, and says he's prepared to sortie himself if need be.  After Full
assures him that won't be necessary and hangs up, Hamarn points out that this
operation is going to result in a series breach of treaty, with rather
negative consequences after the war.  Assuming there _is_ an after-the-war,
of course.  In part, Char wants to see if a massive discharge of energy can
have any influence on the spacetime walls that are closing in around them all;
in essence, to recreate what happened at Unius 7.  Not that he expects to get
a free hand in trying, but oh well.  With Full in charge and Char cooling his
heels in the command center, Hamarn goes off on some errand of her own...

Amuro knows Char has to be stopped, but he's less certain of whether it needs
to be _permanent_.  In fact Amuro would rather first figure out what Char is
really up to, and that's motivation enough to take the field in the next
battle.  Camille and the other Gundam pilots intend to give him every chance
to find out, if they can actually get Char onto the field.

 Once you shoot down one of Char's lieutenants, Char himself appears.  His
 plan is to force human evolution, in a big hurry, by dropping Fifth Luna on
 the Earth!  He invites Z-BLUE to join him and sweep away the old world
 order, i.e. all those who still find the Earth worth living on.

 Surely this isn't the legacy that Treize entrusted to Char, is it?  Amuro
 counters with an offer of his own: Char should come with Z-BLUE instead.  As
 though sensing Char's resolve wavering, Full Frontal takes a potshot at
 Amuro -- who can no longer ignore the fact that he's been piloting the
 disposable Gundam all this time.  His friends cover his retreat long enough
 to hop aboard the nu-Gundam, which Beltorchika conveniently delivered to
 the battle.

 Char as much as wanted Amuro to pilot the thing, and likely stop him using
 it.  Via the Psychoframe, Amuro's rage, sorrow, confusion, and most of all
 resolve comes through clearly to the other Newtypes.

 Char must be having a really off day, since his proclamation that the Sazabi
 will let him fight equally with the nu-Gundam causes Amuro to remind Char
 that he himself said that differences in mecha aren't what decides battles.
 Does that mean, Char retorts, that it's down to differences in Newtype
 ability?  Not that either, insofar as Newtypes aren't "about" warfare.

All these high-falutin words from Char are merely an attempt to hide his own
hesitation, and it costs him dearly.  But just then Hamarn springs her part
of the plan, physically ramming the Ner Argama and leading troops inside.  She
tracks down Audrey via Newtype sense, but when Audrey hesitates to return
with her, Hamarn unexpectedly orders a retreat: enough that she confirmed
Audrey is here.  Seeing that Hamarn's objective is met (too), Char orders a
general retreat from Fifth Luna.  Amuro reckons that Char's resolve was the
real deal... but for some reason he harbored doubts about this mission in
particular.  What is it that's got Char in such a rush?

Saigas shows up as on the other path and tries to order Z-BLUE under his
command.  Bright tells him to get bent and orders his own troops back aboard
their ships so they can pursue Char.

Who the heck managed to pry the nu-Gundam loose from Anaheim?  It might have
been Char, but if not him, then it's _someone_ powerful and who isn't worried
about giving the Newtypes a little more ammunition.  Beltorchika will be busy
trying to figure out who did what, especially with the Zeta business also on
the table.  She does point out that there are plenty within the Federation who
aren't pleased with Newtypes to begin with, and offers to join him in person.
He thanks her but tells her to concentrate on her own part of the battle, and
with a smirk she warns him not to let Chain get too friendly with him.  Gotta
expect that Amuro's significant other would be at least a _bit_ jealous of
another woman spending time with him.  Chain clearly cares for Amuro a lot
too, and once again there seems to be polyamory-at-a-distance afoot.

Now's not a time for romance though, but for introspection.  Amuro's got a
somewhat better idea of what Char's thinking now, but just that won't be enough
to avoid more warfare, especially after Amuro called Char a swell-headed
intellectual dilettante.  It's still a mystery what Char's ultimate goal is,
but Amuro knows well Char's bad habit of taking too much upon himself.  Insofar
as Char hasn't articulated himself well to the common people in his army, it's
going to be yet another upper-class-led revolution unless someone puts a stop
to it.  If Amuro didn't know better, he might suspect that Char deliberately
showed himself today _just_ to harden Z-BLUE's resolve against him.  For now,
Amuro will go "play" adult and try to calm the fears of the other pilots at
the thought of the (temporarily averted) colony drop.

Char instructs his kagemusha that they shouldn't overcommit to the colony
drop, which has nearly as many demerits as virtues.  Hamarn's apparent failure
to reclaim the princess can also be seen as a success at keeping said princess
out of the hands of nefarious forces within Neo Jion itself.  So long as her
true identity remains hidden, Z-BLUE makes a surprisingly safe hideout.  He
swears Full to secrecy about Eternity Flat, which Full admits to having found
out via his own intelligence channels.  Hearing Full vow to settle accounts
with Amuro on Char's behalf is a strange feeling to say the least...  Char
orders up a full report on Full (in secret), and suddenly finds himself once
again confronted with a strange and terrifying vision: all of the universe
illuminated.  What does it meeeeean?

Despite having their shipped rammed into, AG for one is super enthused about
having seen Hamarn in the flesh.  Takuya agrees with AG that she's quite the
looker, but the whole Iron Lady thing is more than a little intimidating.
Sad face from Audrey at that: she knows that Hamarn is trusting her to do what
she thinks best...  But like AG himself, the only way is _forward_.


-----------
CHAPTER 37J. Ghoula's Wish

Shotarou manages to visit home... on the very last day of summer vacation.  No
sense in worrying Macky's pretty little head over such trivial issues as alien
invasions and Eternity Flat, but worries come unbidden anyway in the form of
Ghoula, who basically walks in the front door.  Shotarou thinks fast and
decides _not_ to go all DEFCON-1 on his ass, deciding instead to take him on a
fun trip to the beach.  After all: given how long Ghoula's been asleep, maybe
the guy just needs a little education in something other than galactic-scale
mayhem.  Now, it's worth noting that this "fun" trip involves picking up
trash with the Volunteer Club.

Ghoula is not, it should be noted, the universe's most accomplished trash
picker-upper, especially with the hot sun and whatnot.  It bothers him that
all this picking up (by humans) is occasioned by the beach getting trashed in
the first place (also by humans).  Matters improve when it's time for dinner
and Kouji and Johnny bust out their special recipes.  Kinue steals the show
with her signature dish, but even that doesn't impress Ghoula much: eating food
is about absorbing nutrition, nothing more, quoth he without tasting a bite.

That gives Ryouma an idea of something _might_ get Ghoula fired up: combat!
He's arranged a bit of a martial arts tourney, and the participants sure have
a blast.  Ghoula too is enjoying the show, but only on the theory that all
these mighty warriors will be bowing before him soon.  Hookay... how about a
swimsuit contest?

Nope, in the final analysis Ghoula is an asexual, cold-blooded bastard who
refuses to tell the Earthlings what this whole 12,000 year cycle is that's
about to come to such a momentous end.  Not to mention he inadvertently caused
the team to spend their last day of vacation on... miscellany.  It's fair to
say that Ghoula is cruising for a bruising unless someone can figure out a way
to actually get a smile out of the guy.

 Ghoula decides to take on the Earthlings in person, much to his dad's
 delight.  The Devil gates in a few giant Invaders to menace the town, and it
 looks like Shotarou's one-sided BFF-ship is about to come to an end.  But in
 a peculiar twist of logic, the team manages to convince Shotarou that he'll
 be _saving_ Ghoula by kicking his ass and stopping this fight.

That the Devil can gate Invaders right into the middle of Tokyo is revelatory
for the team.  That the team can do something about it seems revelatory to the
Devil as well, so he decides to summarily get rid of the Stigma-bearers.  By
creating a black hole next to Tokyo Tower.  That could like take out the whole
Earth and stuff, and it would too if not for Ghoula pleading with his dad to
leave the Earth intact long enough for him to conquer it.  Oh okay, fine.

Did Ghoula genuinely want to defeat Z-BLUE with his own hands, or is there
something else going on?  Whatever the case, you gotta figure out something to
do about Black Hole dude and his menagerie of space monsters.  Until you do,
folks like Ryouma are going to stay pissed at being left alive by the grace
of their condescending foe.  All Shotarou can hope for is that he figures out
a way to get through to Ghoula before he's forced to kill him.

One interesting thing about being left alive is that the team has gathered a
bit more data on the Devil in the process.  Shikishima is certain the Devil
uses Dimensional Energy as his power source, and while the Devil probably isn't
a Sphere Reactor, he may be something close.  And if it is really Dimensional
Energy he's drawing from whatever black hole he's inhabiting, the team could
fight back with Dimensional Energy of their own.  The plan therefore is to
lay hands on Gadlight and snag his Sphere.  Hell, it even might allow the team
a way to break out of the Time Dungeon.

Meanwhile, it seems Ghoula does actually see some beauty in the Earth... a
beauty only rivaled, in Robby's view, by the planet their people once called
home.  Err, before the Devil sucked it up into his gravity field and stuff.
Anyway had Ghoula not said what he did, it's doubtful if the Devil would have
ever considered him for his Successor again.  Ghoula knows he has to beat
Z-BLUE, "even if Shotarou is among them".  Robby is delighted at this agonized
indecision from Ghoula, as it fits into his own master plan.  Step 1: watch
Ghoula get himself killed.  Step 2: wait for the Devil to appear IN THE FLESH
on Earth.  Step 3: ???  Step 4: Profit, via a long-nurtured revenge plot...


-----------
CHAPTER 37M. What It Takes to Be a Warrior

Seeing that things are strained between Sousuke and Tessa, Sumeragi decides
to stage a little joint intervention.  Calling Sousuke aside, she passes along
Wraith's personal cel number, which Tessa ferreted out only with considerable
difficulty.  She tells Sousuke that it's up to him whether or not to actually
call it, and recommends that any words of thanks be directed to Tessa herself.

Meanwhile, Kaname is getting increasingly worried about what's become of
Sousuke... especially since it seems his safehouse has been vacated and
thoroughly sanitized.  As Kouji and co. profess no knowledge of what's going
on, she's starting to suspect some kind of conspiracy.  Wraith, is in fact
keeping an eye on her, and Sousuke does in fact call him up to ask if the guy
is acting as a "guard" or as a surveiller.  Wraith isn't thrilled that
Sousuke's got his number, and answer that of course he's here to keep Kaname
safely out of the hands of rival organizations.

Wraith explains _not_ intervening until now to keep Kaname safe with a litany
of case-by-case excuses, finally coming to the crucial point.  It's Kaname's
Whispered abilities _in_particular_ that he's supposed to keep safe, and as
long as adversaries are interested in that, he's not interested in them.  While
he supposes he'll keep Kaname (barely) alive, that's about all he'll do... and
for what it's worth, the mission is boring as hell now that Sousuke isn't
around to observe too.  The guy has had Sousuke in his sights several times
already, always intrigued to watch Sousuke's baked-in combat skills at work.
Having said that, Sousuke is a third-string operative and a bad facsimile of a
high school student.  Wraith basically tells Sousuke to shut up and leave the
maintenance of this Whispered to the professionals, since he seemingly doesn't
even have the guts to disobey orders and protect her himself.

Back to Allelujah and Mary, a perfect couple with a perfect pair of alternate
personalities they've seemingly made peace with over the course of traveling
the world.  It's become clear that the world needs them, and if there's any
place they can call home, perhaps Z-BLUE is it after all.  Tielia could say
the same.  With Amalgam surrounding them, it's Kurtz' view that at least the
team doesn't have to go out of their way to hide.  A little camping, a little
of Kodama's mountain-man cuisine, and a beautiful night sky -- what more could
one want?

An interesting question that Sousuke, more withdrawn than ever, seems unlikely
to answer aloud.  Zero probably wants to take off his mask right about now,
on account of all the tasty takoyaki, but like a litany of Bandai men before
(and currently) he feels honor-bound to fulfill his current role without
faltering.

Just to make things interesting, a Mithril first lieutenant named Cruzoe turns
up and deliberately provokes Kurtz by belittling Macallan as an incompetent and
a loser.  Kurtz does surprisingly well when he attacks the guy, which is to say
a punch that would instantly level most men levels him after a few second
delay.  Cruzoe sniffs that this is typical of the SRT losers, and through
gritted teeth Sousuke apologizes for Kurtz' misbehavior while simultaneously
asking for the insult to his own commander to be withdrawn.  Cruzoe asks what
happens if he says no, and accuses Sousuke of being a coward who uses other
people's orders as a shield for his own indecision.

Cruzoe then kicks off a "game", mock combat really, letting both Kurtz and
Sousuke come at him at once.  It turns out that he's Macallan's replacement,
and if you stop and think about it, the fact that he made it here through the
Amalgam blockade shows that he's fairly bad-ass already.  As the rest of the
team watch from the sidelines, Suzaku says that the outcome is already quite
clear... and if this keeps up, Sousuke is sure to die.

 Cruzoe seems bent on testing Kurtz' sniping and on critiquing Sousuke's
 piloting, which he says is "skillful" but not artistic.  Even initial gains
 against the guy don't amount to much, and without the ability to activate
 his Lambda Driver Sousuke doesn't, due to the game designers' whim, stand
 a chance.  Ian finally weighs in with a little engineering truth: a weapon
 (such as the Lambda Driver) that can't be counted upon in battle is kind of
 a really bad thing.  Of course, he knows he's a fine one to talk after
 concocting the crazy-ass Twin Drive that Setsuna used... and from a non-
 technical standpoint, the Arbalest seems a very _romantic_ machine.

 As in, it's a weapon not constrained by the formal rationale of warfare.
 And _that_ poses a problem for Sousuke, the consummate hidebound soldier who
 probably wants it to behave like a rational weapon far more than Ian and his
 engineering staff do.  Crusoe meanwhile orders Sousuke on his feet, vowing
 to force him to use the Lambda Driver.  ...Not that Sousuke can just do that
 at the drop of a hat, which disgusts Cruzoe even further.

 All this interpersonal horseshit gets interrupted by the arrival of Amalgam
 forces, who do _not_ get to watch the internecine battle they hoped for.
 At least Wufei and the A21 folks aren't on hand, but Trois cautions about
 the "abnormal" mech the Amalgam commander has.  Abnormal as in, AG-level
 abnormal.  Yow.  Even the Jewel sisters hate the guy, who seems to be
 poised between sexual harassment and outright insanity (he has impure
 intentions toward Suzune for instance, who he can somehow sense from across
 the battlefield).

 It turns out that the enemy commander, Gates, has a Lambda Driver at his
 disposal, and if not for Suzaku protecting Sousuke, Sousuke's ass would be
 grass.  As it is, Suzaku has one word of advice for Sousuke: "Live".  Where
 have we heard that before?  Oh yeah, a certain dude what with the Geass and
 whatnot.  Anyway, Gates finds it so hilarious that the fabled Knight of Zero
 would save Sousuke's ass that he actually goes off to laugh some more.

 Then a bunch of Martial folks show up, led by Titania.  Seemingly content
 with getting Kiriko to scowl at her, she abruptly leaves again, abandoning
 her troops to get splattered all over the forest.  Only Kiriko is at all
 happy about this, insofar as it means getting closer to Fiana; everyone else
 is rather nonplussed that Martial and Amalgam seem to have joined forces.

The Jewel sisters had a little plan of their own going, and after the battle
they took off rather than rejoining Gates' forces.  Gates is QUITE pissed off
in his deranged way, and ends up killing two of his own men in retaliation
before Titania shows up and tells him to knock it the fuck off.  He's pretty
fast on the draw, but not fast enough to actually hit her.  He demands to know
who the fuck she is, and unfortunately all the lackeys who handle his email
are now dead.  The one keeping track of which lackeys handle his email nearly
gets killed too before Titania faces the guy down and gets a moments' lucidity
out of him.  Of course, it's only because he wants in her pants, but whatever.

The other pilots are plenty worried about Sousuke, but Webber shoes them all
away on the theory that everyone needs to rest while they can.  After they're
gone, Webber brushes off Sousuke's apology, saying that they've got to figure
out what to do with this lieutenant guy -- far more dangerous than the Amalgam
at this rate.  Cruzoe totally heard that, taking it as a compliment of sorts.
Kurtz knows when he's been manipulated, and isn't ready to accept his new
commander yet.  Anyway Cruzoe's main concern is Sousuke, who he says lost to
him not because of a difference in technique, but something far more
fundamental.  He blames it on Sousuke's revulsion towards the Arbalest: having
faced him in combat, he's seen every move betray both impatience and hesitance.

This isn't about the Lambda Driver.  It's about Sousuke's thoughts being
elsewhere.  Clearly it didn't take another Lambda Driver to defeat him, and
what Cruzoe wants to impress is that all the ASs aren't merely weapons: they're
a means for a mature warrior to express themself.  That ability to express or
not is what decides high-level combat, and no one with doubts about their own
body will live much longer going forward.  And that goes for Webber and the
eavesdropping Kodama too.  Yes, with training Webber too will become able to
sense people's presence at such long range.

Sousuke is going to need a lot of help, and no mistake.  Suzaku volunteers,
saying that Sousuke represents his dream, or rather, a younger version of
himself (what with the starting as a soldier and regaining some humanity via
life as a schoolboy) before everything went horribly horrible during the Zero
Requiem.  He repeats to Sousuke that what he wants to see most is Sousuke
living on.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, an expulsion notice has arrived for Sousuke.
Kaname's teacher will keep it under her desk for the time being, but if he
doesn't come back in a month, it will take effect by default.  Kaname
instantly realizes that the people after her must be nearby, and in fact must
be watching at this very moment.  Without Kouji or any of the others to save
her, she's got to try to save herself... and preferably not get her non-
combatant friends caught in the crossfire.  What she needs most of all is
information!  Information and situational awareness...

This much is clear: Kurtz is displeased enough with Cruzoe that he sets AG on
the trail of finding out his weak spot.  Meanwhile, Suzune has figured out that
Mao knows "Ben" Cruzoe from back when.  He's a former comrade-in-arms of
Macallan, and the fact that he knew so much about Macallan's state of
rehabilitation suggests that he bothered to _inquire_ about it.  Mao has Suzune
keep her realization to herself, lest all of Cruzoe's trouble of playing the
bad guy (for motivation's sake) go to waste.  And since all this is going on
at the D-Traders, Mao and Suzune give AG the trademark "Sales! Sales!" chant
to buy his silence.


-----------
CHAPTER 38S. Life, Bursting Forth

Through Mishima, Ozuma has secured Reactive and MDE weapons for his team, two
special classes of armament that required the Frontier fleet president's
personal signature.  Ozuma and Cathy both remember very well the role Mishima
played in the messy events of the previous war, and remind him not to get any
funny ideas going forward.  What they want is for the Frontier fleet to
carefully maintain its neutrality.

It turns out that Sheryl Nome has been using some of her personal resources
to support the S.M.S., including creating a replica of the Kurogane-ya aboard
one of the starships (authorized by Tsubaki herself).  Apparently part of this
plan involves the idea that this is a MIXED-SEX onsen... well, a mixed-sex
foot pool anyway.  The pilots get to ponder how worked up they were momentarily
as they contemplate a most peculiar present from Fudou: very large unripe
bananas.  Say what?

So here's what passes for sexy at this foot bath: Emma has taken off her
tights.  Oh, and Mikono and Zessica are barefoot too.  Hawt, we're told.
Actually, the main point is how Mikono and Zessica are dealing with the
aftermath of Zessica's daring confession of love -- not with cattiness and
drama, but rather with mutual admiration.  Zessica for instance is sure that
most boys would, when the chips are really down, prefer a girlfriend like
Mikono that they feel instinctively drawn to protect.  Sheryl and Ranka aren't
so sure, and in any event they sing for all types of people.

Hey, speaking of interpersonal stuff, what's the deal with Kodama and that
nurse at the hospital?  Is he like, _dating_ her?  Inquiring Suzunes want to
know, and Kodama seemingly isn't sure himself.  All he knows is that he feels
a sense of peace around her, and before he really puts his foot in his mouth
he beats a hasty retreat from the pool.

MIX and Andy had left the pool sometime before, and to the same extent that
they're on each other's nerves all the time, they're also surprisingly good
mutual confidants.  After buying her ice cream to counteract the effects of
the hot spring, Andy asks why Zessica seems in such a hurry with Amata.  MIX
thinks it's due to the impending arrival of Eternity Flat, not to mention the
Baals and whatnot.  Andy wants her to know that she can share worries like
that with him too whenever she feels the need, and she tells him she's
already benefitting a lot from his presence (and the rest of Z-BLUE besides).
Turns out her father left her mom for another woman, and ever since men have
been hard for MIX to handle.  At this, Andy does his best to confess his love
to her, though he badly bungles it and gets slapped for his pains.

Back at the hot springs, Kodama is still processing the fact that Suzune knows
about him and nurse Maki... not that he's done anything with her that would
make him _have_ to flee Suzune.  Really, it was a convenient excuse by the
scriptwriters to get him alone with... Advent, who shows up and conveniently
relieves Kodama of that red-eye thing that heralds the approach of a Sidereal.
Kodama is of course suspicious of Advent and his Chrono folks, owing to the
info Zero dug up, and Advent figures that's only natural.

According to him, Chrono is actually split in half on the question of whether
to accept the Time Dungeon or not.  That means there's one side that is
siding with Geminis, probably out of awe for the Geminis' world-shaking power.
If Kodama believes nothing else, Advent wants him to believe this: he, like
Kodama, is in pursuit of the "Angel" that cursed them both.

Kodama's reaction becomes stronger, and the reason is Mikage coming to haunt
Amuro in his quarters.  Mikage first clears up the misunderstanding that he's
not a "person from Altair", which Amuro can believe insofar as Mikage doesn't
feel like a "person" to him at all.  Mikage is _not_ here to kill Amuro, who
he's "counting on" to help deal with "them".  As the alarm rings, Mikage tells
Amuro to do his best fighting the servants of "that person", vanishing in an
image that can only be called angelic.

There's quite a range of emotions among the pilots.  Alto, perhaps spurred by
the knowledge that Sheryl and Ranka are watching, is all fired up.  Andy is
totally demoralized and MIX is still pissed at him.  And Kodama is all
steely-eyed, knowing that Advent is coming soon.

 Annalotta doesn't manage much offense against Z-BLUE... and she manages
 even less against Mikage when he shows up with some goons.  He has no time to
 dally with her and proves it with gunfire, and she reluctantly pulls out.
 Mikage then disappears, leaving behind a bunch of Altair forces, and Amata
 shivers: the more he sees of Mikage, the more he hates him.

 Kill some Altair forces and more show up: not a good sign.  Then Fudou, who
 stowed away aboard the Frontier fleet, turns up with the bright idea of
 putting MIX and Andy into Aquarion.  Andy seems to be being swallowed whole
 by the hole in his heart, falling and falling and... hitting bottom, and
 thereby starting again, according to Fudou.  But Andy's got to _want_ to
 change; otherwise 12 millennia of reincarnation won't be enough to fix what
 ails him.  He orders Mikono to unify everyone's hearts with her power while
 pointing those bananas at the sun.

 The result is the warmth of that hot spring seeping into them, as the ancient
 alchemists said: simmering men and women in the same pot cures both their
 defects and brings mutual rebirth.  So wait, why the banana?  Because,
 believe it or not, the banana tree is where the Serpent hid after seducing
 Eve in the Garden of Eden.  It is the fruit of the Garden, and of the Sun!
 The team is unripe like these bananas, and like them can be ripened via a
 little solar power.

 And with a bit of banana peeling, Aquarion goes nutso and wipes out a huge
 batch of enemies.  All may not be repaired between Andy and MIX yet, but
 things are now on a much better track.

Advent leaves, telling the team to get an info dump about him from Kodama.  He
tells them that the _real_ battle begins when the seal on their memories is
broken.  He seems sincere in his desire to keep Kodama safe (even to Amuro's
senses), and says of the "Angel" that it is, in a sense, the personification of
Fate standing in his and Kodama's way.

Those bananas are now totally ripe and totally delicious, even if Mikono feels
somehow dirty sliding one into her mouth (O_o;;).  Speaking of her, it seems
that Zessica has no bad blood with her precisely because Amata made it clear
he loves Mikono and not her -- had Amata been vague, it would have prolonged
the anguish.  Mind you, Zessica still loves Amata, even though she knows it's
to be unrequited...

And yeah, Andy is _totally_ down in the dumps, and AG's nonstop "mix"-related
puns are NOT helping...


-----------
CHAPTER 38J. A Warm Voice

Misato has staged an unannounced return to NERV HQ, hoping to directly ask
Gendou what he knows about this 12,000-year Ring business _without_ letting any
of her enemies have a chance to intervene.  Unfortunately she gets a lesson in
why people invented this thing called an "appointment" -- Gendou and Fuyutsuki
left this morning on some kind of urgent dispatch.  This is super-weird, given
that Gendou must be well aware of the approaching Eternity Flat.  To make
matters worse(??), it seems Kaji has already been at NERV HQ without telling
her for the past month, sly both in his veiled romantic overtures to her and
in regards to what he's actually doing here.

While Misato's pow-wowing with Ritsuko, the rest of the team are chilling out
at the Red Sea beach having a picnic.  For a change, being at the beach does
_not_ involve some Volunteer Club shore cleanup work, despite Kodama having
brought trash bags and everything.  Lunch was prepared by Johnny with lots of
help from Shinji (who Kouji put up to the task in anticipation of a compliment
from Asuka -- which works like a charm).

Kaji turns up and basically Bogarts some of Shinji's tasty box lunches.  He's a
_smooth_ dude, which gets Suzune's back up a bit, and maybe that's why Suzune
has the "So, about this nurse lady" conversation from the other path.  ...Which
leads to the Advent conversation from the other path.

Kaji is in the process of telling Shinji that Misato too is prone to staring
out across the Red Sea to the bad memories of fifteen years ago: the Second
Impact.  Prior to it, Misato had hated her research-obsessed father, but he's
the one who saved her life at the cost of his own.  "Living on" means different
things to different people, but in all cases one must recognize and honor the
sacrifices others made to allow it.

This time the Geminis forces are headed to Neo Tokyo-3, seemingly intent on
summarily ending the world.  As the EVAs and Z-BLUE face off against them,
we again get Advent turning up.

 This battle has a very unusual Skill Point condition, enough so for me to
 mention.  You need _every_ unit that sortied (except for Advent) to get at
 least one kill as you clear the map in 4 turns or less.  And remember that
 the kill goes to whoever is assigned as the team leader.

 Annalotta doesn't like it when Kodama talks trash to her, and uses her
 "Dimensional Crack" System to gate in several Heterodynes.  Oh and wouldn't
 you know it, some people are trapped in this building that's about to
 collapse.  Time to pull something heroic out of the writers' ass?  You
 betcha.  First Shinji on his own initiative uses his umbilical cable to
 basically wrap the building and hold it together.  Misato then directs Asuka
 to run straight at Shinji as the Heterodynes advance, and has Rei yank the
 cable so they all trip.  They all... trip?!

 The EVAs have 5 turns of power left, and woe betide the Heterodynes for
 having to face a very pissed-off Asuka.

 Once Annalotta gets her insolent mouth punched in enough, Advent announces
 that she either get out of her mech (now too damaged to flee) or die in it.
 Gadlight turns up at this point, not too keen on seeing his "Hope" taken
 prisoner.  Advent spits back that Gadlight's a fine one to talk about Hope
 after bringing so much despair to the Earth.  Gadlight threatens him with
 a face-to-face fight, and even Advent isn't reckless enough to face a
 Third-Stage Sphere Reactor one-on-one.

Gadlight takes Annalotta and leaves behind a fuming Kodama -- can't he beat
Gadlight ever?  Today?  No.  Tomorrow, maybe -- if he keeps fighting and
improving in the meantime.  Advent doesn't stick around, what with data to
gather out in space to help stop the Time Dungeon.  Again he leaves the team
to get details from Kodama, and repeats the bit about he and Kodama having
the same objective.

Shinji's the star of today's do-gooding, and it does him some good to actually
get a word of thanks for a change, given all the ass-busting he does.  Seeing
how the common folks know nothing of Eternity Flat (and he'd rather keep it
that way), the enormity of the responsibility he bears becomes that much
clearer.  Kaji tells him that he isn't the only one shouldering that burden,
and assures him that even his father is off doing what he can to help save the
world.  As Kaji returns to NERV HQ, he lightly tells Shinji that Misato might
be a little late rejoining the team tonight...

SEELE know quite a bit about the Baals and Eternity Flat, and aren't a bit
worried.  So long as their Project continues on schedule, neither will, in
their view anyway, matter a bit.  That's why construction of the Mk. 6 EVA
will continue apace.  As they end their "scheduled touchpoint" (more like a
scheduled interrogation), Gendou tells Fuyutsuki -- who had pointed out that
the EVA plans never called for more than 5 Units -- that SEELE must be acting
off a plan in a unrevealed latter part of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Probably
SEELE realizes what NERV was really built for, but even if so Gendou isn't
going to stop now.  There's a god at the South Pole that needs killing.

What a world, huh?  All this chaos and death, and some people even embrace it.
Gendou frowns that "chaos" is merely an illusion -- the world operates
according to an underlying harmony and order... and order that intrinsically
results in the creation of things like Z-BLUE.  That they have adversaries
itself is a kind of harmony, and if something isn't done about this closing
multi-millennial circle, there will be nothing BUT harmony as the perturbations
coming from human hearts cease.  Kaworu, watching this from the sidelines,
eerily concludes this chapter by saying "Nice to meet you, Father."

Misato, by the way, does come back in the wee hours of the morning, for reasons
she certainly won't disclose to AG except that they involved alcohol.  Shinji
thoughtfully made sure she got an amino-acid-rich drink to help combat her
hangover, though AG doesn't help by yelling at the top of his lungs on purpose.


-----------
CHAPTER 38M. The Bottom of My Heart

According to Cruzoe, the Amalgam forces are being staged out of the nearby
Martial Shrine, testament to the depth of the cooperation between the two
groups.  Before anyone can do much about that, Z-BLUE will have to escape
Hermastan... and with Mithril reinforcements interdicted before they can
reach the team, that just got a lot harder.  But if the bad guys are so all-
fired determined to cut the team's supply lines, I wonder what it would feel
like to have their HQ raided?

Cruzoe is pushing his charges hard, both in the classroom and in the simulator.
But he's got something extra-special in mind for Sousuke, who needs something
more realistic than a video game.  Kurtz is starting to feel a tad overworked,
but Kodama ropes him into mock combat versus, of all people Karen AND Suzaku.
His tactics are improving, and after a little palaver Kurtz agrees to join this
rather quixotic quest.

Like Cruzoe always says: "While the body still moves, the mind still lives."
As for Sousuke, Cruzoe is reminded very much of his own youth as a self-
imprisoned soldier.  Liberating oneself is not a trivial task and he
genuinely doesn't know if Sousuke can manage it -- death would be bad enough,
but even worse would be to become a "whipped dog" like the foes Mithril faces.
Malice starts slowly, seeping into a person through the little lies they tell
themselves to get through another day.  Then you betray others, and finally
just sneer at them.  It is this slow, inexorable advance, like the hands of a
clock, that makes the process so terrifying.

Sousuke is certainly not doing well under all of this, becoming perceptibly</pre><pre id="faqspan-10">
snappish to those around him.  Allelujah comes up with a novel way around this,
striking up a "conversation" with Kiriko instead.  Their silent exchange of
meaningful looks drives Sousuke nuts, proving that he's far less unsociable
than people keep making him out to be.  Sousuke supposes his previous
environment will take some adjusting away from, and Allelujah knows he's
referring to Kaname.  In fact, it was Kiriko who filled Allelujah in, by way of
repaying Sousuke not just for any specific kindness, but as a kindred spirit
who needs the same care that Kiriko received form others.

Sousuke can't fathom that, and Kiriko tells him that _if_ he can't, he should
just shut up and follow orders.  Kiriko doesn't like the sound of that, and
that's as it should be says Kodama.  Who, it turns out, is actually making
progress: he and Kurtz actually went 3 and 7 against the two best pilots
Britannia has ever seen... _without_ using GAI mode.  Watching Sousuke and
the others, it's apparent how similar his situation is to Kiriko and any number
of other pilots on the team... apparent to everyone but him anyway.

Insert the whole "What about that nurse?" thing.

Zero then steps in and summons the personnel for a little raid on the Martial
shrine...  The objective is to grab as much info on the Martial-Amalgam
collaboration as possible, then blow the place up.  Kiriko has been given
leave to do whatever he feels best, and Alleljuah volunteers to back him up.
The team of Setsuna, Hiiro, Sousuke, Kiriko and Alleljuah seem like the
quintessential pokerface contingent... but in fact all of them (save Sousuke)
have internalized the value of emotion in guiding one's actions.  It's very
important that humans be connected to each other.

Kiriko and Allelujah run into Titania, the so-called "Shield of Order".  She
tells Kiriko that the only info he'll find here on Fiana is in her head.  And
to extract it, he'll have to defeat her.  Elsewhere as the explosions already
begin, the team meet C.C., who's come with a personal interest in Martial's
connection to the whole 12,000 year ring thing.  So far she's not unearthed
any direct evidence, and is acting on feminine intuition, but that changes
when Sousuke senses a Geminis nearby and Advent turns up to get him calmed
down.  He tells Suzaku he's here to help save them, convincing Kodama's
teammates to hurry ahead with their plans.

After remarking on how "odd" the green-haired C.C. is, we get the conversation
from the other paths.

Annalotta's been ordered to wipe out these Martial guys and their false
idolatry, setting up a tense standoff with Titania.  It seems that the Geminis
may be in league with Amalgam, but _against_ Martial, which is complicated.
Zero wants to at least take out the two enemy commanders, and Kiriko vows to
take Titania down and get his info.  Cruzoe asks Sousuke if he understands
where Kiriko's strength comes from, and gives him a C for answering "Some
woman named Fiana".  Evidently he failed to learn much on the infiltration...

Enter Advent as on the other paths.

 Roger has perhaps the most interesting dialog with Annalotta of all: he's
 wanted to talk with her since way back in Paradigm City.  Not to try to
 lead her astray with his word-smithing, but to try to get a sense from her
 of what's really going on inside her organization -- basically, to find out
 what conceivable reason there could be for their assault on the Earth.  If
 it truly _is_ out of boredom as Gadlight suggests, it's the most heinous
 thing he's ever seen.  The question unfortunately provokes violence from
 her instead of reason... truly a pity.

 Leave it to Hiiro to set the record straight with Titania: neither he nor
 Kiriko are the cold-blooded killing machines everyone makes them out to be.
 Both he and Kiriko are actually impelled by emotion -- as Titania will learn
 to her cost.  When Kiriko pummels her into submission, she at least makes
 good on her promise: Fiana is being kept at Martial's HQ, the "Holy Aregium".

 As before, Gadlight shows up to bail out Annalotta when she gets her ass
 wrecked.  Before Advent leaves, his troops report that they've opened a
 breach in the Amalgam barricade -- and besides, with the Martial shrine
 toast, both Amalgam and Martial will probably leave the area anyhow.

Just before the team leaves, Sousuke gets a private phone call.  It's someone
who claims to be worth too little to merit a name... though, Sousuke and his
non-functioning Lambda Driver are worth even less.  Call it a declaration of
war.  Whoever it is calls Sousuke unworthy of both the Lambda Driver, and of
"her".  That the caller knows of the Lambda Driver probably makes them an
Amalgam member, but whoever they are, Sousuke has bigger things to worry about.
Kind of a shame he didn't tell his teammates about any of this...

Aregium is basically like Vatican City: a small town in a small East European
nation that is basically owned wholly by Martial.  While not part of the
Federation, its legions of believers give it considerable clout in the Fed
government.  Infiltrating the place probably carries a political cost, so
Kiriko is prepared to march in on his own -- of course, the rest of the team
won't let him GO alone.  Zero, as the guy in charge, is totally in favor of
sticking it to these Martial yahoos, and the rest of the team will simply have
to imagine how evil his grin is (beneath his mask) at the thought.

Sousuke is having some trouble assimilating this, but he's not in any mood
to contradict the team.  Asked if it's because he's being ordered, he frowns
and says he can't really explain it.  Well, that's progress, for him.  Goat and
friends then show up, with resupply for the team and power-up parts for Kiriko.
This occasions one of Kiriko's long-absent interior monologues, grateful for
all his friends but seized by a still, small current of unease toward something
larger than just the impending showdown with Titania.  Is it "fate"...?

AG pitches in a bit for the all-night mech modification party by offering
Kiriko some special coffee, prepared so the smoke of the fire infuses in with
a peculiar bitter tang that reminds Kiriko of the Shinjuku Ghetto where all
this started for him.  Quite nice of AG, in fact.


-----------
CHAPTER 39S. Rhea Igler

Things aren't all wine and roses on the Altair side, where all their aggressive
manipulation of the dimensional boundaries and dispatching of fighting forces
is seriously depleting their energy reserves.  Soon the common people are
going to face rolling blackouts and whatnot, and the result will be riots.  Not
what you want to hear when your number one pilot is on the lam somewhere.
That's Mikage playing god and not thinking about the welfare of the citizenry,
and Izumo has had enough.  Time to launch the Afra Gunis and get back on the
battlefield himself.  He's GOT to bring back the sound of newborn babies'
cries via "Eve", and maybe along the way find the son that Alicia left to the
Vegans...

Andy's funk persists, and MIX isn't owning up to why that might be.  The
fleet is headed to L5 and its cluster of Coordinator-affiliated colonies: still
neutral for now, but slowly being drawn closer to Neo Jion.  Zessica meanwhile
is pushing herself hard, training with Kodama against some fierce simulations.
Kodama's making steady progress (though still far from his goal), but Zessica
is more like struggling to maintain status quo... not as a pilot, but as a
woman who is _also_ a pilot.  Shinn flips that script, reminding her that she's
actually a pilot who's also a person, and with a little (prissy) prodding from
MIX, Jessica agrees to get some much-needed rest.

After a bit more banter, Kira reminds everyone that the Plant's super-duper
idol singer Lacus Clyne is his girlfriend... as well as a key member of ZEXIS
and a beacon of sanity amidst the chaotic situation in space.  One thing Kira
does know is that the Plants seem surrounded by some kind of heavy "clouds"...

What it is is the inevitability of the Plants throwing in their lot with Neo
Jion, despite the best efforts of Lacus and the Executive Committee.  It seems
the curse of Patrick Zara still lives, and that the hatreds of Coordinators
for Naturals (and vice versa) won't be purged by a Dimensional Quake or two.
The odd part is that Neo Jion seems to be going out of its way to foment war.
Hopefully Aslan and Lunamaria will be able to uncover something about Neo Jion
and the Council that might shed light on why things are going this way, but
with only two months and change left before Eternity Flat, there isn't much
time to fix things.

And if that wasn't bad enough, a group of Vajra turn up and attack the Plants.
The Zaft had been trying to hold them off, but at the first sign of Z-BLUE,
they high tail it out of danger (much to Shinn's annoyance).  Zessica is
putting a brave face on it, but watching her (and the absent Andy) isn't very
pleasant for the rest of the team.

 Izumo turns up at some point, pissed that Mikage considers dispatching the
 Superdimensional beasties as "support".  Z-BLUE figure him for a commander
 class unit right away, and if he wanted a "demonstration" of the team's
 power, he certainly gets it up the ass.  But apparently he's got the ability
 to accumulate and return the damage double.

 Bad news for Aquarion, but as he goes to attack the Plants, Kira goes nutsoid
 and starts smacking him around.  Once upon a time Izumo too had someone he'd
 whyl out this much to protect, but now...  Izumo formally announces himself
 and asks for parlay, saying that there's a reason his people are trying to
 collect this world's women (the "Igler"), and in particular the strongest
 of the Rhea Igler.

 That would be Lacus Clyne, a singer just as Alicia once was.  Mikage's
 explanation to Izumo, nutty though it sounded at the time, seems to hold a
 bit of water.  He'd also like to get Mikono while he's at it, though as he
 fights the Aquarion he also realizes something about Amata (which he won't
 reveal).

Declaration of war given, he prepares to withdraw.  Then Zessica does something
rash, grabbing MIX and hopping aboard the Aquarion on the theory that stopping
this guy here and now might reveal a way out of the Time Dungeon.  Mikage
turns up at this point, offering to help Izumo "confirm" a little something
by projecting a vision of Alicia -- who Amata recognizes as his mother!  Izumo
does not appreciate the intervention, but blows apart Aquarion's combination
and is about to grab Zessica when MIX basically bumps her out of the way and
lets herself get captured instead.  Her last words are to tell Zessica to tell
Andy that she's sorry.

The Plants, shockingly, deny docking permission to Z-BLUE -- using "neutrality"
as their justification.  Never mind the fact that the team just solved their
Vajra and Altair problem for them.  Rather than provoke open war, the team
decide to withdraw, hoping to find out what became of MIX.  Luckily her ship
was found nearby (sans her), but that's about the only good news.

Despite the shock to the Elements, the fleet has to get moving and fast --
knowing their depleted state, Full Frontal is sure to come in pursuit.  And the
Elements are in considerable disarray, mainly Andy who's incredibly pissed that
Amata didn't somehow save MIX.  Zessica apologizes for the whole thing and runs
off to cry somewhere, and it takes several of the other pilots to hold Andy
back.  The main problem is that he's got no outlet for his rage: no way to go
about saving his (would-be) girlfriend.  To Kodama, it's pretty simple: all
roads lead to the Geminis -- defeat them, and among many other good things
there will be a way to go to whatever dimension the Altairans are hiding in.

Andy isn't getting the message very quickly, and even Kodama gets frustrated,
telling him to spend the rest of his life in a hole, alone, if that's what he
wants.  Yunoha intervenes at this point, begging Andy to fight and save MIX.
It takes Kira to talk about how he too lost someone he loved, and still has
the nightmares to prove it -- he'd prefer to save Andy that fate if he can.
Andy seems to accept this, apologizing to the other pilots and asking for a
little time to himself.  After which, it's time to demolish Geminis ass.

Zessica is super upset with herself -- once again, she wasn't cool enough,
wasn't good enough to be chosen.  Mikage materializes in her quarters to tell
her "Yeah, I know how you feel" in violation of Nightwish's edict on the
matter.  He offers to open a dimensional gate as she wants, in return for a
little "promise" from her...

Where Andy goes is the D-Traders, and basically has an all-out screaming fit
at himself.  He vacillates between self-loathing, and the strong desire to get
MIX back (though even his desire to hug her and her huge tits close to his
chest provokes a new round of hate).  For once AG doesn't intervene, choosing
instead to watch Andy get it all out of his system.


------------
CHAPTER 39J. Gather the Candles

Someone finally has the bright idea of asking WILL if he has any
recollection of this 12k year cycle thing.  He's heard it before but can't
remember where -- evidently the bad guys' memory control can even work on AIs.
WILL goes offline to take a deep dive into his memory in search of the
words, but Ruu actually thinks it'll be a waste of time: as a counselor, she
can tell that WILL himself is scared of the memory, and is effectively
closing it away himself.  Now remember, he was once one of these Guardians of
the Universe(tm)-level folks, so if something could make _him_ suppress a
memory, it must be pretty bad.  Maybe it's time to take a trip to India for a
little self-awareness work?

Or, in this case to chat with Lowgenome, to see if he can jog WILL's
memory.  Simon also intends to propose at long last to his girlfriend Nia,
though the prospect does require a little encouragement from his friends to
get over the initial jitters.  Heck, Aoi helped out with that once before
right after Kamina got killed, so it's nothing really new.

Lowgenome does tell WILL what he needs to hear: that he is _choosing_ not to
remember what the 12k year cycle is all about.  And not surprising either:
mankind would in some sense be better off living in Eternity Flat -- as
Lowgenome once tried to do by imprisoning them underground -- than facing
what's to come.  The alternative to Eternity Flat is a doorway through which
lies an endless war between gods and demons -- a doorway, in fact, which the
Earth stands poised on the threshold of.

Somehow this finally forces WILL to remember, and he actually starts blubbering
like a little kid.  Eternity Flat could, in some senses, be seen as a kindness.
A kindness that certain implacable beings are about to awaken and deny to
humanity...

Brief diversion: Nia turned down Kamina's marriage proposal.

Simon might be kind of down in the dumps, but everyone else is pumped up to
fight off the Devil's forces.  Oh actually, WILL is kind of having a bad day
too, and the rest of the team will have to fight without his aid.

 Simon is a demoralized mess on the battlefield, while off it Nia explains
 (guilelessly, as always) that she isn't sure that two people should try to
 become one.  That's not really how marriage works, of course, and what
 matters is how Nia felt when Simon proposed.  Problem solved when he gets
 back?  Umm...

 That's _if_ he gets back: the Devil shows up and for fun gates in a bunch
 of STMC (yes, in the Earth's atmosphere and everything) and freaks out WILL
 in the process.  Turns out they're advance scouts from a huge herd a few
 tens of thousands of light years away.  Joy, more bugs to hunt...

 As major menaces to the world go, they are kind of made out of cardboard.
 There are, however, more wherever the Devil got them from, and Invaders
 besides.  Rossieu's functionaries are advocating abandoning the city, but
 Rossieu has learned a few things since his former days as a douchebag -- he
 intends to stay and watch Simon and co. win this very winnable fight.
 Hearing Rossieu say so cheers Simon up, and he gets even more cheered up when
 Nia phones in and says that although they're different people, they can be
 great together.  YAY and stuff!

 Unless you're the Devil, and allergic to the power of Love.  And if the
 Devil won't take it from the Earthlings, maybe he'll take it from his son?
 Who, if you recall, had been entrusted with taking over the Earth... and
 what the Devil's done is rather disrespectful of that.  His theory is,
 anything that comes between him and _personally_ settling the score with
 Z-BLUE should be eliminated.  Time for a joint battle.

It's a brief one, owing to that aforementioned Power of Love stuff and all.
WILL vows to talk to Lowgenome again, and this time not start whimpering in the
corner or whatnot.  F.S. reminds him that he's no candle in the wind: he's one
of many candles that light the way forward.  And, when necessary, incinerates
all the bad guys.

Parts of WILL's memories are still sealed, but his resolve is now firm.  Better
to go after a single ray of hope than to sit still and wait for death, that's
what I always say.  Lowgenome does have one word of caution for his fellow
inorganic life form: beware the Mikeene, who certainly aren't going to sit
still for all of this.  Truth be told even Lowgenome doesn't know precisely
what the 12k year cycle is all about, but the image that term conjures --
finality, darkness, winnowing, despair -- aren't pleasant ones.  WILL means to
face them head on, and after disconnecting, Lowgenome tells Rossieu it's time
to ready the Arc Gurren for battle.  IF the team can bust out of the Time
Dungeon, it will be the beginning of the _real_ battle, and it never hurts to
be prepared.  And in the meantime, it's best not to add all this talk to
Z-BLUE's long list of more immediate problems.

As Nia says her temporary goodbyes, word comes to the Getter team that Shin
Getter Dragon has been salvaged but isn't yet booted up -- not the "right time"
yet.  Cool with Ryouma, who has plenty of craniums to crack in the meantime.
Plus, it means time for Nia to cook one last meal, and those _not_ eating it
to make a quick Pepto Bismol run on behalf of those who are...


-----------
CHAPTER 39M. The Untouchable

Sousuke comes to have a look at Kiriko's newly-customized mech, which Goat
calls the "Varg Rally Dog".  With Kiriko's skills and his love for Fiana (and
a good amount of software engineering on its Mission Disc) the damn thing
should be near invincible.  As the tech staff head off to let Kiriko get some
rest and acclimate to his new mech, Sousuke wants to tell him one thing: he
wants to learn from Kiriko's strength.

No sooner does Sousuke walk off than Zero turns up, noting that Sousuke seems
to be stuck in a rut and asking for Kiriko's opinion.  Kiriko deadpans that
he's got his hands entirely full with his own problems, and by way of apology
(quote-quote) for asking such an obviously inapt question, Zero removes his
mask and offers to help set up the Mission Disk, as Lelouch.  This isn't the
first time he's done so, if you'll remember, but to the extent that
circumstances have changed considerably, so will Lelouch's approach to the
software.

Kiriko asks why Lelouch removed the mask, and he replies principally that doing
so will maximize the likelihood of not screwing up.  And, odd though it might
sound, Lelouch knows Kiriko to be the sort of man who cares not whether he's
got the darn contraption on.  It's a good look, and with no further idle words
the two get down to business.

The Martial church has its share of internal politics, such as some butterball
dude named Gnorr who is jockeying for a shot at being the next Pope.  He and
his ally Noskowitz aren't at all happy that Monte Wills and his men have made
contact with the last Superman, which the current Pope has branded an
Untouchable for the discord he could sew among the faithful.  Monte basically
answers this criticism by reminding them that "Might Makes Right" is their
first and foremost scripture, and that no one man -- inviolate or not -- can
possibly pose that big a threat to Martial.

Smooth, but not smooth enough -- Noskowitz points out that Kiriko is
essentially responsible for singlehandedly ruining the Perfect Soldier project.
Monte attributes this to the P.S.'s being lectured on combat without any
emphasis on God, unlike the Nextants (such as his daughter).  That said
daughter has lured Kiriko to the Martial HQ means one of two things: either
Monte and his clan are heretics and will lay the entire church low, or they're
about to triumph in full view of the faithful and probably ascend to the
papacy themselves.  At least, Monte seems pretty self-confident...

Titania however gets a lecture from Rochina about how she might as well be
Kiriko's prisoner at this rate.  She snorts that no man such as he could
move her heart, and he's having nothing of it -- she's in no position to
talk clinically to him about the erstwhile Perfect Soldier.  After all, he's
at least as much a prisoner as she is, and is triply jealous of Fiana -- for
her being the apple of Kiriko's eye, for her being a woman, AND for her being
a human weapon.  Translation: he's an emasculate, aspiring transsexual with a
fetish for the hardiest man outside of a Dr. Pepper commercial.

He is in addition to this a very sharp intellect, and when Titania protests
that she's _better_ than the brainwashed Fiana in that her natural brain is
"untouched" (unless you count the connections to the Auxiliary Brain
embedded in her chest; it's got to interact with her body in combat _somehow_),
he snorts.  Yes, Titania is _very_ different from the P.S.'s, whose primary
brains _are_ their combat system... and their damage recognition system.  The
Nextants are divorced from an intuitive, sensory view of the stress they're
under, which one might suppose is rather dangerous.  Fiana, unable to answer
that, hustles off to awaken Fiana -- with no notion of the consequences.
Whatever happens next, Rochina is dying to watch (literally, maybe?)

Remember the theory that the Martial medical staff could cure Fiana of what
ails her?  Not so much.  The best they've been able to do is to halt the
progression of her disorder by keeping her in stasis, and that is coming to an
end with Titania's stern orders.  Titania is guided by a strange sort of
repaying of her debt to Kiriko for letting her live: she means to give him at
least one glimpse of the woman he loves before he dies, as he must if _she_ is
to prove victorious.  Awakened, Fiana notes that Titania is much like her, and
although Titania has vowed to defeat Kiriko, Fiana asks her to love Kiriko in
her stead.

In a bit of high theater, the old Pope relinquishes his robes of office -- and
all the headaches that goes with them -- to Monte.  He grandly orders his
daughter to purge all those unclean forces who threaten their land, and that
means facing off against Z-BLUE.  Gates and his Amalgam forces turn up
unannounced, and it seems like he intends to show off before his "love"
Titania.  That's a pretty awesome way to get yourself killed, given how
determined Z-BLUE is to rescue Fiana.  It doesn't hurt that the sight of the
infidels marching into their main cathedral should permanently destroy any
credibility the church leadership has.  There's a lot of bad guys between
here and there though, as befits the "princess" that knight Kiriko is trying to
save.  I think it goes, "The harder to get, the better to have"?

 Kiriko is ready to throw everything away for the woman he loves.  Can Sousuke
 muster the resolve to do likewise?  Gates certainly cannot, slyly leaving at
 the first sign of trouble.  This would tend to mean that Amalgam thinks they
 no longer need Martial, which is worrying in its own right...

 As Kiriko reaches the shrine, Titania emerges.  She points out to her
 father that Kiriko (and Fiana for that matter) could have lived entirely in
 peace, far away from Martial, if not for his desire to use Kiriko as a pawn
 in his political games.  For that matter, the accident (which wasn't so
 accidental after all) that resulted in Titania's Nextant conversion also
 played into Monte's scheme.

 Titania _will_ do what she can to kill Kiriko, but _without_ using her
 Auxiliary Brain... it's the last shred of honor she feels she has left.  She
 leads Kiriko to an area where nobody can interfere, and tells him that even
 if he loses she'll him see Fiana one last time.  But judging by the
 bloodlust he's radiating, that's no sure thing...

 Titania loses as expected, but Kiriko sees no need to kill her.  She protests
 that at this rate she'll be back to haunt him time and again, and he says
 that's okay with him... _provided_ she leaves Fiana out of it.  An
 infuriated Monte overrides her Auxiliary Brain into the "on" position and
 starts wailing on Kiriko, sending waves of malice to all the sensitive
 pilots' senses.

 Kiriko risks it all to achieve a double-knockdown for the mecha, but he's
 still got to deal with Titania herself: an unstoppable cyborg that even a
 headshot won't solve.  Zero yells out to shoot at her chest, where the
 Auxiliary Brain is located, and while screaming out Fiana's name Kiriko does
 precisely that.

 Jaw-droppingly, he manages to _only_ hit the Auxiliary Brain, a "miracle"
 that Zero insists is nothing of the sort.  THAT is the power of Kiriko's
 unshakable, unwavering will.  Sousuke realizes this was no coincidence or
 accident: only by Kiriko being willing to pull the trigger could this be
 possible.  Call this a miracle, but only if you credit Kiriko with bringing
 it about... especially since he's in pretty rough shape physically.

 While Z-BLUE holds off the remaining guards, he ventures to the lab that
 Fiana indicated.  There he finds Fiana in the process of dying, glad to see
 him but unwilling to let Kiriko sacrifice everything only for their sake.
 The world belongs to more people than that.  She dies in his arms, and
 Kiriko sets a _lot_ of explosives on his way back out of the temple.

His fellow pilots can only mourn with him, collecting him and taking off as the
new Pope gapes at what's left of his elite security forces: laid waste in
well under an hour.  The former Pope gets to say "I told you so" about how
Monte touched the Untouchable, and watches in disgust as Monte frantically
listens for words of wisdom from the temple's computer.  Also in the "told you
so" camp is Rochina, forced to admire the wildfire spreading from the first
spark that is Kiriko.  He rather expected that Fiana would die, whether or not
Fiana abducted her, and scowls that his own limitations as a human prevented
him from doing anything about it.

More to the point, has she any interest in what will become of Kiriko now?
As the world crumbles and he fights on, only a bona-fide God could foretell
what end it will all lead to.  Well, wherever that is, Titania feels bound to
follow in Kiriko's footsteps, loving him all the while as though she were born
for the purpose.

Rochina, by the way, has a way of hacking into the Shinkirou's comms.  Zero
suspects he knows how that was accomplished, and agrees to chat with the guy.
As Zero already suspects on some level, a new age is about to begin... the age
of the Gods.  And that's a very urgent age, what with Amalgam causing trouble
in a nearby port.  Zero makes a point of hustling the pilots off for a
briefing, giving Kiriko a little time to himself.  Fiana's last wish was for
him to create a world without war, and though Kiriko struggles to see value in
this world with her gone, he has no real choice but to fight on, bearing her
wishes with him, forever...


-----------
CHAPTER 40S. Laplacian Ruins

"Mother" has been making good use of Albert's data -- turns out the UC Gundam
_is_ the Key to the Laplace Box (duh) and that it expresses a bit more new
info every time NT-D is activated in certain specific locations.  Mother
passes along the next such location, which conveniently happens to lie along
Z-BLUE's present course.  She gives him the unenviable task of figuring out how
to get Banarj to activate NT-D at that point, never minding the fact that the
Neo Jion are nipping at the fleet's heels.  Man, gotta hope that whatever is
in this box is worth all this hassle...

Yzak and Diakka show up with word from Lacus Clyne on what's up inside the
Plants.  As feared, the Zara faction is gaining traction in Plant politics: a
ghost of the war that also saw Logos controlling the federation.  If anything,
the really scary part is how such people organized so quickly without someone
like Patrick Zara as a catalyst; Aslan and Lunamaria are looking into that
angle, but so far without success.  Just understand, the opinions expressed
blah blah not representative of blah blah the usual legalese.

Conveniently, Banarj is having the blues on account of all this pointless war
Neo Jion and the Feds are busy fomenting.  The trick according to Camille is
to not let the pointlessness of war stop one from fighting for what they
believe in.  Camille also suspects that Banarj' doldrums have something to do
with his meeting of the minds with Mareeda, and while he isn't exactly in a
position to discourage contact with enemy pilots, he warns Banarj that he'd
better not do things halfway.  Leave no regrets is the motto.

And the mission, which Unicorn will be leading, is a preemptive strike against
the pursuing Neo Jion.  The battle is to take place at the ruins of an enormous
colony, old enough that _Otto_ came to sightsee them with an elementary school
class trip.  This is where Richard Marsenas, first president of the Earth
Federation, was assassinated, kicking off the defining war of the UCW.
Lidy in fact is a descendant of the great man, though he's determined long ago
to make his way in the world on his own merits and not those of his parentage.
Encouraging words to Andy, who seems to have his head back in the game... it's
Zessica we have to worry about.

Banarj has indeed taken the field, knowing it's his "duty" as a member of
Z-BLUE.  That said, he doesn't know why he's participating in this internecine
war -- even the borders between the "good" and "bad" guys are becoming
increasingly vague.  How is he qualified to lift a weapon under the
circumstances?  Daguza points out that the very fact that he has a weapon to
lift -- that its point shows _a_ direction, is sufficient for him to hang with
Z-BLUE.  And if that seems to abstract, the fact is that people he knows
personally have had their lives changed by having him in the cockpit.  He bears
a certain responsibility for that, for protecting those he cares about, and
it's not necessarily bad that that's a lot to assimilate.  He's got Daguza and
friends to help protect him while he figures all this stuff out.

Hell, Amuro and the others went through the same phase... maybe Bright out to
belt Banarj one and get it over with too?  Anyway, the very first astronauts,
almost to a man, reported feeling the presence of God upon reaching the vast
blackness of space; if they weren't religious before, they almost all became so
upon their return.  The problem may be that the conception of God has changed
over time, morphing into the perception of the almighty organizations needed to
move large numbers of people to colonize space.  This new God, the Federation,
is anything but charitable in dealing with people who don't follow its
orthodoxy.  The assassination of the first president was certainly a good
excuse for the Feds to consolidate their power.

What are the chances that nefarious folks engaged in self-terrorism for that
very purpose?  While nobody is left alive from that era, if there was even
some sort of record, it would cause a colossal scandal should it be made
public.  Is _that_ the sort of power that could upend the Federation, which
Banarj's father spoke of?  Perhaps not, insofar as the "Federation" in this
multidimensional world has a lot more to it than just the UCW history.

So, the plan: lure out Full Frontal, kick his ass, and thereby get Neo Jion to
back off.  The team sets up a Statue of Liberty formation (with Banarj as the
statue), but the Neo Jion forces don't entirely play along: Hamarn turns up
with a second detachment from an unexpected angle.  She wants to get rid of
the Unicorn lest things get ugly later, but in secret she also is getting
desperate to figure out what Full Frontal is really up to.  Should Z-BLUE,
upon seeing their trap misfire, withdraw?  Albert successfully pleads with the
team to "not show any weakness".

 Full Frontal gets impatient and goes after the Unicorn himself.  Banarj keeps
 trying to dodge, much to Albert's annoyance, and finally Daguza resorts to
 one more speech: it's up to Banarj and what his heart tells him to transform
 his Gundam from a mere weapon into an instrument of changing fate.  Daguza
 may have never been more than a cog in the Federation machine, but even a cog
 can wish for... and that wish goes to Banarj!

 Banarj certainly seems intent on carrying out Daguza's last wish (to fight),
 and as the NT-D activates, its Psycho Frame links Camille and Hamarn's
 consciousness.  There Camille sees Hamarn's memory of Char, smiling kindly
 at her.  She's enraged at this intrusion, but Camille says it's not that he
 entered her -- it's that both of them have Char in common.  She's not having
 it, and her tiff with Camille will continue.

 Full Frontal too is hoping to gain more info on the Laplace Box by observing
 Banarj.  Mareeda meanwhile is intent on settling the score with Banarj once
 and for all, and he yells for her to NOT stop thinking about other ways to
 solve all this.  As she approaches his mech, he sees a vision of her
 childhood, a very sad one indeed.  It takes more than gentleness to save
 people, or to erase the stain of their sins.  And yet...

 Hamarn, it turns out, is basically being dragged into this fight by her
 subconscious attachment to Char -- an attachment she ferociously refuses to
 admit to herself.  She especially takes umbrage when Amuro tells that if
 she's going to fight, she should do so far her _own_ sake.  Not that she's
 in any position to gainsay him.

Full Frontal realizes that time is up as the Neo Jion flagship arrives.  Has
Char decided to pick off Z-BLUE before facing the main Federation fleet?
Actually, he's come to ask for a truce, and talks in three days' time.  That's
her prerogative as supreme commander, and after some hesitation Hamarn decides
to go along with it.  Char can only hope that Z-BLUE reach an intelligent
conclusion as they consider his offer.  It's unlikely that this would be a
trap, but then what is it?  Time to get the full Z-BLUE band back together.

Maybe this could stop the war, but Daguza will still be gone.  As Banarj
contemplates this, something called the Laplace Program starts up and gives
him new coordinates in Dakarl.  Upon landing, he confronts Albert and demands
to know what the hell the Laplace Box is, which Full Frontal claims the
Unicorn is the key too.  Albert tries to weasel out again, but Banarj isn't
having it after seeing his mentor die saving him.  The other pilots close
ranks, denying Albert any easy exit from this one.  Terrified, Albert moans
that his mission is only to watch over the key -- and Amuro can believe that
the guy doesn't actually know what the big world-shaking thing inside is.  That
the Unicorn seems to be leading people on some kind of scavenger hunt is NOT
really thrilling, but as Conroy tells Banarj, at least Daguza died doing what
he wanted to do, of his own free will.

It turns out that Mareeda is alive and has been recovered along with her mech.
They plan to question her about the Laplace Box, but Banarj has made a
decision: to seal away the Unicorn Gundam.  He realizes that Audrey had visited
his dad's house precisely to stop this whole mess from happening.  Albert is
fit to be tied, but Banarj is not to be easily swayed.  What is true is that
these talks with Char will likely be the final chance to find out what he's
really thinking... and Amuro can only hope that Char doesn't force him to
lose all hope in Char as a person.

Amidst all the ace pilot stuff, AG talks to Amuro about his anxiety in advance
of the talks with Char.  Trying to express his relationship to Char is hard
for Amuro.  "Trust" isn't quite the right word, even though Amuro trusts in
Char's character enough to not expect him to send assassins or whatnot.
"Arch-nemesis" sounds a bit melodramatic, so Amuro settles on "fated rival".
That sounds perfect for whatever yaoi doujin Sazanka is planning...


CHAPTER 40J. Sealed Darkness

Ashura's having a conversation with him/herself again, mumbling about how IT
is growing toward the night sky and thus towards inexorable DOOM for all
concerned.  DOOM is apparently hilarious (unless we're talking about the
movie, which is cult-classically bad) for Ashura insofar as mankind won't even
get to savor it for eternity.  Only the Chosen(tm) get eternal life.  Who knew
the notion of the Elect would still wash in the Multidimensional Universe?

Meanwhile, those pilots foolish enough to eat Nia's cooking are, in the words
of some random dude from Buckaroo Banzai, "barely holding their fudge".  All
except for Rei, whose physiology is Hmm, and Simon, who's always thrived on his
wife's lethally bad version of domestic tranquillity.  As he and Ryouma go for
some warm-up sparring before the big battle to come, it's Kouji to the rescue
with some of his patented feel-good soup.

He leaves the team to recuperate while going to make a phone call, presumably
to his bad-ass mom.  Remember: she was part of the team that investigated the
Mikeene ruins and discovered that their living beast machines are very much
alive.  With the defeat of Dr. Hell, Ashura now holds sway over the ruins, and
everyone still remembers Lowgenome's dire warning about what may be lurking
there.  For Kouji, consulting his mom literally means consulting his father's
killer, justified though it may have been thanks to the Mikeene's subjugation
of the once upstanding scientist.

Kouji is both respectful and thoughtful as he addresses Tsubasa, asking why
she believes Ashura is still fighting.  Surely it's not to honor Dr. Hell's
memory, given how Dr. Hell ruthlessly used Ashura for his own purposes.  Nor
is it likely for World Domination(tm), or even personal bad blood with Kouji.
With even the sporadic A.I. in Mazinger silent, Tsubasa is the only source of
possible leads... and she's not exactly overflowing with suggestions.  She
does note however that Ashura recovering memories of his/her former life as
a Mikeene is good news: there may yet be a chance to take over the Ruins, and
among them find some kind of clue to turn the tables in mankind's favor.
In a rare display of "acting her age", Tsubasa asks Kouji to protect everyone
in her stead -- it's in young people like him that the future lies.  When she
hangs up though, it's clear that she's not being weak at all: she expects her
own "final battle" awaits... versus her not-quite-dead-yet husband!

Outside, Ankokuji is lurking around with some kind of bad news for Tsubasa's
ears only.  If Kouji can't take down Ashura before the stars reach their
dreadful alignment, it's _really_ going to be serious shitsville.  But if
Kouji can in fact prevail, it'll be nonstop hot springs sex with Gamia-Q.  Or
something.  But before Ankokuji can enter the hot sprints, Advent and his
goons turn up and "pick him up"...

Before the team can investigate the Ruins, Kouji sees a vision of the same
golden God that appeared when the team was cast into another dimension by
Kedora.  It lasts for one unsettling moment before the bad guys appear,
emptying out their whole store of Mecha-beasts in an attempt to settle the
score at last.  But this isn't THE End though -- that, thinks Ashura, will
begin a little later.

 Ashura's been saving up a special kind of Talos statue, what he calls a
 Terror Beyond Human Imagination: an Invader apparently enslaved to Mikeene
 will.  Kinda dangerous maybe?  Eh.  As Kouji fights, that vision of the
 golden god fills him with a sort of nostalgia.

 Ashura's big plan is revealed when Brocken is defeated: self-destruct the
 whole ruins, with Brocken buying him/her enough time to escape.  Unlike
 Brocken, whose loyalty to Dr. Hell's memory is absolute, Ashura serves a
 different master.  Brocken is a bit conflicted upon hearing that, and when
 Z-BLUE opt to flee instead of fight him to the death, there's little for him
 to do but die anyway.

Ashura may have lost his army, but mankind has also lost any hope of learning
from the Mikeene ruins.  Once more, the only hope of defeating the Time Dungeon
rests in overpowering the Geminis.  The thought of never seeing Ashura again
makes Kouji a little bit lonely, a lot bit relieved, and the teensiest bit
anxious that, this time, Ashura will stay gone.  For now, it's off to space
for an all-Z-BLUE parlay with Char as per the other path.

Ashura, pondering all this, is certain that Z-BLUE will wish they were dead
before all this is done.  So foolish of them not to die at his/her hand!


-----------
CHAPTER 40M. Never-ending Day-By-Day

Remnants of the Marimea army are still on the loose and raising hell in the
countryside, ostensibly trying to keep Dekim's dream alive.  Wufei turns up to
put that to the test, and upon hearing that these soldiers are about violence
and siding with the most likely victor, proclaims them motherfuckers and
blows them off the map.  Wufei is still very much in doubt over what his
version of justice _ought_ to be, but Xingke (who turns up to reassure(?)
Sally) sounds certain he'll get it right eventually.

Once Sally's gone however, Xingke gets down to Real Talk mode with the
eternally pissed-off G-boy.  Yeah, he and Zero helped save the entire Chinese
Federation back when.  Yeah, Xingke would be remiss to not repay the favor in
kind.  But more to the point, even a purportedly mighty warrior like Wufei
will have weaknesses -- and only the bonds that warrior forged by his deeds
offer any chance of salvation when that weakness is laid bare.  Wufei had
better own up to the fact that it's Hiiro, Zero, Karen, and all that bunch that
he's cultivated as his lifeline... whether he likes it or not.

Parenthetically, Xingke is all wracked with cancer and shit -- holding a level
conversation is a colossal battle in its own right.  Is that not a metaphor for
all living creatures, whether or not they take to the field of battle?  If
Wufei's worried about warriors losing their place to do battle, he ought to
start with the question of what it is that saps life from the living.  That's
Wufei's cue to head to Hong Kong, where Z-BLUE will turn up eventually.  Though
the Xingke's divine Tiger-Dragon won't be able to participate, Wufei's got two
Dragon heads on his Gundam now, and at least one of them can stand in for those
people patient enough to talk sense into his thick skull.

Elsewhere, Kaname continues to ponder the shadowy web that seems to be
drawing close around her.  Knowing that Sousuke is out of the picture and
Kouji and the others have their own missions, she's doing the "mustn￾ft mix up
others in my problems" thing and making excuses for distancing herself from
her classmates.

As she does so, the Mithril East Asian intelligence chief has been welcomed
aboard the Celestial Beings' flagship.  "Gavin Hunter" as he names himself
looks like a typical salaryman, explaining that he's far removed from field
work.  Hong Kong, it turns out, is in a panic over a mysterious A.T. that
keeps popping out and blowing shit up.  This elusiveness suggests high-level
jamming befitting an Amalgam operative, and Hunter reckons that operative's
mission is to single-handedly start a war in Hong Kong.

Apparently even in Super Robot Wars, Hong Kong has lingering strife between
the "Northern" and "Southern" factions, both with their own arms and both
interested in each other's destruction.  The mystery A.S. is feeding the
narrative of mutual distrust, and what Hunter wants is for Z-BLUE to catch it.
Sounds like a plan, and unexpectedly Kiriko turns up with a pledge to help
(insofar as it will keep food in his belly).  Goat and the others have already
left for New Japan, and it's just Kiriko and his resolve left here now... an
especially arresting sight to Sousuke.

Kaname's version of taking matters into her own hands is unexpectedly
awesome, insofar as she's actually able to a) notice Wraith, b) disable his
assistance, and c) sneak up on the man himself without his noticing.  Holding
him at gunpoint, Kaname demands to know who he is -- and is hardly impressed
by his claim to be her "bodyguard".  His attempt at backtalk is cut very short
by the Jewel sisters, which Wraith had vaguely sensed were sneaking around
but could _not_ intercept.

After shooting Wraith, Yu Lan tries to stab Kaname to death -- and only
Sousuke's earring (which turns out to be a flash grenade) saves her.  ...If
"save" is the word, given who turns up next.  Leonard tells her that there are
two types of women in the world: ones suited to rain and ones not... that she's
clearly the former should be taken as the highest compliment.  Kaname rapidly
figures out from Leonard's features and hair color that he's somehow related to
Tessa, even as Leonard (aka "Mr. Ag") tells Yu Lan to stop playing dead and to
give up on killing Tessa.

As it is, the Jewel sisters are both going against the will of Amalgam, and
Leonard is willing to help defend Yu Lan _if_ she explains what her sister is
doing raising hell in an A.T. in Hong Kong.  Yu Lan isn't having it for a
moment, determined to carry out revenge in the name of her former teacher, and
would rather roll the dice on taking out Leonard himself.  That runs her afoul
of someone (or something) named Arastol, who Leonard orders to ensure her
complete neutralization.  Yikes.

With Yu Lan gruesomely snapped into bits, Leonard calmly explains that the Plan
1211 Arastol is basically the world's most compact A.S., and basically his
personal bodyguard.  He appears to have fallen in love with Kaname, with all
her shifting moods and outbursts of violence, and points out that he hasn't
killed as many people as her boyfriend has.  Kaname is going to have a hard
time shutting him up with logic, but her emotional hatred of him is enough to
make him take off for now... Yu Lan's corpse in tow.  Meanwhile it seems that
Wraith is still (barely) alive, determined to get his own ass to the hospital
without Kaname's help for the sake of his pride.

..Man, talk about a rough day for Kaname.  But she's not throwing in the towel
yet.  The question turns to Sousuke, who's been prescribed a rather unusual
method of harmonizing with his mech.  Ian and Tielia have him talk to "Al" the
A.I. in "Education Mode", which he tells it he's activated on a "whim".  After
explaining what a "whim" is, he asks the engineers if this is really worth
the time.  After all, "Al" is just a computer -- not human.  Tielia smiles
and points out that he too isn't "human"... Innovade that he is.  How, he asks
Sousuke, is he any different from Al?

Sousuke thinks quickly and says that at least, Al is an imperfect combat
system -- which All to his surprise confirms.  But, continues Al, Sousuke
shares responsibility for that, given that the ARX _including_ its pilot is a
single unified combat platform.  It asks him to name whatever it is that's
troubling him, in the hopes that it might help him solve it.  This pisses
Sousuke off and makes him demand what Al thinks he knows of Sousuke, and Al
says that it's a question of intuition.  And intuition, despite Sousuke's
attempt to order Al to shut his intuition up, isn't something that one can
command: it wells forth from the depths of the spirit.

Sousuke is getting into a full-fledged argument with his mech, which Tielia and
Ian smirk is a sign that, on some level, Sousuke must accept its feedback as
genuine despite his protestations.  When Sousuke doesn't immediately go "duh,
how could I have been so stupid", Tielia stops smirking and recommends Sousuke
stop trying to simply deny things just because he can't understand them.  He
knows that Sousuke sees in Fiana's death the possibility of Kaname dying too.

As a certain sort of back-handed kindness, Mao orders Sousuke to stay and mind
the fort for the next mission: she's not comfortable trusting him with her
back in his current state.  Kodama's advice to Sousuke is to keep talking to
Al, adding that all of them will be waiting for his return.  Before sortieing
himself, Kiriko asks Sousuke if he's ever thought about dying.  Whatever
he does, Sousuke shouldn't inflict what he's going through now on the woman he
loves.  Now _there_ is a thought.  ...A thought that gets back-burnered by a
phone call from someone calling themselves "Nine Dragon"...

At long last the mystery A.S. shows up... with some friends, which would
suggest that the need for secrecy may be past.  Perhaps that A.S. wasn't trying
to start a war, but rather to lure the S.R.T. into a trap?  Well, as the team
readies for battle, Sousuke is off on his own.  Yu Fan figures her mission is
about over: she's just got to keep Z-BLUE busy while her teacher settles the
score with "him".  Kodama is taking Sousuke's difficulties especially hard,
given that Sousuke is the first friend he ever made at this school.

 For reasons unclear, Sousuke is wandering around the town in some kind of</pre><pre id="faqspan-11">
 stupor: he _literally_ runs into Beck for instance.  Yeah, Beck is somehow
 on the scene.  Anyway, he decides to leave Sousuke be on the theory that the
 kid is already dead on the inside.

Okay so maybe Sousuke's not as dead as he seems.  Instead, he's got a little
meeting to attend -- with Gaulun!  Who, it turns out, lived through the
self-destruction of his mecha thanks to its Lambda Driver... though it's left
him in rather poor shape and he prefers to stay beneath the bed sheets.
Sousuke angrily brushes aside his twisted attempts at small talk, and
eventually learns that Amalgam does indeed have a Whispered of its own...
The problem is that none of the Whispered seem to have a complete set of their
esoteric knowledge.

For this reason, every new Whispered has to be screened to find out what areas
they're strong in.  Apart from the fact that she _is_ a Whispered, Gaulun
wasn't told what Kaname's strong suit is.  Sousuke goes so far as to plead with
him to reveal more info about the higher-ups in Amalgam, and that bugs Gaulun
a lot.  What drew him to Sousuke when they met as fellow mercs five years ago
was Sousuke's eyes -- eyes that felt neither fear or grief, hesitation or even
anger.  The eyes of a saint.  But sure as hell not now -- why the hell would
a kindred spirit to Gaulun go and try to become a normal person?!

Long story short, all the tormenting and mind games are a ploy to keep Sousuke
in the room long enough for the bomb that's been planted there to go off.
Gaulun himself is nowhere to be found other than via a voice on a radio.  The
blast coincides with the arrival of Gates, who seems determined to keep Ho Fan
from self destructing instead of letting Z-BLUE capture her.  Seeing him may
actually be a plus though, since it was Amalgam forces like him originally
responsible for the war that made the Jewel sisters orphans in the first
place.  Taking him out would certainly let her sister rest in peace.

Speaking of whom, Gates has Ho Lan's corpse on hand, intimating strongly that
he's done very very bad things to it in order to provoke Ho Fan into a
careless attack.  Everything about how he kills her off is wrong, and just for
even more good measure he claims that Z-BLUE showing him what Lambda Driver
combat looks like is why he's now got a whole squadron of Lambda-equipped
mecha on hand.  And Z-BLUE gets to be their first victims.

NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND.  Beck is on hand, having been hired by Ho Fan to help
in her mission... and in fact he hasn't been paid yet.  Well like, what if
Gates paid him in her stead?  Major headaches for Z-BLUE, especially without
a certain someone active on the field.  This sparks a major argument in the
TdD's bridge, where Tessa ends up yelling at Mardukas to believe both in
Sousuke, and in her decision to _trust_ Sousuke, to save all their bacon.

Speaking of Sousuke, he is of course not dead, having jumped out the window
at the precise moment of the blast AND managed to soak-roll his fall from
three stories up.  He's physically fine, but spiritually crushed when Wufei
finds him.  So _this_ is what Xingke meant about war being bad for the soul.

Normally one might hope that after serving as the writers' chew toy for no
apparent reason long enough, Our Hero(tm) would have an epiphany and get back
to kicking ass and chewing bubblegum.  In this case however, what it takes is
the return of Kaname and her harisen.  Well whatever, Wufei's got his answer
to the meaning of life, and after a little pep talk about how Sousuke might
suck, but even deeper than the suckage is the man she... she...

She can't quite say that she "loves" him at this point in the plot, but he's
heard what he needs to hear to get back in the saddle.  With a final assist
from Wufei to return to his mech (thanks to Xingke for setting Wufei straight!)
Sousuke is rejoined with Al, who he admits (with a smile) has a better sense
of humor than he does.  As the rest of the team cheers him on, Sousuke gets
busy making up for lost time.

 Things get serious when Gates accuses Suzune of having an "improper" student-
 teacher relationship.  That hits waaaay too close to home, and Suzune orders
 Kodama to waste this asshole until not even gluons remain.

Once Gates is finally consigned to death, Al asks Sousuke why the battle went
so much better this time.  Sousuke smiles and says enigmatically that he's
solved a problem they both shared.  In essence, he's gone from being a
"soldier" to a "warrior" (Wufei's words) and reached the conclusion that like,
keeping Kaname close beside him is really best for everyone.

Cue a little conference with the Mithril higher-ups, where Sousuke seriously
chews out the general in charge of the security division.  This actually
earns him a commendation of sorts from Mallory, the guy in overall charge.
Once the conference call is over, Sumeragi herds Tessa's second in command out
so Sousuke and Tessa can have a long-overdue chat.

In fact, it's the announcement of the impending conference in space with Char
that cuts the conversation short this time.  And although Kaname will be
staying behind in Japan for now, she's not too bad at looking after herself
(as the still-convalescent Wraith can attest).  In fact, Wraith isn't quite the
old paunchy guy he looks like, and at Kaname and AG's urging he will, just
once, reveal his actual face.  He, by the way, is a she...



[I kept the M route because I roll like that.]

----------
CHAPTER 41. Two Red Comets

Remember Mareeda?  Kinda maybe a thing with Banarj, rough childhood, all that?
She wakes up from a terrifying nightmare in the Ner Argama's infirmary, finding
Banarj and the ship's doctor Hasan watching over her.  Her expectations of
being treated like a prisoner of war are hastily dashed, since Amuro (and
Camille and Banarj) were strongly opposed to keeping her in restraints.
Camille for instance has dealt with his share of Fortified Humans, and from all
Banarj has said Mareeda is far more stable than most.  Banarj is glad Mareeda
is okay, but that only slightly takes the sting off Daguza's death -- which
he still blames himself for.

Camille points out that Daguza died doing what he wanted: his duty: this is the
Truth(tm) and Banarj knows it, admitting as much in a display of self-honesty
that Mareeda is sure must relate to how well Banarj can utilize his Gundam.
That's a feat she, a created being, doubts she could ever achieve.  She sees
herself as an imperfect, servile being subject to her Master's prejudices, and
wants nothing LESS than to see Banarj suffer what she's gone through.  If he
can but stay true to himself, surely he can awaken the OTHER system slumbering
within his Gundam.

That may or may not refer to the Laplace Program, but Mareeda's endurance is
nearing its end so there won't be more said on that topic.  Camille assures
her that she'll soon be near Char (not that she, a rank-and-file soldier, had
heard anything about the upcoming summit), and that she'll be transferred back
to Neo Jion without any unpleasantries.

Kodama can either join the pilots in reminiscing, or not.

 If not, he chats with Suzune about the pivotalness of Char's little
 conference and the likelihood that Geminis will try something.  He has Suzune
 make apologizes to the other pilots for him, but unlike the start of the
 game this appears to her to be genuine soul-searching and not mere lonerism.

Char opts to go do his conference on his own, taking only his mobile suit with
him.  Hamarn and Full Frontal are worried that something might happen to him,
but Char is 100% convinced the Z-BLUE won't try anything stupid: if nothing
else, every major assassination in the past has just led to more war.  Hamarn
doesn't trust it and wants to come along, but Char is adamant that the only
guards he'll be taking along are Gyunei and Quess.  He leaves Hamarn and
Full stewing and arguing with each other, and it seems clear that one way or
another, this peace conference is going to affect all their fates...

The talks are "informal", meaning that everyone gets to basically drop the
politico-speak and get to brass tacks.  Lelouch goes so far as to take his
mask off, the better to look Char in the eye, and states in no uncertain terms
that the team wants no part of how Char is changing the world.  Hamarn, who's
come along after all, calls this a direct affront to the Spacenoids, and warns
that Z-BLUE had better come with all the Earthnoids in tow if they want to
pursue that line any further.  Au contraire: Z-BLUE fights on behalf of ALL
humans, Colonial types or not, and the bad guys corrupting the Federation won't
be spared Z-BLUE's wrath either.  Char figures he can't wait for that, acting
as though he's got a master plan to salvage everything for everybody.

Unlikely, but that can wait for later.  At Char's request, Roger's set it up
so all the Z-BLUE folks are watching this live on their monitors.  Char's
stated purpose for these talks is NOT to stop the war, but rather to save the
world from the Baals and Eternity Flat through other means.  To explain the
plan, he's had Nanai bring Traia up from the Surface (escorted in by Camille,
who Char seems to feel a regret or two about "betraying").

But before explaining the Plan, a reminder.  If Eternity Flat happens, all
life on Earth will stagnate and plot towards a slow thermodynamic death.  But
the hardening of Earth's dimensional walls will also protect it from the Baals,
which have to warp in from the galactic center.  Which is preferable?  Amuro
isn't willing to have this small group choose: the fate of man should be in the
hands of all mankind.  With no objections, Traia tells the team she's got a
theoretical way to cause a Spacetime Quake -- but what's needed is a large
amount of Dimensional Energy she doesn't know how to obtain.  How much are we
talking about?  Like, over 3X the combined output of Rand, Setsuko AND Crow.

Traia even contacted Margret (who's hanging out on Mars through all of this),
confirming that even advanced Insalaum science can barely cause a regular
Dimensional Quake with the dread power of a ZONE -- artificially causing a
Spacetime Quake is basically unthinkable.  Now, the fact that Gadlight
seemingly _can_ cause Spacetime Quakes may be a testament to his power level
being much greater than Crow and the others, but he's not likely to lend a
hand either.

Solution: instead of busting out of the Time Dungeon, it may be possible to
perform Dimensional Healing.  Kei once pulled it off after all, by contacting
the Greater Singularity responsible for his own world's spacetime troubles.
The trick will be finding that Greater Singularity, and _that_ is why Char has
summoned Z-BLUE for these talks.  He knows he can't move freely on the
Earth's surface, and wants Z-BLUE to do so on his behalf -- the Federation as
a whole has been compromised by Chrono and can't be trusted.

 Amuro can believe Char or not.  If he does so, it's reluctantly... but he's
 got a grudging respect for Char and wants to believe there's more to him than
 just an egotistical view of mankind.  The uneasy truce is therefore struck,
 and Kei warns everyone that whatever the Greater Singularity turns out to be,
 it's likely to be something people would be willing to fight over.  Should
 the team find it, they'd better keep it secret.

Truce in place, Char has one more favor: he wants the use of the Wing Gundam
Zero.  While that gets arranged, Traia goes to say hi to the other pilots.
Esther, she promises, will rejoin the team once a little errand she's on
concludes.  That's a promises that may be easier said than kept, if Traia's
expression is an indicator.  Char in any case seems to want answers from the
Zero system, and one can only hope that it won't forge his fears into an
unconquerable monster as it's done in the past.

Hiiro unsurprisingly won't yield with Zero without at least a warning first:
Char gets to use it _only_ if he can master the thing.  And if he can't,
several MS's are on standby ready to blow him to kingdom come.  Char's last
words before sealing the cockpit are to Camille, asking him to believe in him.
Gyunei warns Camille against making too much of that, which sort of proves how
much he (secretly) cares for Char.  Quess and Hathaway too get a little
understanding-each-other time in while Char's busy... just as Char evidently
planned.  If so, that means he may be more grown up than Amuro credited him
for.

As she transfers Mareeda to Hamarn's care, Reiam takes the liberty of noting
that the wounds covering her body seem to have been made by something other
than combat or even training.  Hamarn snaps that her wounds, and her tortured
past, all stem from the Federations' defeat of the original Jion -- and the
fate that one imagines awaits any woman thereby left to her own devices.  But
hey, that's war for you.  Heck, that could have been her (yes, Reiam is a she,
despite the character portrait...) if not for a quirk of fate or two.

Hamarn then asks for a moment with Mareeda alone, explaining that her anger
about the inquiry into Mareeda's past is on behalf of her as a woman... and as
a human.  She's fairly confident that Reiam got the message, and commends
Mareeda on growing as a human being herself.  Audrey seems determined to
do likewise, concealing herself from the Neo Jion contingent for now... and
Hamarn finds herself thinking that it might be for the best to leave Audrey
be.  There's no place for her in the new order, and Hamarn is definitely about
the _Neo_-Jion, not the old and busted version.

What's Char seeing?  A vision of space... a nightmare perhaps.  Or perhaps a
visit from Lalah, whose soul is still hanging around after all this time.  She
quotes Amuro as saying that one day mankind will learn to control time.  Her
wish for him is to make a break with the past, and continue forward with a
clear conscience.  A tall order it sounds like.

Anyway, Char emerges from the Zero Gundam with his mind intact, but before
he can convey what he learned from it, a bunch of Invaders show up.  Insofar
as this means the dimensional walls around this area aren't totally shut yet,
this is a certain sort of good news.  Amuro wouldn't have expected to fight
by Char's side ever again, and admits that he understands Char _less_ now than
before.  Char smiles and says he understands himself less also.  Is Gyunei
jealous?  Of course he is.  And as for Mareeda, Hamarn gives her the rather
hypocritical advice to not be too hard on herself.

Unsurprisingly, a few Space Monsters and Invaders are no match for Z-BLUE
_plus_ the Neo-Jion stalwarts.  Noting that there's worse things than
fighting by Amuro's side, he orders Gyunei and Quess to stay with Z-BLUE and
heads off.  Hamarn also allows Mineva to stay with Z-BLUE (secretly, to help
keep Audrey safe) -- while she won't forgive Camille's intrusion into her
mind, she _does_ have high hopes for him and Banarj in the battles to come.
Oddly, that means it'll be just her and Char on the way back to their flagship.

Gyunei's standoffishness mirrors what Camille was like when he was young...
which may be why Camille is so good at handling the guy now.  Quess too may
have some difficulties fitting in, if only out of her poorly articulated
jealousy for Chain.  But that's the Jersey Shore bullshit; the real question
is what's going on in Char's pretty little head.

Amuro reckons that the guy's grown up quite a bit, but as a result feels a need
to shoulder everyone's burdens himself.  Zero concurs, and the implication is
that someone's got to stop Char before he follows too many of Treize's
footsteps.  That might be Amuro, though he wouldn't want to deprive Wufei of
the chance if he wants it.  For now it's in Z-BLUE's interest to hold up their
end of the bargain and get busy hunting Singularities.... though, Amuro finds
himself wondering precisely what Char was looking for with the Zero System.

Back aboard his flagship, Char does Full Frontal the honor of filling him in
on the Singularity hunt.  He asks if Full would prefer an oblivious death or
utter devastation (i.e. Eternity Flat, or the Baals).  Full wants the former,
supposing that that stasis would allow human rationality to persist forever.
Char calls that "optimistic" with a hint of irony that Full, in kind, calls
very "grown-up".  Char scowls, and repeats his previous question of who,
precisely, Full Frontal is.

The man burdened with succeeding to the Red Comet moniker, for starters.  He
defines "Full Frontal" as meaning a man who will lead the world down the right
path, with basically shows that the guy's never even HEARD of pr0n, or the
Internet, much less seen it.  His words, however, echo those of Lalah, which
has Char _very_ concerned.  Nevertheless, he entrusts Full Frontal with blowing
the crap out of the main Federation army in the meantime.

Meanwhile, it seems Saigas has been elevated by the exalted Council of
Thirteen to a probationary Chrono member.  He's now part of the job of
observing human evolution in action, and his task to get out of probation will
be to silence the Spacenoids.  After dismissing him, "King" curses him for a
base motherfucker, and "Queen" wonders why he should even be admitted at all.
Extremism has laid the Titans and Blue Cosmos low, and led to the rise of
folks like Treize and now Char.  King responds that Chrono must remain true
to its principles, favoring the ends over the means.

Besides, Saigas is merely a temporary workaround for the open chairs on the
council left by Ioria Schenberg and Elgan Roddick's absences.  _Those_ two are
responsible for fracturing Chrono, with the revolutionaries providing aid to
Anaheim Electronics and ultimately to Z-BLUE itself.  King decides Char and
Z-BLUE, caged birds that they are, should be left alone in favor of Chrono
carrying out its proper mission.  This guarding of mankind stuff has a pretty
nice recompense for its followers: eternity.  And the infidels to the cause
will receive Retribution very soon now, just before the curtain rises on a new
era...

At the D-Traders, Gyunei gets treated to a procession of the Z-BLUE robot
members... a daunting lineup indeed when Black Ox is included.


[Route split]

So who or what is this Greater Singularity, one wonders.  Something to do with
getting the world into its current mixed-up state, and probably to do with
ZEUTH and ZEXIS if Tessa's intuition is right.  In effect, Z-BLUE's search
for the Greater Singularity probably just amounts to keeping on fighting like
they have been, accelerating ever faster towards the moment when time stops
altogether.  There's also backup plans to consider, such as the one that Lloyd
and Lakshata and friends are helping with.  Things are so busy in fact that
Tessa is getting pretty exhausted.  Should she take a little vacation?

 [What the hell?  The world's in danger but HEY BALI'S NICE THIS TIME OF YEAR!
 Anyways, for vacation, go to 42V.  To be a workaholic, and in some way make
 up for Tessa's former attempt to monopolize Sousuke, go to 42W.]


-----------
CHAPTER 42V. The Day the Goddess Came

Annalotta is moping hard enough to put Gadlight off his hooch, and that can't
be a good thing.  Gadlight, it turns out, has been listening to a lot of bar
gossip while pickling his liver, and has heard of this interesting Earth custom
for people wanting to poison someone.  Take lots of poisonous insects, cram
them into a jar together, and the last one alive is the one you harvest your
poison from.  He thinks this is the greatest thing since sliced bread,
demonstrating how little he (or the writers?) know about metabolic differences
among species.  But whatever, it's an analogy.  Seeing Annalotta's still out of
sorts, he recommends she go and obliterate whatever's bugging her -- the
implication I guess being that he himself _can't_ and it's driving him to
drink.  BOTH of these psychopaths need therapy.

Meanwhile, all the kid pilots are back in school (except of course for MIX,
who's off experiencing God-knows-what).  Apparently Tessa's version of taking a
vacation is to act like a transfer student and come visit the team -- much to
Sousuke's shock.  She'll be there for a week, and as Mardukas (who's lurking
around also) sternly reminds Sousuke, her safety will be Sousuke's
responsibility.  ...And if any _funny_ business should happen, Mardukas vows
literally nuclear retribution.

So, the tired gag goes like this: fish-out-of-water Tessa, plus terrified
Sousuke trying to keep all guys away from her, equals hilarity.  And lots of
phone calls back to the fleet to bitch to their friends.  There's to be a week-
end party at the Kurogane-ya, and Mardukas has Hiiro and the others on some
kind of special duty at that time.  Probably something to do with the fact that
the Kurogane-ya is a _hot_spring_ and, well, peeping opportunities abound.

Boss and his lackeys have collaborated with Kurtz to do just that, though
they were probably doomed the moment they recruited a hapless Kodama to
unknowingly help them.  So while the sane guys are enjoying a pleasant soak in
Atami's famous mineral water, Boss and co. are dodging landmines and running
afoul of ALL FIVE of the G-boys.  Kodama, thinking this is some kind of
training, arranges for Kurtz to hurry on ahead.

This turns into a weird excuse for he, in a rather disheveled state, to run
into Annalotta of all people.  They don't recognize each other (of course), and
find each other very attractive on first sight (of course), and get
interrupted (of course) by a Firebug terrorist attack.  Kurtz meanwhile gets
intercepted at the last moment by a bazooka-toting Bonta-kun.  In the process
of blowing the crap out of him, Sousuke manages to breach the wall between the
male and female halves of the baths (giving a very nice view to both sides)
and inadvertently stopping Gates (who's got the Firebugs on his payroll) as
a side effect.  About the only one genuinely enjoying the chaos is a very
smug (and very naked) C.C.

The point of this whole farce is that the Firebugs are still smarting from the
loss of their leader "Princess" (remember her?), a domineering, evilly playful
presence that gave their lives meaning.  They've recruited Beck, Gates and
even Kan Yur to help them kidnap their new Princess: you guessed it, Tessa.
It'll take the Z-BLUE fleet a little while to arrive, so it falls to Bonta-kun
and Boss's crew to hold the fort (what with Tsubasa away on an "errand").

 Turns out that Kodama helped shield Annalotta from the bazooka blast, and
 with her out of danger he tries to head into town to do something to save
 the people.  Is that "Justice" speaking in his words?  Nope, he's just doing
 what he inherently feels is right.  Good policy, says Annalotta as she
 finally introduces herself.  Now it's her turn to protect him, and though
 she knows she's not really qualified to play "good guy" these days, she's
 had enough of the Firebugs' rampage.

 What's gotten into her?  Maybe it was something she saw in Kodama's eyes --
 something that reminds her of her commander's.  Seems her trip to the hot
 spring has been less relaxing and more vexing.  When Z-BLUE take the field,
 Kodama introduces himself too: the two aren't _not_ enemies, but maybe at
 least for today they can be friends?

All's well that ends well?  This time, anyway.  The Kurogane-ya staff through
a big party for the team -- possibly their last for a long, long while since
Tsubasa is still incommunicado.  Boss and the crew did not get a single glimpse
of womanflesh out of their indentured servitude, but Kurtz (who did) is
feeling pretty good about himself.  He won't tell the womenfolk that it was
Sousuke piloting Bonta-kun when it blew open that wall, in return for him not
telling Mardukas that Kurtz was trying to peep in the first place.  The G-boys
however are putting this on Webber's tab...

As the Five Poker-faces do a round of karaoke, Kodama goes to check in on the
kids (whose bouts of terror are getting worse as Eternity Flat approaches)...
and their nurse Maki.  Kodama's coy on just how attached he is or isn't to
Maki, but one thing he's quite certain of: Gadlight, Annalotta and their crew
don't get to have their way with the Earth on _his_ watch!

Oh, and get this: the scary custodians of the Kurogane-ya will be tagging
along with the team and... helping AG!  He's not 100% thrilled...


-----------
CHAPTER 42W. Mannerless Fancy-Z

Same conversation between Gadlight and Annalotta.  This time however, because
the team are being workaholics, it's all about a week of picking up trash...
and it's Kaname, hanging out with a troubled classmate, who runs into
Annalotta by chance.  She teaches the foreigner how to eat a Trident-Yaki, not
knowing that trouble is approaching fast.  It's Yasu of all people, here on a
little errand for the Ryuujin Council... a rival yakuza faction to the
Mikihara Group, whose leader's daughter Ren is that troubled fellow student.

Yasu promises mayhem if Ren resists, but just then Kodama and crew show up to
defend their classmate.  The Kurogane-ya gang were hired by Boss, who had no
idea the target _he_ was hired for was one of Kouji's friends.  Things nearly
get ugly before Kaname steps in and gets the Kurogane-ya folks to defer the
fight until tomorrow, in a place without lots of nearby businesses to trash.

This then becomes how Kodama and Annalotta meet.  Fast forward to the
appointed showdown in the park, which turns into an all-out war between the
two sides -- more evenly matched than one might expect.  Annalotta turns up,
rooting for the kid with the long black hair, and gets very sad-face when
Kaname tells her Kodama's name.  With the battle deadlocked (and Sousuke
nowhere in sight), the Kurogane-ya gang bust out their secret weapon: Boss and
his robot!  Mazinger-Z can't be summoned in time to combat it, but Bonta-kun
can!  Annalotta is smitten, Kaname is aghast, and Boss is about to be so much
road pizza.

Mmm, pizza.  Pizza is not what you'd call authentic Italian food, and the
Firebugs are not what you'd call authentic Italian mafiosi... but sometimes
cultural fusion is just the way things work out.  Apparently the mafia plans to
oust all the yakuza in the area, and using Ren as leverage fits their plan.
That is, until Kaname gets bossy with them, and they decide on the spot to
make her their new Princess (recall: their old boss lady got killed off in a
previous game).

Annalotta has had enough of this horseshit and pulls out her own mech, giving
them one warning before filling them full of lead.  From this point on it's
basically like the battle on the other path, save for the much more difficult
Skill Point condition.

..More difficult conceptually, though the battle itself actually goes faster
if you do it right.  Apparently the spectacle is enough to put the fear of
Gawd into both yakuza factions, especially since they now know they face a
common enemy.  A little "show of force" (from Bonta-kun, it sounds like) at
the Ryuujin Council's headquarters and all is well again.  Kaname thanks
Sousuke for taking the special assignment to guard Red, though he's a bit sad
that he ended up needing Annalotta's help.  Annalotta didn't seem like that
bad a person _in_ person, though her organization is sure making life hell for
many many people.  After a moment's thought, Sousuke remarks that very few
wars are fought purely between "good" and "bad" people... though at the least
the Geminis folks are certainly _an_ enemy here.

Insert Kodama's little trip to the hospital from the other path.


----------
CHAPTER 43. The Entrance to Hades

Char has decided to have a little chat with Rilina... not that it accomplishes
much beyond letting Char stroke his ego a bit.  His rationale for keeping up
the war, in the face of both Eternity Flat and the menace of the shadowy
Chrono forces, is that mankind will need to evolve _after_ defeating those more
immediate threats.  Rilina sees war itself as an immediate threat, but good
luck getting Char to hear any of that.

Poor Annalotta.  Apparently she fails both at having a relaxing vacation AND at
sorting her feelings out about her sworn enemy.  Gadlight doesn't let her drown
her sorrows in alkie, reminding her that (in theory) he's ruining his liver
voluntarily, not as some kind of escape.  He likes the way rage and resignation
melt together in his glass.  Is that what she saw in Kodama's eyes?  At any
rate, Gadlight is sure the Earthlings have no way out of Eternity Flat, and
neither he nor Annalotta think it's particularly merciful to let them simply
succumb when November 11 rolls around.  Certainly, the idea of a merciful God
drives Gadlight further into his cups: a sotted, blowsy asswipe if ever I've
seen one.

Both Gadlight and the Devil are all looking forward to the impending time when
Ill Omens cover the skies and mankind knows Despair(tm).  Apparently the Ill
Omens are actually a "they", and "they" have a similar power level to the
Devil himself.  All advanced sentient life can theoretically reach that state,
but these crappy Earthlings and their staying stuck in the Age of the Sun...
well, they're just DOOMED or some shit.  Basically, Ghoula has to haul ass if
he's to have any chance of taking over the Earth -- and settling the score
with Shotarou -- before it gets hosed.

Shotarou meanwhile is totally pining away for Ghoula in ways that must gladden
every yaoi shota fan's heart.  It reminds Takeru of the fiasco with his brother
Marg, where evil and brainwashing combined with Tragic Effect(tm).
Fundamentally, there's no hope for Ghoula as long as he remains the devout son;
unless you're Basara and think you can even move mountains by singing at them.
Better yet, unless you're Tom Bombadil and might actually stand a chance of
_succeeding_.

Anyway, Ghoula brought loads of troops to face the demoralized Shotarou.  One
ludicrous performance from Basara and a round of teammate encouragement later,
Shotarou is ready to stop his friend from doing anything stupid.

 However, that's predicated on the idea that Ghoula _wants_ to be his friend.
 In fact, Ghoula wants to be his, and all living things', enemy.  He finds
 the Earthlings stupidity in not grasping that amusing, as does Mikage when
 he turns up.  Mylene has had it up to here with people looking down on her,
 and launches into a stirring(??) rendition of My Friends.

 She at least succeeds in pissing Mikage off, which Ozuma declares is proof
 that Mikage actually _wants_ love and friendship, insofar as he's spending
 so much energy trying to pretend they don't matter.  Mikage responds by
 dispatching more goons to shut the music up, and Roger realizes he somehow
 knows this Mikage guy deep within his sealed memories.

 Basara doesn't like his music being messed with, and powers up Dynamite
 Explosion loudly enough to make Mikage leave in a huff.  Ghoula is impressed
 that the Power of Life could drive away one of the Winged, and decides to
 call it a day himself.  Mankind ain't getting off easy though: Omens and
 Sky and "them" and all that junk await!

There's something awfully familiar about the Altairan commander Mikage left
behind, at least from Andy's perspective.  And when the commander muses that
fighting him feels like there's a "hole" in their heart, it's TOTALLY NOT
FORESHADOWING.  Totally.  Well whatever the Altairans want, it seems they'll
have to hurry to get it before Eternity Flat -- just like Ghoula.  With all
this talk of Omens, Kouji is just starting to wonder if that's why his mom's
missing when... Ashura pops up.  Man, the coincidences in this universe, I
swear.

So Ashura, it turns out, is finally all alone with his grudge against Kouji.
S/he wants one final fight in three days￾f time at the Science Fortress Island
lab.  Kouji doesn't even hesitate in deciding to take him up on it.

Meanwhile Ghoula seems mystified why the humans would choose "ruin" over
letting him kill them.  Robby suggests it's now their duty to stick around and
watch humanity die in the war between Gods and Demons.  But will that really
bring Kouji's end, as Ashura seems to hope...


----------
CHAPTER 44. God, and Demon, and Man

Tsubasa's heard about Ashura's planned blaze-of-glory stunt, which brings
her mental checklist of people to kill down to one: her husband Kenzou.  Off
him, and her family's disastrous history with Bardos Island will finally end.
Kouji knows nothing of this new round to his parents' grudge match, focusing
instead on the question of _why_ Ashura still insists on fighting him -- after
all, the two joined forces in good faith to defeat Dr. Hell, who'd been using
Ashura all those years.

Kouji goes outside to think, which Sayaka takes as her cue to make a romantic
gesture and "comfort" the guy, or something.  This gets promptly kiboshed when
an entire gaggle of pilots turn up to offer Kouji their own moral support.
Well hell, with all that moral support, who need's Sayaka's IMmoral support??
Maybe just a little cuddling once the busybodies have left -- after all, this
ain't the final battle in this game...

Suzune teases Sayaka about looking a little short on sleep the next morning,
prompting Misato to ask if she's jealous.  Suzune smiles and reminds her of
an old saying: who are the three sisters who befriend all single women?  Misato
doesn't disappoint by knowing the answer: Netami (Jealousy), Higami (Bias), and
Sonemi (Envy).  Suzune (claims to have) meant that as a throw-away joke to
lighten the mood, but it's got several of the single pilots all crying in their
beer.  Kouji at least appreciates the humor, and although F.S. is worried
about an ulterior motive for this battle, there's no turning back now.  Ashura
knows s/he is going to Hell, and intends to take as many people with him/her
as possible!

 Tsubasa has a strange sense of justice, intending to punish herself for
 Kenzou's death by blowing both of them away with a Photon Power bomb.  Kenzou
 had apparently dispatched Ankokuji to avert this, but thanks to Advent's
 interference no such message was delivered.  Kenzou's apparently decided to
 sever his own Kedora-infested body somewhere around collar-bone level in a
 bid to revive his own personality... a move Tsubasa has little sympathy for,
 given how Kenzou infected himself with Kedora of his own free will.

 Supposedly the Right Arm of Zeus (which got hauled back to the Photon Power
 Lab from Bardos, if you recall) is what catalyzed his return to sanity.  He's
 be watching up for the forces of Dr. Hell ever since, using Gamia-Q as his
 agent, but with Dr. Hell now dead he had thought his work was done.  But
 then Ashura resurfaced: the focal point for all the Mikeene mess plaguing
 the Mazinger world.  And with the Evil Omens now aloft...

 Ashura's final round of mecha offer no more token resistance than a Chuck E.
 Cheeses.  But when it comes to his/her beloved Garuda K7 and Dablas M2,
 Ashura is less Nolan Bushnell and more Patrick McGoohan: "Dem bones gonna
 rise again / So heed the word of the Lord".  Which bodes ill for mankind, if
 Tsubasa's frantic appearance on the scene is any indication.  As "thanks" for
 sticking with him/her through this charade, Ashura momentarily breaks the
 Time Dungeon.  Wait, why?

 Turns out that Dr. Hell wasn't actually focused on fighting Kouji and co
 all this time.  Instead, he was trying to grab Photon Power for his Hell
 Lord Gordon, so _it_ could face down the Mikeene when they finally returned
 to power.  _That_ is what Tristan and Isolde (the two halves of Ashura) were
 meant to bring about: the reawakening after thousands of years of the elder
 Mikeene gods.  And Dr. Hell's mind-controlling of Ashura wasn't so much about
 gaining Mikeene's secrets for himself, but rather about keeping Tristan and
 Isolde's mission from completing.

And if people had listened to Tsubasa instead of allowing Ashura to monologue
unimpeded, that might still have been possible.  Instead, the world kind of
ends, or at least a decent facsimile thereof.  The Gods of Olympus (so-called)
are awake, and the Devil and Mikage are here to welcome them.  Hardes seems
rather upset to have been awakened from his slumber, and as a greater god his
anger can potentially trash everything in sight.  The lesser gods figure that
quieting him down will require slaughtering all humans in sight.  The Devil
wisely withdraws from the Earth now that the Olympians are back, and Mikage
smirks to Izumo that their little Rhea Igler gathering operation has just
gotten cancelled.

C.C. and Lelouch know that these so-called "gods" are the real deal -- the same
sort of thing Charles was trying to become.  But that doesn't stop Kouji from
vowing a display of just how puny the humans AREN'T.  Hardes gives people two
turns to kill his peers, and give him credit: the lesser Mikeene gods are still
tough enough that they can't really be killed in a single action -- or even
two actions unless you're making copious use of Support Attack and have a lot
of dough invested in weapons upgrades.  Did I mention they've also got Double
Motion?

 As for Hardes himself, well, he calls the battle off if his HP drop below
 20k.  Now, there's ways of doing that much damage to him in a single action,
 but given how he comes out of left field (literally, there's a field, and
 he's in the left portion thereof), not to mention the 2-turn time limit, it's
 a somewhat tall order.

 Even if you manage it, Kouji gets his ass all but demolished with a single
 attack.  He manages to fire a Bing Bang Punch, apparently at nothing in
 particular, and as he loses consciousness a new dimensional warpage occurs.
 In comes Zeus, or at least a temporary facsimile, to knock Hardes back on his
 heels.  Hardes knows that Zeus isn't back for realz, and gloats that he
 should return to the rift between dimensions and grab some popcorn... so he
 can watch the Baals rip his beloved humans to shreds.

 The Olympians may be "gods", and the Baals may be "demons", but if so the
 puny humans are just that: puny humans, nothing more.  Life forms have
 twelve millennia to reach the seat of Godhood, and when that circle closes,
 anyone who hasn't managed it is fated for destruction.

Or, so he says.  Is it time to get depressed over the obvious difference in
power scales?  HELL NAW HE REPLIED.  Zeus for instance, a god in his own
right, was in fact saved by unconsciousness-boy, which was the whole point of
leaving his right arm behind way back when.  Zeus leaves a message for Kouji
before vanishing again: "Where there is hope, there is light".

Back in Paradigm City, Gadlight is laughing his ass off at the mess Ashura
caused.  He fully expects mankind to _not_ be able to turn the tables as they
claim to have done in the past, and finds hilarity in the thought of what
they'll try to pull anyway before failing.  Angel then walks up and asks him
to calm down (it is a public bar and all), accepting his offer of a drink out
of "boredom".  He finds this city to be paradise, where boredom and such reign
supreme.  Angel's not so sure, given how this past-less and future-less town
feels more like a dungeon.  Gadlight doesn't like her name, but thinks
everything else about her is perfect.  Gadlight proposes a toast to forgetting
all today's troubles, to which Angel proposes a toast to forgetting troubles
for all eternity...


----------
CHAPTER 45. The Dark God Mikeene

Kouji's having visions of the omniscient, omnipotent Zeus.  Wait, that's wrong.
Anybody omniscient would have known that Hardes was coming to get him, and
anyone omnipotent could have done something about it.  Hell, apparently this
guy can't even grammar, since he claims his rightful name is Z-Mazinger.  Order
of operations HELLO.  Anyways.  Zeus and Kouji are chatting in the void between
dimensions, a feat possible because of the power of will: the supreme law of
the universe.

Thousands of years ago, the Olympians were in the thick of their battle against
the Baals.  They chose as their forward base an out-of-the-way planet strong
with Origin Rho (remember that?  It's synonymous with Dimensional Power),
where dwelt the Mikeene -- a primitive people who nevertheless possessed
qualities the Gods themselves had lost.  Love, and Courage.  Zeus adored these
people, and dreamt of the day when they might awaken to their higher nature and
dreamt of the day when they might join him as brothers.

The other Olympians?  Not so much.  They cared only for monopolization of the
Earth's Origin Rho as a means to win their war, and Zeus couldn't bear to
watch.  The result was that from the vision Kouji saw when facing Kedora, not
a dream but actual fact: he and his Mazinger-Z really appeared unto Zeus and
cheered his ass up when it seemed Hardes had the upper hand.

The memory was sealed away by all that spacetime-travel, but Zeus foresaw that
he would eventually meet Kouji and friends again -- so, after seeing to it that
Hardes and friends were sound asleep behind the Mikeene seal, he buried his
right arm (conveniently chopped off during the battle) and took a nap himself.
But now everyone's awake again thanks to Tristan and Isolde, and the Cycle of
12,000 years is closed: the showdown with the Baals is near!

Zeus refuses to outright explain what the Cycle is on the grounds that the
Truth of the universe must be grasped for oneself, if there's to be any
evolution at all.  It'll take some time for Zeus to restore his full powers,
and it'll fall to Kouji and friends to fend off Hardes (who, one presumes,
still means to remake the Earth into a battlefield against the Baals).
Daunting, but mankind and its overflowing Light have the capacity to make it
happen... so long as they hold on to hope.  Never forget that mankind stands
in the Sunlight, on the very threshold of Evolution.

Kouji's taking a long time to awaken, and the top commanders (sans Zero) are
busy thinking about what to do regarding the Olympians.  Gyunei for once has
the right idea: leave them alone to fight the Baals until such time as they
actually declare war on mankind.  Sure they'll have to be dealt with
eventually, but Zero notes correctly that that will take a Miracle.  And a
Miracle... will take a lot of planning.  Gyunei then resumes running his
mouth, recommending that mankind simply bow to their new Olympian masters and
accept permanent second-class citizenship.

Banarj clearly doesn't like that idea, and presumably Tsubasa doesn't either.
She looks like hell reheated in a microwave: a far cry from the subatomic
particles he had intended, twenty-four hours ago, to end up as.  But matters
have conspired to deny her rest: Kenzou's rather immobile form has been taken
from his hideout by persons unknown, and Ankokuji is still missing.

Word then comes in that the Mikeene have shown up in Atami.  There's no way the
Feds can stop them, and both Gyunei and a haggard Tsubasa seem inclined to
let the gods have their way with the little tourist town.  Kouji, conveniently
awake now, isn't having it and is prepared to go fight them alone if he has to.
Unsurprisingly, he won't have to.  Lelouch even takes off his mask, as a show
of resolve in the face of their divine opponents.  Let's be clear: if the bad
guys want to call themselves "Gods", Z-BLUE have the opportunity to become
"God-Killers".

The Mikeene are doing one hell of a number on Atami, and what Federation forces
don't immediately get killed are wisely withdrawn, leaving the townsfolk to
their fate.  Hardes orders his forces to burn the whole place down, especially
the Kurogane-ya.  Lorelai is prepared to fight herself to try to save it, but
Shirou persuades her to believe in Z-BLUE's help.  This time it's Z-BLUE
getting told like bad guys that they don't know when to quit -- and maybe a
bit of that sticktoitiveness is worth learning from.  Kouji for instance has
never piloted Mazinger in a more busted state, and yet his resolve is every
bit as strong as the so-called Gods.

Mind you, Hardes has heard this before (back in the Age of Myth).  Don't humans
know how to evolve??  Guess he'll find out, huh?  Lelouch is in full tactical
command, and warns the team that each individual enemy outguns any one of the
team: attack in groups, and proceed step-by-step.

 Watching your team struggle is a good way to avoid boredom for Hardes, who
 observes that the team have learned a bit since the last battle.  But that
 rate of Evolution is far too slow to let mankind escape Eternity Flat by
 reaching Godhood -- the proof is in how hard a time the team is having
 with the Kedora.  See, those things were made to fight the Baals, using
 brains transplanted from the Starving Destroyers (i.e. the Invaders) --
 they're mere foot-soldiers in the Baal war, not the real heavy hitters.

 Kouji won't cast off hope that easily, and that's what Gou and the Shin
 Getter Dragon team have been waiting to hear.  Gou, stunningly, Getter Beams
 Kouji himself, yelling at him to feel the life, the Light, coursing through
 his veins.  That Power is something that will can summon, and with Getter
 Rays to aid in Evolution, Kouji is one bad shutchomouf.  As are the rest
 of the team, overflowing with Hope and thus with Light.  And that Light
 doesn￾ft prefer darkness-style dudes like the Mikeene gods lurking around.

 Now this is where things get interesting.  Hardes dearly wants to see just
 how far along this path the humans can tread, since THAT is the surest form
 of rebellion against "Them", the beings who seek to hide the Earth from him
 inside the Time Dungeon.  Hardes, Lord of Hades, commands the soul of the
 Olympian hero Garadabla (a combination of Garuda and Dablas) back into the
 material world.  This was indeed originally one being, but was kept separate
 by Tristan and Isolde for goodness-knows what reason.  ...Well, you get to
 have your mettle tested by it now.

Come to find out even Gods use throw-away lines when retreating after an
ass-beating.  Garadabla claims great interest in just how far humankind can go,
and it's a fair question: today's victory was as much a miracle as an outright
victory.  The team has to get a lot stronger if they want to do this on a
regular basis.  Ultimately, mankind as a whole must evolve, and that goes back
to the Hope thing.

Tsubasa, seeing her resolute son, has to admit just how proud of him she is.
She's going to go off again to track down her erstwhile husband, who she's sure
must still be hiding something.  But she promises not to die easily, or
trivially, after what she's witnessed today.  And when he next sees her, she
promises it will be first, and the last, Kabuto family reunion ever.  Until
then, her five servants are to assist Kouji in every way possible.

The real issue is the throwdown between Mikeene and Geminis.  Ryouma for one
has no intention of counting on the Mikeene to break the Time Dungeon on
mankind's behalf, vastly preferring to do it with his own hands.  Though Gyunei
won't readily admit it, he too is starting to believe in how Z-BLUE does
things.  The Shin Getter Dragon team get welcomed into the fold also, though
Hayato knows that there's more going on than just one more combat unit:
Getter Rays will be far more important in other ways in the battles to come...


[Route Split]

Thank heavens the Mikeene gods are busy tangling with the Baals and the
Geminis.  Otherwise, mankind would be well and truly doomed by the numerous
threats approaching.  There's a desperate hunt on for more Whispered, but so
far the only real candidates (Ashura and Ghoula) have totally not panned out.
For now, there's a lot of repairs to be done, and the Federation-Neo Jion war
to worry about.  Chrono is moving in the shadows, and it's anybody's guess why
they would even bother to lift a finger when Eternity Flat would seem to fit
their goal of mankind's destruction...

Z-BLUE's got too many mecha to repair all in one place, so the team will
split in two.  Merida Island basically gets to host the "Gundam" side of
things, while the Far East Base gets the Super Robots.  Since AG is in charge
of patching up the Geneon, Kodama can go where he pleases.

 [For Merida, go to 46M.  Otherwise, go to 46F.]

In any case, Suzune, Kodama and AG are getting closer and close as "Team DEM",
and Kodama wants thematic team T-shirts made, just so long as they're black.

The army's top brass want to stage a preemptive strike on the colonies, and
of course the Federation president is having none of it.  For starters, such a
thing would be a gross violation of the agreement between the Federation and
Neo-Jion to avoid mixing non-combatants up in the war.  Saigas claims there's
a loophole: just declare all the residents of the targeted colony as Neo Jion
belligerents, which is of course absurd.  The president muses that if she
refuses to sign, she'll simply be assassinated and replaced by someone more
easily manipulated, just like Richard Marsenas.

Against her better judgment, she signs it and sees Saigas off.  Her advisors
agree that had she _refused_, things would have been even worse... still, she
can't countenance leaving Z-BLUE alone to clean up this mess.  She calls for a
conference in one week, where it will be decided once and for all whether to
inform the common people about Eternity Flat.


-----------
CHAPTER 46M. What Time Remains

Things start on a very sour note indeed: someone of Neo Jion origin manages
to sneak into Merida Island as part of the maintenance squad... and almost
assassinates Amuro!  Bright has no choice but to place temporary restrictions
on the movements of the loaner Neo Jion pilots, though both he and Amuro
sincerely hope that this isn't the end of the team's truce with Char.

Camille is among the coolest heads among the pilots as they consider this</pre><pre id="faqspan-12">
fiasco.  "Char" and "Quatro" are of course the same person, and while Camille
believes Char wants to settle things with Amuro, he does _not_ believe he would
go to the extent of starting a war to do it.  Nor does he, or Hiiro for that
matter, believe that Char the human being is capable of doing what a totally
dispassionate Neo Jion commander would do, and send wave after wave of
assassins after the Federation ace.

Audrey is perhaps the strongest voice of reason, counseling that everyone
take a fair, dispassionate look at what's happened.  Sure, Char like all humans
may be imperfect, but there seems to be more going on here than a mere personal
grudge.  In Lidy's judgment, such words are befitting a true Leader, unlike
most of the people saddled with that moniker that he's met so far.  Audrey
appreciates the compliment, but knows inwardly that she's rather powerless in
the face of the forces currently shaking Neo Jion: the assassin must have been
Full Frontal's doing.  What can she do against someone like him?

Amuro appears and tells her that she needn't try to struggle alone.  War is a
treacherous thing, he says, making people hate those they've no reason to hate,
and attempt to kill those least deserving of death.  Is he, she asks,
attempting to excuse his would-be assassin... or perhaps excuse his own past
actions?  The famed White Shooting Star is nothing if not the devil incarnate
for the remnants of the Jion.  Amuro won't deny that, saying only that that
was the role, or responsibility, he was freighted with at that time.  And that
sort of responsibility can only be shouldered of one's free will.

He tells her to decide for herself what her responsibility will be when the
inevitable time comes.  He's been thinking a lot about her, feeling as though
he somehow knew her -- but in fact, the person he knew wasn't her per se,
but rather the man who fought to his last breath at Solomon for his pride,
his vision of the future... and to keep Audrey safe.  Audrey realizes he's
speaking of her father, but further conversation is interrupted by the alarm:
a Neo Jion force is approaching fast!

As the team (sans the Neo Jion folks) get ready to face this incomprehensible
assault, Lidy informs Banarj that as of today they're rivals for Audrey's
attentions.  It's something about her eyes: sad, and seemingly able to see
through anything, that appeal to Lidy.  But enough of that for now: no less
than Hamarn is at the lead of these forces, acting on information that the
Feds are planning to attack the colonies.  That news throws some of the pilots
into uproar, but Zero keeps his cool: even if the Federation army is planning
such a thing, Z-BLUE falls under a different chain of command.  And besides,
there's still that Greater Singularity hunt thing going on.  Hamarn says that
apparently Char has decided to no longer put his trust in Z-BLUE... unless
Zero would actually battle the Federation's own army on Neo Jion's behalf?

Zero says he's prepared to do precisely that, and Bright agrees: what good is
Z-BLUE's privileges as an independent battalion if not for reigning in
corruption at a time like this.  Hamarn in turn is caught off guard by news of
the Neo Jion-based assassination attempt on Amuro -- Full Frontal ought not to
have tried that.  Still, since he did, maybe she can use the situation to her
advantage?  Thinking fast, she orders her troops to finish what the assassin
could not -- her real objective is to grab Mineva and keep her out of Full
Frontal's grasp.

 Apparently this all was planned in advance, and Gyunei and the others take
 Micott hostage as they race for the hangar.  Mareeda's mission is to grab
 Audrey, and Hamarn thinks to herself that should Mareeda fail, she'll have
 to use a very unpleasant Plan B...

 Hamarn's at a major disadvantage in the Earth's gravity well, and with time
 running short and the twin hostage crisis brewing aboard the Ner Argama,
 Hamarn decides (regretfully) to do something underhanded.  She demands the
 immediate hand-over of her people, on pain of turning the entirety of Neo
 Jion against Z-BLUE.  After all, they _do_ have the last member of the Zabi
 bloodline as hostage at present (i.e. Audrey).  Bright has no real choice but
 to comply.

 Does this mean Audrey's been deceiving the team all this time?!  Well,
 "deceit" is such a nasty-sounding word.  She calls it "believing in a duty
 only she could fulfill", and apparently the time has come for fulfillment at
 last.  Micott isn't sure she buys this, but is willing to let Mineva go and
 do whatever she's got to do.  And woe betide her if she fails!

 Everything goes fine with the handoff until Banarj intervenes, sure that
 Audrey doesn't want to go home (and if she _does_, he wouldn't try to stop
 her).  Audrey then declares that she's Mineva Zabi: willing to let herself
 be killed here and now if that would put the world at peace.  Banarj tells
 her not to put herself and everyone else in that position, and she then does
 something _really_ rash: she opens Mareeda's hatch and jumps!

 Lidy is able to catch her, and promises to put her resolve to end the war to
 good use.  For the first time in his life, he's now proud of his Marsenas
 blood.  He promises to take her far away from her to where the two of them
 can do the most good.  Banarj wants to know only one thing: is this Audrey's
 will?  Yup.  With that, Banarj declares Lidy the better man and the winner
 of their little contest.

 The commanders on both sides are aghast at this turn of events, and Hamarn
 quickly orders there to be no pursuit lest it "put Mineva in danger".  By
 this point Camille (and Banarj) has caught on that maybe Hamarn _wants_
 Mineva to be incommunicado.  At any rate, the alliance with Neo Jion is now
 broken, and the fracas begins anew.

 Gyunei puts his trust above all else in Char, and if that means battling
 Z-BLUE, so be it.  Quess meanwhile doesn't want to fight her friends from
 Z-BLUE, caring most of all that Amuro knows that Char wasn't behind the
 assassination attempt.  He understands that just fine, but if Char insists
 on settling their score, he won't shy away from it.

 All this is very stressful on Mareeda, who's been through an awful lot
 already.  So much so in fact that her Fortified Human condition finally
 starts to unravel.  If this is what war does to people, there's no way it
 can be tolerated any further... but try telling that to the berserk
 Mareeda.  It's not she who shoots the Unicorn though: that's Gilboa and his
 goons, acting on Genneman's orders.  Their top priority is recovery of the
 Unicorn Gundam, and they basically abandon Mareeda to her fate.

The Neo Jion forces sure run away fast, and Lidy is nowhere to be seen either.
One really has to wonder what's going on with this Laplace Box business....
Emma suspects that Lidy has gone to contact his father, a central Federation
government figure... which proves correct.  Mineva's figured out pretty much
entirely what must be going on back in Neo Jion, including the factionalism
by someone _other_ than Hamarn the Iron Lady.  Maybe there's something she can
do with what remains of her family name to stop the war, and in any case she's
willing to try.  But they've got to do it fast: neither they, nor the world at
large, have much time left.  Which really pains Lidy, since this is likely the
last time he'll be able to be with the woman he loves...

Back to planning.  With Audrey gone (and hopefully able to garner the support
she'll need to help change the world), the question becomes what to do about
Banarj.  This much is clear: Full Frontal will make an assault on Dakarl in the
hopes of getting the next Laplace clue.  While the team rushes there, one can
only hope that the regular Federation army can hold the fort a while.  Banarj
himself should be safe, until the Laplace box is found at least...


-----------
CHAPTER 46F. 0.0001% Chance of Success

We begin by basically explaining in detail what happened on the first mission
of the other path, up to and including the fact that the next waypoint for
the Neo Jion is likely to be Dakarl.  But this side of Z-BLUE won't be going
there: an Angel has appeared and is heading for Neo Tokyo-3.  More precisely,
it's 99.9999% likely to be heading to NERV HQ, from _space_.  Further, the
Eighth Angel's A.T. Field seems strong enough to warp even light -- and all
attempts by the Neo Jion forces to pierce its defenses have of course failed.

It appears that the Angel itself means to act as a bomb, blowing open a crater
fully 47 kilometers wide and exposing the contents of Central Dogma to the open
air (oh, and vaporizing the city and everything else above in the process).
Since short-range attacks are futile and long-range attacks even more so,
Misato has to get create: her plan is to have the EVAs _physically_ stop the
Angel in its tracks using their own A.T. Fields.  Since there's no telling
precisely where the thing will land, all three EVAs have to be sortied and
stationed according to "feminine intuition".

Asuka is peeved that she isn't being given the chance to do this alone, and
warns all kinds of retribution if her fellow pilots get in the way.  Ritsuko
too isn't thrilled, saying that they should cut their losses and evacuate with
Lilith and EVA-01 while they still can.  Misato responds with a quote from
Noriko: "miracles are something you make happen", which Ritsuko blames on
Misato's personal quest for vengeance against the Angels.

Too bad for her Misato's in charge, and in the grand scheme of things, 100
parts per million is actually a decent(-ish) number.  Especially with even half
of Z-BLUE lurking around to help out.  Misato ensures that everyone is on
station well in advance, giving some of the pilots a chance to ply Shinji with
conflicting advice for how to be a man.  They all mean well though and at least
it comes across as encouragement.

Asuka's much less approachable, but the female pilots do their level best to
encourage her too.  Rei is the real cypher, but Misato hand-picked those pilots
dealing with her.  It gets off to a shaky start, but Kouji's tasty soup saves
the day, extracting a smile and interest in getting the recipe after the
battle.

Misato's plan all along was morale boosting: mathematics aren't going to
avail anyone here.  Whether it worked or not, all will be decided in ten
turns... though that's going to be a long time, since a group of the Space
Devil's forces turn up unexpected-like.  Since Ghoula's absent, it seems the
Devil himself is behind this, content to take the world, or what's left of it,
after the Angelic devastation.  Well hell, looks like the Z-BLUE pilots get
to make themselves useful after all.

The EVAs need to reach three precise points to be set up for stopping the
Angel, and that means fending off the bad guys to open the path.  Unit -01 goes
North, -00 goes East, and -02 goes West.

 The Geminis chip in some forces just to make life interesting.  And by
 interesting, I mean, more PP and whatnot for me.

 As the Angel enters Neo Tokyo-3's airspace, it actually tries to change
 course.  Z-BLUE fills it full enough with lead to buy the EVA's time to get
 their accuracy right.  It's MIRACLE TIME!

Sweet.  Shinji even gets a (terse) phone call from his dad (who along with
Fuyutsuki are away doing God-knows what) congratulating him on a job well done.
Asuka, maybe, is starting to warm _slightly_ to her teammates.  The three
Children can even enjoy _an_ evening of hanging out at Misato's apartment
before going back to the whole saving-the-world business.   Miracles galore!

Well the Eighth Angel was dealt with (more or less) on schedule, but these
Geminis and Chrono folks are really starting to chap Gendou's hide.  He's got
old meddling men and revolutionary young upstarts to try and play off against
each other while pursuing the all-important Schedule on his own terms, and that
would give anyone a headache.  Speaking of which:

 [To test EVA-03, go to 47T.  Schedule is paramount after all.  The question
 IS... who will pilot the darn thing?  That's up to Misato to decide...

 To _not_ test it, go to 47N.  The darn thing _is_ disposable after all, and
 there are bigger fish to fry so long as the Schedule doesn't slip.


-----------
CHAPTER 47M. Death Match Over the Pacific

Martha is sharp enough to realize that Full Frontal is likely the driving
force behind Neo Jion's ongoing interest in the Laplace Box.  She's in no mood
to send reinforcements to Dakarl to help out Z-BLUE, and notes sardonically
that Albert is sounding like he's gone native just for asking.  She tells
Albert not to worry his pretty little head over the Box, _or_ over Mineva,
who she's made a few phone calls about.

As for Albert himself, she orders him to take the captured Fortified Human to
Augusta, where the old Newtype research lab lies dormant -- and restartable at
a moment's notice.  This is Martha being extra careful: loss of that Box would
cost her company dearly in prestige.  As Martha hangs up, Albert finally asks
himself something that maybe, just maybe, should have occurred to him dozens of
missions ago: what the fuck is he doing with his life, given that the world is
about to, umm, END?

Lidy's back at his family's mansion, and doesn't seem on all that bad of terms
with his eminent father.  Who, it turns out, has just finished a contentious
phone call with Martha!  The stalwart of Anaheim Electronics is making some
very unreasonable demands regarding Mineva, and though Ronan won't go into
specifics about what, he admits that it's also something to do with the Box.
It and their family are bound by fate, and although Lidy's impetuousness in
bringing his wanted girlfriend home hasn't changed in years (ever since he ran
off to be a pilot, in fact), he is still unmistakably his father's son.

And though Lidy isn't cut out to follow Ronan into politics, Ronan must now
induct him into an even deeper responsibility: that of one of the core members
of Chrono!  The news comes as a very bad shock to Lidy, who shuffles his way
into Mineva's room in need of a shoulder to cry on.  It's bad enough that Lidy
himself proposes to Mineva that she become his wife, using the rotten machinery
of his family name to achieve at least a measure of personal freedom.  Both of
them know that such "freedom" is nothing of the sort of course, but he's at
such a low point -- and possibly responsible for bringing her into the fiercest
lions' den of all -- that he doesn't know what else to offer.

The team see Albert off with distinctly mixed feelings, especially the part
about a civilian company (defense contractor or not) being given custody of a
prisoner of (nearly-)war.  Suspicious that he'd leave so suddenly after all his
concern for the Unicorn... if not necessarily for its pilot.  Amuro intuits
that there's more about Albert than the team knows, but also that Albert's
final wish for the team's ongoing fortune in battle was genuine.

Gilboa and the crew are having a bit of trouble reaching their rendezvous
point, having encountered a Federation force in the middle of the Sahara and
more or less getting sandlogged.  Genneman has taken Banarj and gone ahead to
get them some help, and things aren't looking good for the young Gundam pilot.

Banarj is very, very tired of being used by somebody else's big war machine...
but not so tired that he can't take Genneman to task for what war did to
Mareeda.  Genneman responds by telling Banarj to stop running away from
conflict: a man's whole life is one big battle.  Or would he rather take the
easy way out and simply starve himself to death?  This echoes his father's
last words to him, and Banarj has finally had enough.

He DID fucking battle with shit already!  He DID chop and stab and shoot and
vaporize people from the cockpit of his mech.  He's marching through the
goddamn DESERT, for Chrissakes!  What the fuck else does Genneman want him to
fight against?!  Genneman makes no immediate reply, waiting till Banarj
subsides to give him some food.

Banarj does know that he doesn't want to fight on behalf of a Federation that
means to attack the Colonies.  But it doesn't feel right to throw his lot
in with Genneman￾fs crew either.  In short, he's lost line of sight to what's
really right, and maybe that makes him more a citizen of the world than he
realizes.  Genneman himself admits that he's not so sure if he's qualified
anymore to take revenge for his wife and child, after blind devotion to his
mission basically cost Mareeda her sanity.  And yet, he can't stop either --
his only options are dying like a dog with a curse for the world on his lips,
or perpetuating the never-ending war.

The night sky sure is pretty from here, but like the land beneath it it's
been polluted for a very long time, and all by the hand of man.  Rampant
industry, a colony drop or two, and war itself... all that poison could be
called a part of nature rebalancing itself, insofar as the ascent of man was
a natural event to begin with.  "Society" was created as a bulwark against
the inexorable cruelty of nature, and mankind now finds itself more devoted
to simply maintaining society's workings than to exploring new frontiers.  Even
the attempt to find new life in space just led to another system (Jion).

On the other hand, Banarj points out that these two systems have managed to
accommodate ten billion souls in the Earth Sphere: a number one would have
called pure fantasy not that long ago.  It's not like _all_ progress made by
mankind is simply circular motion.  Maybe there's much sadness in the world,
but people like Audrey are trying to arrest it.  The question is, what about
Banarj?  For all his talk of not fighting, wasn't it Z-BLUE whose fight aimed
precisely at the sweet spot between Spacenoid and Earthnoid?

All this is very emotional stuff and Banarj can't help but shed a tear or
several.  Which is important in Genneman's view: men who _can't_ cry for good
reasons are not to be trusted.  He tells Banarj to get it all out of his
system now, with only Genneman and the stars as his witness.  But when his
tears dry, it's time to get going again: so long as they're alive, they've got
to do what they can.

With the other battleships acting as a diversion, the TdD makes its way into
the theater of battle.  Some of you might be wondering why the Federation
didn't dispatch any troops to protect Dakarl?  Well, do you remember how the
Federation president was going to be having a conference with the leading
peaceniks at some point?  Yeah, now is that point, and the warmongers in the
Federation apparently want to stand by and let them get killed.

NOT ON TESSA'S WATCH, Zodd blam it!  Ain't no way a bunch of space-tuned MS's
can defeat her and her submarine in amphibious combat.  This gets a bit
trickier when a bunch of Geminis units show up to start harassing Z-BLUE --
they may be acting in support of Full Frontal's forces if Amuro's suspicions
are correct.

 The whole point of this exercise is to insert the main mecha force into
 Dakarl, while the TdD itself adds to the list of flagships playing decoy.
 Zero foresaw that more Geminis would appear, and he's helped Tessa maneuver
 so they think they've got her cornered.  Au contraire.

Back at Axis, Char and Full frontal are having one of their usual chats,
where Full does increasingly nefarious things in the name of "there's no time
to be choosy", and Char sits there like a moron offering little more than
token backtalk.  This time it's especially interesting because when speaking
of the conflagration approaching Dakarl, Full Frontal calls it "the city that
made Char Aznable's reputation".  That's very weird since Char hadn't started
going by that name until well after this world was formed... and obviously
hasn't done anything in that city yet.  Who the hell IS Full Frontal, anyway??

Meanwhile, Genneman and Banarj managed to walk all the way to the land forces'
base and summon help for their stranded fellows.  Banarj's immediate task
is going to be to see what the Laplace Program shows him in Dakarl, while
Genneman's friends keep the city under control.  One of those friends turns up
and immediately figures Banarj for a bearer of hope: Loni Garvey...


-----------
CHAPTER 47T. The Choice of Life

Apparently there's enough of a break in the saving-the-world business that
Touji's been able to go check in on his sister in the hospital (she's doing
well) and for some of the kids to hang out in town.  Shinji may be the last
person to hear that there's an EVA-03 coming to town, so naturally he's got no
idea who its pilot will be.  SO, naturally, he and she run right into each
other while walking distractedly through town.  She's fascinated by Shinji and
how he smells like L.C.L., and tells him she'll see him later.

Gendou and Rei are finishing up some business when Rei asks a series of
food-related questions, culminating in an invitation for him to share a meal
with the others.  He's in the process of refusing when Rei smiles at him -- the
very image of his wife Yui.  At that, Gendou can't resist -- and Rei has to
credit the words "thank you" that Shinji taught her.

Asuka's been busting her buns (and slicing her fingers) in an attempt to keep
pace with Rei and Shinji's newfound culinary prowess.  Misato gives her an
invitation to the fateful potluck that even Gendou is going to, and then heads
to HQ to see how things are going with the -03's pilot.

After a brief retelling of what's going on on the other path, we cut to more
character development for the Children.  Shinji's starting to have feelings
for Rei, and Rei and Asuka are uneasily trying to figure out how to feel about
each other and their very different reasons for piloting their EVAs.  Rei is
not the marionette Asuka accuses her of being, but she still struggles to find
the words for her feelings -- feelings such as love.  Asuka, who grapples with
herself about love, is pretty steamed.

Misato's not thrilled at the picture Sazanka took of Kaji jokingly almost
kissing Shinji.  But she's all ears when Kaji fills her in on his latest
research into Chrono.  He's discovered that its members are hereditary,
implying it's been around for a long time... and that it was instrumental in
helping NERV get reconstituted in this world.  Precisely what Chrono has to do
with SEELE, or what they know about the Angels and/or the Human Complementation
Project is unclear.  Misato isn't in much mood to get amorous with Kaji at this
point, and the EVA-03 test squarely conflicting with the potluck...

Asuka's volunteered to tag along with Misato for the test, leaving Rei and
Shinji and Gendou to enjoy their food together.  Rei does make a point of
phoning Asuka and thanking her for the dish she contributed, and Asuka then
confesses to Misato that she can feel herself changing, bit by bit, away from
the aloof loner she thinks of herself as into someone more sociable.  Who
knew that _talking_ to people could be this... pleasant?  Misato, looking the
other way at Asuka's request, smiles and says she's got plenty more "pleasant"
stuff to look forward to in life.

The test goes quickly wrong for some reason, and Fuyutsuki scrambles everyone
he can to try to contain the damage before the Federation gets involved.  With
Misato and Ritsuko incommunicado, and EVA-01 the only mech available to be
sortied, Gendou orders it switched to the Dummy Plug so he can directly give
orders.  The bridge crew are, for whatever reason, quite aghast at this...

EVA-03 is now officially the Ninth Angel, and Asuka is trapped inside her
Entry Plug with no way to eject it from the outside.  Shinji figures this out
pretty quickly, and he's got a very nasty decision to make: fight the EVA, or
not.  Let's suppose that Shinji resolves to fight the Ninth Angel with the
goal of _saving_ Asuka.

 Unfortunately, the Angel isn't so easily defeated, and despite the many
 problems with the Dummy System, Gendou orders the team to cut Shinji out of
 the loop and try it.  Fudou is watching this from the sidelines, and
 doesn't seem happy to watch history repeat itself.

 It's right at this point when Z-BLUE arrive, as does Mikage.  Mikage is
 thrilled that there's a Wingless trying to open The Door to Godhood(tm),
 and says that surely this is the End of the Myth!  The servants of the
 Olympians are on hand to interfere with Z-BLUE interfering with the EVAs
 tearing each other apart, so Mikage and Fudou's duel will have to be
 settled another day.

 Anyway, Takeru can sense Asuka's still alive, but you'd better save her
 within four minutes or there won't be much left.  Now, Gendou is sure Z-BLUE
 can't stop the Angel, and while he's technically wrong, EVA-01 comes back
 from getting its ass kicked to rend EVA-03 entirely limb from limb.

When Misato regains consciousness, it's to the news that EVA-03 has been
"disposed of", but EVA-01...  And of course we have to wait till the next
mission to find out what's happened.  At least if you defeat the Ninth Angel
with Shinji the first time it's worth 100Z...


-----------
CHAPTER 47N. Hit and Miss

Maybe you've seen Evangelion one too many times.  Maybe you're all like, "Screw
that Dummy System bullshit!  What if -- ".  Well, we've got you covered.  The
hanging out in town part starts like the other path, but this time Asuka
outright announces she's making Shinji dinner and tells him not to be late.
This is part of the cooking mania gripping Z-BLUE at present, and it's pretty
distracting for Shinji.  As on the other path, he literally runs into Mari.

Asuka and Rei are both totally cooking up a storm with tutelage from Kouji and
Alto, and Rei is actually approaching the point where she can start
experimenting with her own flavoring choices.  Since this cooking is verging on
"special training", Fudou totally turns up with a life lesson to impart.  Since
when has he been here?  "WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE".  Bet your ass.  Anyways:
who knows the difference between "nourishment" and "cooking"?

None other than "love", baked in by the preparer and savored by the prepare
(if that's the word).  Stated differently, "cooking" merits the term because of
the assumption that someone will eat it... in which case "practice" cooking is
the epitome of futility.  THEREFORE, Fudou announces the first annual Z-BLUE
Iron Chef contest, with Asuka and Rei and Zessica and Mikono as its entrants.

Roger is selected as MC, and launches into the classic "If memory serves,"
speech until Dorothy points out that he _has_ no memory.  Never mind that, here
are the judges: Japanese expert Alto, pan-dimensional Love Doctor Kei, survival
food specialist Kazahana, and the eating enthusiast Tetsuo.  And the theme,
chosen by Fudou, is... *food with holes*!  Except for donuts.  What will the
contestants make?!

First up is Mikono, who's made pretzels but has substituted the salt for
sweetener, so they can be had as a dessert.  Plus, since they don't have to
last for months, she deliberately made them softer than normal -- the perfect
heart-shaped food for Mikono's personality.  Compared to Mikono's buoyant
presentation, Zessica is uncharacteristically shy: she hasn't cooked much
before, and she knows it... so she opted for fried onion rings.  Crispy and
savory, and good with whatever sauce the diner favors, this is a surprisingly
canny choice.  Though, Johnny and Eiyda notice tear tracks on her face, which
may be due to more than just the onion-chopping process.

Asuka comes off the turnbuckle with what _looks_ like onion rings too, but
actually turns out to be deep-fried squid rings.  This is quality izakaya fare,
complete with beer batter (Misato having provided the beer) and recipe input
from Shinji: basically, a microcosm of the Katsuragi household.  But the most
fascinating offering is from Rei: fish-paste tubes normally intended to be
stuffed with stuff.  In her case, she's sliced and arranged them on a platter
-- again, an elegant dish that the diners can flavor as they like.

The judges have to make sense of all of this, and decide the fish-paste isn't
really "cooked" to any great extent and disqualify it first.  Tetsuo,
considering the evidence, bellows that this contest is a three-way tie!  First,
Mikono's pretzels are pleasantly sweet but don't fully embody her spirit: she
needs a more definitive display of flavors.  Zessica's onion rings are the
embodiment of her cowardice and self-non-confidence, ceding the onion's flavor
high ground to the melange of after-the-fact sauces.  And Asuka's squid are
essentially over-produced, perhaps out of being too pleased with the process of
cooking or perhaps out of unfamiliarity with the ingredients.  What she should
do is to let the natural flavorings express themselves without all the
theatrics.  And while Rei's offering is tasty, it would be tastier if it
weren't empty.

Learning experience ahoy.  Zessica kind of wanted to beat Mikono at something
at least, but the tie is an opportunity for Zessica's inferiority complex to
resurface.  However there's little time for that, with more bad guys on the
scene.  Maybe all Zessica can do is fight?  Fudou seems to have some thoughts
about that.

It's those damn Mikeene dudes again, and Fudou hates seeing the distortion that
unnatural Evolution has wrought.  Interestingly, he names himself Fudou Zen,
but won't be the one killing the Mikeene today.  The Mikeene had come here at
Hardes' bidding to try to get into NERV HQ, and it's best they don't by any
means get a chance.  Fudou then does something unexpected, forcing Zessica and
Mikono together with Amata and forbidding further Element Changes for the
remainder of the battle.  Kei knows Fudou is doing this because of Zessica, but
can't figure out why... and that unreadability reminds him dimly of someone he
once met: unprocessed memories lingering around Aquarion.  Asuka's fingers are
all bleeding after cooking up tonight's dinner, and she yells that Shinji
better appreciate dinner tonight.

 In shorter order Mikage appears with a bunch of Altair forces, which suddenly
 clarifies for the Mikeene why Fudou is around.  The lesser gods taunt Mikage
 for being so revenge-oriented that he's become all isolated from his peers,
 and Mikage tells the failed Evolutioneer to shut his piehole.  This little
 tiff is the REAL war, as Fudou knows too well.

 Seeing Mikage on the field presents an opportunity to grab him and figure
 out what's become of MIX, but Mikage openly doubts that Aquarion has it in
 it at present.  He seems all too familiar with Zessica's melancholy (of
 course because he helped cause it), and smirks that it must be soooo sad
 being the one who Misses and not the one who Hits, hmm?

 Whatever.  Maybe Mikage shouldn't run his mouth around the Love Doctor so
 much, since Kei is now able to diagnose Mikage has hiding a long-nurtured
 grudge about being dumped beneath his carefree exterior.  Kei's had
 _plenty_ of experience with traumatized people like that: people who loathe
 all that others find positive in the world and do their best to abolish it.

 Mikage is now fully pissed off, telling everyone assembled to anticipate a
 most painful death before leaving in a huff.  Even the Mikeene gods feel a
 measure of payback thanks to Kei's rhetorical skills, though Kei can now
 admit that he was operating more on a lucky educated guess than out of true
 firsthand knowledge.  What he DOES know is that no good ever came from those
 who insist that people's fate is hit or miss according to some sort of Fate.

 Amata never gave up, even after the vision of seeing Mikono "fated" to end
 with th Kagura.  Maybe Zessica can believe she's still got a chance too!
 And if the Altair and Mikeene want to kill each other off a bit, that won't
 go ill for this team (unless you want a Skill Point, in which case it will
 go VERY ILL).

The Love Doctor has one final lesson for the newly-emboldened Zessica, though
he wisely keeps it to himself for now: you can be loved by someone without
becoming one with them.  After the battle, Rei and Asuka have their
conversation from the other path about whether it's a privilege or a burden to
pilot EVAs, and about how Rei isn't merely Gendou's marionette and that she
lacks the word "love".

This is good preparation for the two girls cranking out a superb feast, using
what they learned from the Iron Chef feedback.  The one person absent is
Misato, who's having "dinner" (and Morning Coffee(tm), one supposes) elsewhere.
Suzune is, visibly, a bit envious (and Kodama, visibly, is clueless).  Misato
and Kaji are having the conversation from the other path about Chrono... and
_then_ maybe some Morning Coffee, for all that Misato is grappling with putting
her past behind her.  This time however, it ends with Misato vowing to
confront Gendou with her doubts about what he's up to.  She's all too well
aware that the world is ending soon, and wants to leave no regrets...

In one of the most interesting AG conversations of the game, Kaji of all
people turns up.  AG knows about him and his past relationship with Misato, and
asks what brings the operative here.  Kaji half-jokingly says he wants to
sample the same air that Misato breaths, then tells AG that he needs Shinji and
Z-BLUE to protect Misato from now on, since he'll be unable to.  He's so smooth
in conversation that he even gets AG to finish, instead of start, the running
"Sale, Sale" gag.


-----------
CHAPTER 48M. At the Bottom of the Gravity Well

Word reaches Lidy's place that the Unicorn has been captured by Neo Jion.
He wonders what about that news bugs Mineva more: that the Laplace Box is in
jeopardy, or that _Banarj_ is in jeopardy.  Whichever the case, Lidy knows
that Neo Jion and the Unicorn will head for Dakarl, and Mineva makes no reply
at all.  The Box, and Chrono: those are what ties both of them to their fate.
If the Box were simply gone, would Mineva be free?

Full Frontal delivers a little pep talk to his forces, which have a Mobile
Armor (thanks to Loni) to serve as the core of their Dakarl assault.  Loni is
all about getting revenge for her parents, and what Full Frontal has to offer
is this: good fortune to the inheritors of Mahdi￾fs will.  Sieg Jion!  Banarj
stayed out of line-of-sight for the little teleconference, but not out of
earshot: while he didn't want to face Full Frontal, he did want to hear what he
would tell Loni.  Is it love?  Is it _mutual_ love??  Guess we get to find out
after the battle.  The question now is, with Jion (basically not even Neo Jion
anymore) going to attack Dakarl on account of the Box, what should Banarj do?

The not-so-Neo Jion forces are an amalgamation of all the old Jion folks left
over on Earth.  Koorasawar can tell that these Jion folks, much like the
Gundam jockeys he knows, are out for blood this time.  But the artist formerly
known as Koorasawar the Immortal (now Koorasawar the Lucky) has a few friends
on tap of his own... most of whom get shot down en route.  Only four folks
remain to defend Dakarl, and Murasame Four can sense very strong rage from
someone _not_ on this battlefield.  The peace conference folks, watching all
this, can only hope that Z-BLUE gets here soon...

 The good guys make a decent showing against the first Jion wave, but things
 get dicey when that amphibious Mobile Armor shows up.  The peace conference
 attendees are going to evacuate to safety just to be on the safe side when
 a bunch of _fake_ Jion forces (as Anya can tell from their accent) burst in.
 They're about to take hostages, some in body bags, but they probably didn't
 count on Jeremiah being on hand to stop them.

 Between him and Sayoko, all invaders into the conference center get removed
 from the equation.  They're there at Zero's behest, he having foreseen
 something like this might happen.  Still, cleanup might have taken longer if
 not for Advent sticking his oar in.  He knows that many of the fake Jion
 forces are sponsored by Chrono -- and who better to fight them than their
 own organization?

 Hiiro and Zechs are the first Z-BLUE forces to show up, and Hiiro seems in an
 odd mood for some reason.  The team quickly adjust their formation and
 prepare to do something about that Mobile Armor.  It becomes clear that Loni
 is being controlled by her Psycommu, and it's sure taking Z-BLUE a long time
 to actually show up.

Watching this from the sidelines, Banarj is treated to a display of Loni
basically burning down everything in her path, which Genneman claims is part
of the "plan".  Banarj wants to sortie in the Unicorn and get the Laplace
business over with so this needless bloodshed can end, but Genneman tells him
to wait until the planned "clean-up" is over.  Banarj won't let him get away
with calling this part of a genuine military operation: this bloody payback,
pure and simple.

Genneman slugs him in the jaw and yells back that this is PRECISELY what war
looks like.  Any care he might have shown to Banarj or to Mareeda was to make
them easier to work with, pure and simple.  Banarj slugs Genneman right back in
the jaw (for a change) and yells that what these people are doing is precisely
the same as what they accuse others of doing to them.  Genneman himself said
that life is about easing others' sorrow, and this slaughter _clearly_ isn't
doing that.  Sure, maybe Genneman has been through hell: that doesn't give him
the right to subject others to the same thing!

Genneman's crew make no move to help him verbally or physically, and the
telling blow comes when Banarj says that while there's a hell of a lot he
doesn't understand, he's in no mood to use that as an excuse to switch off his
ability to feel, in particular, to feel suffering.  He'd rather become someone
capable of accepting the suffering of others, just as Genneman did for him.
Banarj storms out of the bridge, leaving a badly beaten Genneman behind and NOT
stopping him: he's inwardly thankful that Banarj has not, in fact, died inside
from his ordeals to date.

Z-BLUE's main force _finally_ swims ashore with but one purpose: to chewing
bubblegum and kicking ass.  No!  Wait!  There's a bubblegum shortage in this
world at the moment.  The twin objectives of the Z-BLUE amphibious assault are
chewing bubblegum, kicking ass and saving the peace conference.  Actually, umm,
that Mobile Armor actually doesn't have an ass at all to kick...  Among the
goals of the Z-BLUE onslaught are chewing bubblegum, kicking ass, saving the
peace conference and telling Full Frontal to go fuck himself.  You get the
idea.

After quick introductions, it becomes abundantly clear that the Mobile Armor
has one of those mind-control thingies like Four's Psycho Gundam once did.
Even the commander Kirkus, in his long-range sniper mech, can't reign in Loni's
rage at what happened to her parents.  Better take her down fast...

 As the damage mounts, Loni is being drawn increasingly into the madness of
 the Psycommu.  The UC Gundam pilots have watched this movie before, and Amuro
 is driven nearly to distraction by the burning question: can't humans change
 so long as their souls are at the bottom of this gravity well?

 [Alternately you can shoot down Kirkus, who revives and basically does the
 same thing in reminding Amuro of the mess at Solomon.  Still all about
 gravity wells.]

 Banarj steps in at this point, pleading with Loni to stop this madness and
 offering to break the seal on the Box in exchange.  Kirkus sees merit in
 that, and tells Loni that she should retreat now.  Should Banarj end up back
 with the Feds, this whole Box hunt will be back to square one.  Loni's
 waited far too long to avenge her parents to let this chance slip by, and as
 Lidy appears it seems everything hangs in the balance of Banarj and Loni's
 relationship.

 Banarj points out that at this rate, all Loni is going to accomplish is
 making other people hate her the way she hates them, breaking her own heart
 in the process.  Loni's not listening, her desire for vengeance stronger even
 than her desire to see the box opened.  Lidy's all projecting his own issues
 onto Loni's situation, sure that just like him, she can't be set free from
 the curse of her blood.

 And yet, Banarj's persistence pays off as he insists that Loni _find_
 meaning in her life besides violence and sorrow.  Her Mobile Armor halts,
 and Kirkus desperately tries to keep Loni from falling into Federation hands.
 Lidy blasts him to keep him from interfering, and Kirkus' last words to Loni
 are to not become like he was.  His death is the final shock that pushes
 Loni over the edge into complete possession by the Psycommu.

 Banarj can't bring himself to shoot her down even under the circumstances,
 and Amuro's had it.  He yells at Banarj to get the fuck off the battlefield
 if he's not prepared to either stop _or_ save her.  He's the only one who
 _can_ save her from the same fate that grips him with NT-D, and Hiiro tells
 him that unless he wants to submit to fate, he's got to change it with his
 own hands.  (Whoa, just what did the Zero System show Hiiro, anyway??)

 More than anything else, this is all a big messy referendum on the cost of
 the war Char is allowing to happen -- far from _evolving_ mankind, it might
 well break it to smithereens first.  Oh and by the way, taking revenge for
 one's parent's isn't "carrying out their wishes".  It's "suffering from their
 curse".

Shooting Loni down snaps her out of an infinite loop of "Sieg Jions", with a
little help perhaps from Kirkus' soul.  She's still super sad, but at least
she's still alive, thanks to Banarj.  Lidy on the other hand doesn't seem
happy at all about Banarj's intervention, but we won't get to find out why just
at the moment.  Why?  Because Messenger-Nia appears and declares that it's
Despair Time.  What that sounds like is, that the Anti-Spirals are coming back.

That's bad news, but Banarj got some bad news of his own when Lidy told him
what Audrey's current situation is.  He's fallen into a nearly catatonic sleep
after the stress of synchronizing with Loni's mind, and is in no mood to
discuss the next Laplace Box waypoint.  That's fine with Bright, who's far more
inclined to look forward than back in search of problems to solve.  An Anti-
Spiral invasion is about as big as problems get, and the plan is to rejoin with
the Japan side.

Bright further decides that Lidy is not to be punished for his unscheduled
sojourn.  However, he _does_ get a tongue lashing to get over himself and stop
looking like he needs someone else to solve his problems for him.  If the guy
really hates himself that much, and if some kind of punishment would ease that,
Bright's more than willing to oblige.  In any case, another battle's coming up,
and Lidy needs to go get his head straight by then.  Neither Amuro nor Bright
are sure if Lidy has the fortitude to manage this, but they believe he's at
least got the _makings_ of someone heroic, despite all the baggage from his
family.  What worries Camille most, however, is the way Lidy looks at Banarj.

Graham eventually hopes to offer Setsuna a proper apology, and proper thanks
for saving his life.  He's not ready to face the guy though, and makes his
temporary exit to return to the shadowy side of saving the world.

The outcome of the peace conference is this: immediately notifying _all_ of
mankind (including the Colonists) about the approaching Eternity Flat.  The
best-case scenario is for Z-BLUE to find the Greater Singularity, and then
offer all mankind the choice of either accepting Eternity Flat or of facing the
Baals.  The peaceniks have about a month to figure out how best to unify the
will of mankind either way, and laying bare the stratagems of Geminis and its
collaborators sounds like a good start.  That, and understanding why Chrono
hates the Spacenoids so much and seems to prefer Eternity Flat...


-----------
CHAPTER 48T. Forbidden Territory

Now let me remind you of something: you're here by your own volition.  Your
own dialog box selections.  You could have watched manly tears erase the
curse of inherited hatred.  You could have witnessed the power of Cooking
overcome even adolescent angst.  But you.  Have elected.  The path of PAIN.
Just so we're clear on that.

Shinji dismounts his EVA determined to (violently) confront his father for what
just happened to Asuka, heedless of the other pilots' objections that his
father used the Dummy System for Shinji's own safety.  After he squirms free
of their grasp and runs off, Ryouma growls at his teammates to let Shinji do
what he wants.  If it means he and his father are through as a family, so be
it.  That's *if*, mind you.  Akagi agrees, saying that if Shinji wasn't going
to confront Gendou, he himself would have.

Roger calls Gendou's monopoly on info about the Angels, the Third Impact and
so on "self-righteous", and notes that pretty much everyone is nearing their
limits by being kept in the dark.  And Asuka?  While the Angel's cellular
intrusion has disappeared, there's a possibility of _mental_ pollution.  And
at this point, there's no way to know if recovery is even possible.  Simon is
staring at the Evangelions, and as Viral is quick to sense, his expression is
one of fear.

You'd be hard pressed to find someone _more_ fearless on the team than Simon,
but that's when we're talking about the enemy.  In this case, we're talking
about theoretically friendly mecha -- or rather, NOT-mecha, which is what
the EVAs seem to be.  These aren't the only unknown quantities on the roster
(think of the Aquarion, or even the Gundam Unicorn), but something about
EVA-01 in particular is setting off alarm bells within him.  That's because,
says Nia's voice in such a way that only Simon can here, it's a lot like him.

Advent then turns up (out of nowhere), saying that it's no surprise that Simon
is becoming more sensitive these days.  He's come with a warning, and an
explanation of what's going on in Simon's head.  The true origin of Simon's
power is his primordial urge to force his way through any obstacle placed in
his path.  The closer Eternity Flat and its unbreachable walls gets, the
stronger will be Simon's power to try to tunnel through them.  They must
hurry, for "She" may already be near.

Cue Shinji's threat to destroy NERV HQ, blaming his father for trying to kill
Asuka with Shinji's own hands.  Shinji's position is that his father
understands nothing, and maybe will get the message if he loses someone
important to him.  Gendou's had enough of this tantrum, and has the pressure
inside Shinji's entry plug raised to its limit, quickly rendering Shinji
unconscious.

But just then Nia appears inside the geofront, addressing "those Earth humans
who would step into forbidden territory".  She calls them unworthy of the
mercy of the Time Dungeon, and declares that the Anti-Spirals will once more
commence their war of destruction on mankind.  At this point Z-BLUE appears,
having been given the entrance codes to the geofront by Advent (man, these
Chrono guys are scary).

Nia tells Simon that it's only natural that she's reverted to Messenger mode,
given that it was the Anti-Spirals that breathed life into her in the first
place.  She declares that Despair is upon him once again, and that the
Anti-Spirals will obliterate mankind *whether or not Eternity Flat befalls*.
This planet's very existence is impermissible, as is that of those who would
make it their own.  ...That would be the Mikeene by the way, who want this
little errand-girl to go back and tell her bosses to get bent.  Nia informs
these so-called "gods" of Olympus that they differ not one iota from the Baals.

One of them shoots back that the Anti-Spirals are fine ones to talk, after
cravenly turning their bodies away from the Truth.  Nia counters that it's
quite ironic that even a Higher-Level Lifeform could refuse to see its own
limitations, and throws some Despair(tm) at them for good measure.  Who will
prove to be the Rulers of the Universe?

Err, don't forget about the humans, now.  The team basically butts into this
tiff between divine-level entities and tells them ALL to GTFO.  That ignorance,
that recklessness, gives mankind a strength that Nia describes as the cutting
edges of Evolution, which sounds to Roger more like "Apotheosis" the way she
says it.  She vanishes, telling Simon there will be no more miracles.

Gendou has EVA-01 recovered, and Kodama inwardly tells Shinji to rest his
soul and let Z-BLUE protect him for now.  As the carnage outside mounts, Shinji
has a vision of Rei pestering him about whether he really tried as hard as
he could to understand his father.  Advent on the other hand tells Shinji it's
okay for him to run away from the hateful world, where his evil father uses him
to kill his friends and so on and so forth.

When Shinji regains consciousness, he's in the NERV hangar.  Misato doesn't
attempt to stop him from leaving, but before he does tells him her story for
entering NERV.  At first, she did it to get even a little closer to her dead
father -- much like Shinji was trying to get his father to need him by piloting
his EVA.  She knows her hopes are too heavy a burden for him to bear, but
has no choice but to try.  She does point out that Rei tried to get him and
Gendou together as a family during the night of the feast, to laugh together
as a family, but Shinji thinks he'll never laugh again after killing Asuka.

Advent then turns up, telling him not to print Asuka's obituary just yet.  How
he got in here isn't important, but what is is: what would Asuka think of
Shinji if she awoke and saw him right now?  Misato and Advent are united about
at least one thing: while Shinji's entitled to _not_ ride his EVA of his own</pre><pre id="faqspan-13">
will, he is _not_ entitled to _not_ ride his EVA if that's purely out of
rebellion against Misato and against Gendou.  After all, there must have been a
_little_ save-the-world-tuitiveness to him when he was working with Z-BLUE,
right?

Right.  Time for the little bird to finally leave the nest.  Shinji manually
climbs the elevator shaft to the surface, deflecting an enemy attack at the
last moment with his A.T. Field.  He announces to Gendou that he's doing
this not as Gendou's son, but as his own person and as a member of Z-BLUE.
Just to make things more interesting, Mari somehow manages to get aboard EVA-02
and joins him on the battlefield: "just a random EVA pilot passing through"
my ass!

For all their big talk, the bad guys get pretty thoroughly trounced.  There's
still Nia's (temporary, one hopes?) loss to grieve for, and Asuka's uncertain
condition, but odds now look promising for mankind to hold its own against at
least this level of Anti-Spiral and Mikeene incursion.  After a brief summary
of events in Dakarl, the team get ready to go join their fellows.

Today's fracas seems to have delayed the arrival of the Tenth Angel, and that
means Kaworu won't be able to go visit Shinji for a while.  Shinji, and Misato,
have gone to see Gendou of their own accord, leaving Rei behind with Z-BLUE as
this conversation doesn't concern her.  Gendou asks Shinji to explain his
numerous misdeeds in this last battle, which Shinji answers by saying he
judged them "necessary".  Gendou notes that that's his job, and Shinji asks
what's supposed to happen in the event Gendou's wrong.  Gendou then asks
what Shinji would do if he revoked Shinji's clearance as a pilot, and without
hesitating Shinji says he'd go to Z-BLUE, prepared to search for ways to make
himself useful without his EVA.

Is this a declaration that he's an adult?  At least, not the sort of adult
who'd sacrifice others' happiness or even life for the sake of his own wishes.
After a moment, Gendou announces that all this mess is to be dismissed as
within the rights of the people on the scene, and declares that the three
EVAs are to continue their posting to Z-BLUE under Misato's command.  That
includes Mari, who's a fully qualified Children.  He tells Shinji to get going,
and Shinji says a very final-sounding goodbye.

Gendou is seemingly prepared to let matters run their course in the month the
world has left: this turn of events is still within the Schedule.  And at
the end of that month, it'll be time for Complementation.

Back at the ranch, Shinji is pleasantly surprised to find his friends waiting
for his return.  'Cause you know, he's kind of slow like that.  Rei especially
is glad to see him back, and while he's not sure precisely what he can do to
help (other than, say, blowing the crap out of the bad guys before rending
them in half?) he'll do what he can.  Mari, meanwhile, has shut herself up in
her room, not yet ready to communicate with the team.  Kaji had a file on her
sent, much to Misato's relief...

Mari's appearance at AG's is very, very brief.  She seems to be in a good mood,
but also doesn't think of Z-BLUE as the place for her.  Get a good look at her
while you can...


-----------
CHAPTER 48N.

Shinji's heard from Kaji about Misato's planned confrontation with Gendou, and
wants to come along too.  There's a lot of questions that need answering, such
as why his father had him piloting an EVA in the first place.  Plus, there was
Kaji's injunction to Shinji and the team to "look after" Misato, which has her
more than a little worried.  Still, the show must go on.

The rest of the team splits their fretting between Shinji (and the awkward
relations with his dad) and Dakarl, where the Federation army seems determined
to see the peaceniks hung out to dry.  Ryouma worries about Gendou, seeing in
his incredibly tight-lipped information control the makings of another
Professor Saotome.  And as on the Path of Pain(tm), Simon has his speech about
how the EVAs scare him, culminating in Advent's arrival.

In this version of the Gendou meeting, Misato kicks it off by requesting a full
explanation of the Human Complementation Project, NERV's connections with
Chrono, and so on, saying that she and the troops on the ground deserve to know
what they're really fighting for.  Gendou denies her request, and when Shinji
protests, Gendou tells him to stop piloting his EVA.  In fact, all the EVAs are
being withdrawn from Z-BLUE, regardless of yesterday's salutatory results.

At about this point Nia shows up out of nowhere, observing that Gendou seems
to be trying to forcibly get back on Schedule, the end of which is "Evolution"
(by which she really means Apotheosis).  She's come to announce a little
Despair for mankind.  This then segues into her speech from the second path,
and Z-BLUE's arrival in the geofront.

This battle features Anti-Spirals as before, but this time the Geminis forces
replace the Mikeene.  Nia sees right away that Gadlight's being driven by rage
and resignation, and deigns to leave matters here in his hands.  Her diagnosis
puts Gadlight in a rather bad mood, and he starts turning up the power level on
his mech a bit.  Since he had originally come here just to observe, he tells
Z-BLUE he'll tarry with them for three turns only.  As Kodama grapples with
his fear, Shinji wants to sortie too.  But without orders from Gendou, he and
Misato will just have to sit by and watch, and believe in their teammates.

 Gadlight is one tough sonuvabitch, and despite some progress by Kodama the
 guy prepares to wipe the Imitation mech out once and for all.  Advent
 intervenes, telling Gadlight that he's got no idea what power lies hidden
 within Kodama: the power of Hope!  Gadlight gets whiny at this point and
 departs, leaving a bunch of Geminis troops behind instead.  Advent is happy
 to help Kodama out, but given the damage he's sustained has no choice but to
 withdraw for now.  It'll fall to the Earthlings to protect the Earth...

 At this point Shinji charges onto the field, sans permission from his dad,
 as on the other path.  This time he promises to make up for lost time, and
 teams up with Kodama.

The rest unfolds as on the other EVA path, except that Mari's got basically
no reason to be on the scene and Asuka is NOT horribly mangled and in the
hospital.  This is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the path I kept.  This time Mari's
dialog with AG is all, "Yeah I was supposed to be a pilot but whoopsie Fate
had other ideas".


----------
CHAPTER 49. The Opening Door

The Autoscrolling Text would like to ask a question: Why _would_ someone turn
down an eternity of peace and quiet, and freedom from outside assault?

With no answer immediately forthcoming we flash forward to Kodama, to whom
Suzune gives the option of skipping the whole "pooling information" phase.
In any case, Suzune promises to have a sandwich waiting for Kodama after he
finishes his latest stint in the simulator -- she may not be gourmet like
Kouji, but she _is_ his partner and that's plenty good enough.

With war seemingly unavoidable with the Neo Jion and all the various other
menaces approaching the earth, there's only one more month left to deal with
the Eternity Flat problem.  It seems that Neo Diva may have some ideas about
that, and have requested that everybody rendezvous at Neo Tokyo-3.

Fudou's hit upon what he thinks will let humans break free of Eternity Flat,
and it seemingly concerns song.  Hence he's brought Sheryl and Ranka with him.
He explains that music is more than mere soundwaves: it traverses time and
space and stirs all souls that hear it.  The point isn't even the music _per_
se but the feelings behind it, and to max out the feelings of the two singers
Fudou reckons they need to be near Alto.  To help out a bit, Ozuma's got some
new hardware for Alto to master and improve his combat prowess still further.

Setsuna is grappling with the fact that he totally can't figure out what Char
is up to.  Hiiro tells him that there's no way to understand someone else
without making an effort to step into their shoes.  An interesting thought.
More interesting is Fudou's knowledge of that "music is more than just..."
quote, which comes from the same world as Macross Seven -- of course he won't
say _how_ he knows it.

What he does say is that the time is near for the Mythical Aquarion, a
legendary version of it supposedly with enough power to remake the world.
In fact, it might happen as soon as today, as Amata and Mikono's relationship
continues to deepen and vengeful forces creep near.  Judging by Kodama's
reaction, that would include Gadlight...

Amata and Mikono are out enjoying the sunset, seemingly far away from the
various perils facing the world.  But Amata knows just how dire circumstances
are, and is doing his best to face reality head-on.  He's now ready to ask
Mikono directly what her connection is to that beastly dude from Altair, and
although she genuinely doesn't _know_, he asks her to tell her what she thinks
she feels.  Why does he keep calling her "Sylphie"??  Zessica would like to
hear that too -- her feelings for Amata give her the right to know.

But just then Mikage shows up, pitying Zessica and her young grass-green hair.
He then tells Amata that he really ought to wake up, and brings in Mikage to
help bring that about.  Mikage claims to have "remembered" all about himself
and Amata, and about the day their mother died.  "Puny" Amata couldn't do
anything to stop it, and that's why Kagura left him... or something.

Mikono murmurs that she's got to apologize for the terrible things she did, and
come to find out: Kagura is basically another Amata!  Somehow during the
event when Alicia was lost, Amata was literally bifurcated, one half going to
Altair and the other half staying on Earth.  This solves the riddle of why
Kagura could never smell Amata: it's his own scent!  The two get into a fist
fight over Mikono (which Amata is not on the winning side of) when a mystery
explosion gives the Aquarion pilots an opening to flee.

Izumo is _not_ pleased that Mikage's dragged everyone here at such a massive
energy cost, but Mikage promises him some Rhea Iglers in short order.  Mikage
turns up and promptly ignores any attempt to reign him in by Izumo.  Setsuna
is determined to find some way for the two sides to understand each other, and
Kodama will have to deal with Gadlight if/when he appears -- just as long as
he remembers that his teammates have his back.

 Mikono is all sad-faced about Amata and Kagura fighting, but there's really
 no help for it.  Kagura retreats after some adversity, but Amata's sure he'll
 be back for Mikono.  Andy is strangely focused on fighting the mysterious
 Altair unit (which we all know is piloted by a brainwashed MIX) though he
 can't figure out why.

 Izumo meanwhile realizes that Amata is none other than his own son, but he's
 got no time to do other than carry out what's best for Altair.  When he
 gets his ass beaten, Z-BLUE move to capture him until Gadlight and Advent
 show up, apparently here because of nefarious doings down in Central Dogma.

 Mikage's infiltrated the place and runs into Kaworu, who has no intention of
 letting Mikage get his filthy hands on Lilith.  Mikage doesn't seem
 interested in that per se, and so Kaworu leaves, noting on the way out that
 he doesn't like Mikage one bit.  Gendou then shows up in person, telling
 Mikage to his face to get lost if he's got no further business here.  Mikage
 lightly tells Gendou he respects his attempt to open the Door, and tells him
 he'd better hurry -- the end of the world is nigh and whatnot.

 Kagura and not-quite-MIX return to the battlefield, and before Amata can do
 much a light shines forth from beneath NERV.  Schlede hears a melody that's
 been echoing for the past 12 millennia, which Aquarion resonates with.  Out
 of Central Dogma comes the Mythical Aquarion, as all mysteries (or some,
 anyway) will now be revealed!

The Aquarion team are treated to a vision of a world beyond space or time: the
interior of the Book of Creation.  What they're about to hear is a tale dating
back twelve thousand years, and again twelve thousand, and all the way back to
one hundred twenty million years ago.  This book, a fixed point (like the
good commander himself) has been shrouded in taboo, but that taboo is now over:
witness the contents of the "Book of Gemini"!  This is the final seal on Z-BLUE
as a whole.

24 thousand years ago, mankind suffered a string of bloody defeats at the hands
of the Fallen Angels.  The footsteps of the angel of Death, Apollonius, were
as the drums of Doom, until the dude for some reason fell in love with the
human woman Celian.  That love drove him to make the Mechanical Angel, and by
its hand were Celian and her fellow humans protected.  That would be the
Mythical Aquarion, by the way.  Trouble was, Apollonius already had a fiancee,
and she was _pissed_.

Meanwhile, Apollonius had this faithful dog Pollon, who loved Celian dearly
even though interspecies romance was still kind of a quagmire.  He wished to
the night sky that if he was ever reincarnated, that he and Celian be able to
love each other.  Time passed the both of them by, winding around to T minus
12k years, when the Fallen Angels revived and mankind, who hadn't forgotten its
history, dusted off Aquarion and had this dude named Apollo fend off the bad
guys once more (that's "Apollon" from "The Dancing Skies of Aquaria", in case
you're curious).

What's more, Apollo wasn't the reincarnation of Apollonius, but rather of
Pollon the dog, back from the dead to love Silvia the reincarnation of Celian.
Following this so far?  Good.  Apollonius' wife Touha also reincarnated in that
age, and in her(?) zeal to still destroy mankind, she(?) ended up destroying
her own people instead.  The Tree of Life that was supposed to keep the Fallens
alive withered, and to make a long story short a lot of different worlds were
sucked together in attempt to keep Eternity Flat from descending.  Pollon
himself had to sacrifice his life in Aquarion to keep things afloat, and time
fast forwards to the present.

Now, that act had major consequences for the world, including sundering the
Earth into two halves that pine for each other like Orihime and Hikoboshi
(Google that if you have time).  The two are Vega and Altair, separated by a
dimensional gate and inexorably drawn toward one another.  This is where the
"Book of Geminis" gets its name.  Where it gets weird is how Pollon got
RE-reincarnated as the singer Alicia, and a certain person with all their
past-life memories intact decided to exact revenge by sundering Alicia's
child's soul in half: that would be Mikage, the reincarnation of Touha.  AND,
as fate would have it, Sylvias's soul came back as Mikono.

Let's review.  Millennia-long tale or love, revenge, reincarnation, and
something sort-of approaching transgender bestiality.  With no real opening
for poor Zessica to get with Amata.  Turns out that the ZEUTH and ZEXIS folks
were around during the previous iteration with Apollo and Silvia, and they
ought to remember that now.  And damn if that Apollo guy from back when didn't
have the nose of a dog after all!

Kagura interrupts all this "ah-HA!"ing to try to prove that he's the more
worthy successor to Pollon, but Amata declares that he doesn't love Mikono out
of devotion to some dusty opera -- he loves her because of the here and now!
Kagura might resemble the old Apollo, but he's not literally him and certainly
isn't the equal of Amata now.  Kagura is furious at this, declaring that the
only reason Amata's stood a chance so far is that he's got Aquarion.  Well,
maybe he can use the Mythical Aquarion to kick his ass later -- at least he
intends to try by grabbing it and running of.  Izumo isn't having any of that
and runs off in pursuit.

Gadlight loves this whole show, seemingly overjoyed that the balance of the
two planets is about to collapse.  Time for Advent and Kodama to teach him a
thing or two... including that he's not the only one who can use the Ultimate
Power.  ...Gawd damn that was long.

 Once MIX gets taken down, Gadlight starts getting fed up with all Z-BLUE's
 talk of being so strong, so impervious to despair.  He unleashes the power
 of his Sphere and amplifies the doubts lurking in everyone's subconscious.
 Hiiro yells to Setsuna to use the Trans-Am Burst and unify everyone's
 thoughts.  Unfortunately the Double-0 Riser isn't currently capable of
 generating enough power, and it seems like the team might just quietly slip
 into oblivion.

 Until, that is, Hiiro gets super pissed-off himself, flatly denying the sort
 of world the Geminis are trying to create.  He activates the Zero System,
 yelling that there's no way Rilina would want a world where all time and all
 future possibilities are halted.  That's cool for him, but there's only so
 much Hiiro can do on his own.

 Except of course that he's not alone: Ian arrives just in time with the
 Double-0 Quanta for Setsuna, allowing him to unleash the Quantum Burst.
 While the mech isn't exactly perfect yet, it's a damn sight better than the
 Riser was.  It's an even match with Gadlight's Sphere that can't last, but
 that's only until the singers kick in, amplified by the Fold Quartz
 installed in Alto's new Valkyrie.

Gadlight's fit to be tied that his shit doesn't work, but the more immediate
concern is for the Altair pilot "MIXY", of course it's MIX but with certain
modifications -- for instance, somehow her huge boobs have been all but
flattened.  MIXY runs off, but Andy isn't going to be stopped in pursuit of
his girlfriend -- especially by Annalotta.  Schlede's health is flagging, but
he insists that Andy to what he needs to.  Schlede then takes over for one more
attack that forces Annalotta to retreat or die (she does the former).  Gadlight
himself isn't letting up yet, even though he claims to have "given up" long
ago.

Gadlight seemingly gives up fairly fast today; in fact, his plan is to go and
hide until Eternity Flat befalls the Earth.  Not exactly helpful, that.  Mikage
is much more forthcoming with info on why MIX has apparently become a dood: the
Curse of Eve.  He's taken the opportunity to snatch Ranka and Sheryl, declaring
that only the strongest of the Rhea Iglers can break the curse by becoming Eve.
And hey, these two women seem to be good candidates.

The two women are now off in Altair, with no immediate means of following.
Does this mean all hope is lost?  Not if Kodama has anything to say about it.
Advent replies that this world may be caught too deeply in Fate, a current
larger than any set of decisions individuals can make would change.  Even if
so, Kodama says, he's determined to do what he _can_ do while he still draws
breath.  That's what Advent wants to hear, and he tells the team that the
Greater Singularity is approaching them now that They Who Control Fate are on
the move.  That would be the Devil, Mikage and so forth.  These false gods
might destroy the Earth before Eternity Flat even happens, but if they can be
defeated, the Greater Singularity should be at hand.

Mikono confronts Fudou and demands to know who he _really_ is.  When he won't
tell her, she snaps that she'll never depend on him again and storms off.  As
it should be: she needn't be bound by anything on the path she must tread.

Gadlight's pretty pissed off that Z-BLUE hasn't given up despite all he's
done, going so far as to smash a glass of whatever it is he's drinking.  But
he consoles himself with the fact that Eternity Flat is closing in, and once
it does he'll be free to run around causing trouble like before.  That is,
until a new stranger wanders in -- someone Gadlight did _not_ expect.  The
stranger is here for a single purpose: to execute the last of Geminis woman.

Andy has an interesting problem: if he's going to go on loving MIX despite her
gender swap, he'll have to become... well, the official term seems to be
"demi-sexual", and that might mean AG has to call in Bobby for a few pointers
for Andy.  Andy, somewhat scandalized, stammers back that the team has to
_rescue_ MIX before any such concerns are addressed.  And pray that Sazanka
doesn't totally write it into a doujinshi in the meantime...  And as for Alto,
well, he's planning to rescue both singers and EVEN bother trying to pick
which of them he's more in love with.  After all, sometimes one needs two
wings to fly, right?

[By the way, there is a so-called "IF" route that branches off here.  The
conditions for activating it aren't well known for the first playthrough;
supposedly it becomes available on subsequent playthroughs automatically.
There will be a dialog choice where Advent asks if you accept your fate, and
if you decide to struggle against it, you can go to 50I.  As I don't have
access to it for this first playthrough, I will have to add it to the FAQ
later.]

----------
CHAPTER 50N. The God-Killing Demons

Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K, as someone or other has summoned
together the Devil, Hardes and Mikage.  The summoner hasn't shown themself, but
since they're here they have a little peace conference.  Hardes is prepared to
leave the Earth to the Olympians, but all three of them agree that Z-BLUE is a
bit of a pain.  They're not worried about the hardening dimensional walls, but
given that mankind is now in the Age of the Sun, it would be foolish to count
the humans out.  Much depends on the man they call the Red Comet, and things
will likely move quickly ere this group meet again.

After they disperse, it turns out that Fudou wanted Kaworu to get a look at
them all.  Though these High-Level Lifeforms have forgotten their rightful
mission, Kaworu can't hate them for their living according to their baser
instincts.  Moreover, it seems that Fudou violated the Prime Directive some
24 millennia ago, and compounded this sin by messing with Fate 12 millennia ago
to protect his former beloved.  But all that's in the past, and what's needed
now is a future, where each and every person can try to do as they see fit.

Meanwhile the Aquarion pilots have a lot to digest, what with the business
about Amata being a dog in a former life and whatnot.  Amata at least is
determined to live life as him, and not as someone else's second coming...
which is good, because he really doesn't act much like the old Apollo anyway.
The real question is this 12k year cycle business.  If the "cycle" is that of
reincarnation, what does it mean for that cycle to "close" soon?

Fudou probably knows, but good luck getting the cryptic bastard to spit it
out.  His tendency to talk in riddles and metaphor reminds Noriko of her old
coach and his slogans like "Combine two Fires to make a Blaze".  With Fudou
incommunicado and the Mikeene gods somewhere in hiding, someone's got to do
_something_ to try to figure out how to fend off Eternity Flat.  Maybe Kouji
could ask that Zeus dude?  Maybe Shin Getter Dragon could help?  Maybe some
added Z-Chips would help too??

In fact, it works like a charm.  Zeus has long waited for mankind to be able
to reach this state under their own power: proof that they are now living the
Age of the Sun.  Zeus explains that as the cycle of death and rebirth
continues, people evolve towards godhood bit by bit.  Through the Blood of
Beasts, the Mingling of Waters, the Destination of the Wind, the Culture of
Fire, and finally the Rays of the Sun.  And beyond _that_ is the path to
godhood, though precisely what that path is even Zeus isn't willing to divulge.

The reason, however, that everyone like he and Fudou are being so circumspect
has to do with the very fundamentals of Natural Law, which mankind is just now
beginning to apprehend.  By rights, the High-Level Lifeforms should be
watching over their younger brethren as they make the arduous Ascent, but the
gods of Olympus have forgotten that mission and attempted to destroy their
peers in a bid for the rulership of the universe.

Kouji demands to know where the Mikeene are -- if they insist on using the
Earth as a stepping-stone for their war with the Baals, they must be stopped.
In his eyes burns love, and courage, and justice: things which have long
eluded the Olympians.  Zeus decides to entrust to Kouji his power and the
legacy of Light, and tells him where the battlefield he should go is.

The bad guys, it turns out, are lurking on the Peloponnesian Peninsula.  They
and Zeus seem to have a very different definition indeed of what their rightful
role relative to mankind's wellbeing is.  These guys want to see humanity dead,
and bring out a bunch of formerly-defeated bad guys to try to pull that off.
Z-BLUE of course ain't going down without a fight, and Garadabla declares that
_if_ they can defeat him, he'll grant his title of "hero" unto them.

 Guess who doesn't stand a chance?  Spoilers: not Z-BLUE.  With the Mikeene
 hero defeated, does the team have the right to face Hardes fair and square?
 Nope, because a bunch of Invaders appear.  Hardes thinks they're here to
 fight him, but to Kouji's dark amusement, they ignore him completely and
 focus their attacks on the humans.

 Hardes get super pissed off at being "slighted", but Z-BLUE isn't fazed.
 Especially when Zeus materializes and tells Hardes that he really ought to
 recognize the Earthling's power, and right to their own planet, by now.
 Since Hardes is too blinded by the thought of power to listen, Zeus throws in
 his lot with Kouji and the others.  Mazinger-Z starts emitting huge amounts
 of Photon Power, helping the whole team prepare to take Hardes down.

Hardes goes down, but not without a final warning on the way out.  Humans, he
reckons, can't break Eternity Flat on their own.  And even if by some
miracle they do, they'll face the Baals, and the Anti-Spirals... and something
much, much worse.  An Elemental menace awaits!  Oh, and that 12k year thing?
That is the period when the UNIVERSE ITSELF is reborn, through a massive
occurrence of Baals that go and sweep all the stray Psychons (that's some kind
of fundamental particle that mediates psychic stuff, evidently) away.

The point of achieving Godhood is the immortality bit: the ability to dodge
this regular cleaning cycle.  Hardes thinks the humans will die before reaching
that stage, but of course nobody else agrees.  Yeah, maybe he'll be back from
Hades someday.  BUT NOT TODAY!  Today we get the happy music, even while
pondering what form this universal spring cleaning will take where the Baals
are merely the prologue.  May the team walk the Path of Light, and save the
fate of not one, but two worlds!

(World number two being Altair, which is now conveniently accessible through a
portal in the skies overhead...)

AG tells a curious Kouji that the Z-Chips, supposedly the embodiment of human
emotions, can be somehow used as material components in exercising Origin Rho.
Unfortunately, calculations show that just depending on Z-Chips to break out
of Eternity Flat would require a stack of them 50 meters tall.  But if they're
not the entire solution, maybe they're at least part of it?


----------
CHAPTER 51N. Myth Melody

Guess what, Earth's got a new problem to deal with: really extreme weather
that's only getting worse by the hour.  This, says Claire, is the fault of
Mythical Aquarion being removed from its role as principal support for the two
Earths -- meaning that Altair should be experiencing the same disruption.  The
Altair commander might be willing to put the pillar back, so to speak, but
likely Mikage won't.  Evidence strongly suggests that this Touha chick probably
_wants_ both worlds obliterated, and the only thing to do is use the bridge
Zeus created to try to get to Altair.  Unmanned drones have indicated that the
other side of the bridge is trackless space, and without a way of pinpointing
Altair's exit there's a real possibility unwary travelers could get stranded.
But Schlede has a plan (using Alto and the Fold Wave System), and assures
Claire that he isn't planning to throw his life away on it.

It's difficult business listening for anything coherent in all this despairing
dissonance, and it gets harder yet when some Cherubim Soldiers show up to
block the way.  Z-BLUE rallies around Schlede, who's grateful for a chance to
save people with his music instead of killing them with it.  He indicates a
point where the faint melody will be easier to hear.

 His health is failing fast, but Schlede is determined to find the ultimate
 melody: the Melody of Life.  What he finds seems very simple in retrospect,
 the superposition of melodies from the two worlds combining to create pure
 white light -- like the purity of an unwritten staff of music.  It is the
 Original Music, the true theme of Aquarion.  And now Schlede can finally
 die, choosing to dwell for eternity among the music of the dimensions.

Ranka and Sheryl can tell when Schlede's melody is extinguished, and when
Kagura taunts them about abruptly stopping their own songs Sheryl gets pissed
off and tells him to can it.  He's acting like Lynn Minmei did: thinking that
the rest of the world can crumble so long as she had the one person she loved
at her side.  Word has it that said beloved slapped her soundly across the
face, as Amata is going to do to Kagura in short order when he and Z-BLUE show
up.  Ranka feels herself empathizing with Kagura a bit, in terms of reckless
love that's willing to sacrifice everything.  That's what Mikage wants to hear:
he's got something nefarious planned for the two singers and their beloved.

Altair is basically entirely covered in man-made materials, and Izumo's forces
(MIXY included) appear promptly.  Jeffrey asks for the Earth women and the
Mythical Aquarion back, for the stability of both worlds, and Izumo responds by
immediately attacking.  He doesn't, it turns out, actually know where the
"True Mechanical Angel" is, but he's afraid of it being used against him.  He's
certainly none too pleased when Kagura shows up in it, vowing to kill Amata and
take Mikono for himself.  Amata is even more pissed, especially since Schlede
partially sacrificed himself for Altair's sake too.

 Note the Skill Point condition: shoot down both MIX(Y) and Kagura with a
 single Map Weapon strike, within 5 turns.  Certainly doable (in 4, no less)
 but unlike most Skill Points in recent games, this one actually requires
 a bit of finesse.  Enjoy the challenge. ^_^

 Shoot down MIX(Y) and Andy springs into action, calling MIX's name and
 telling her he'll fill the hole in her heart _multiple_ times until she
 starts to get the message.  Broken-hearted, she murmurs that she's now a
 boy, but Andy fully doesn't care so long as he's with the _person_ he loves.

 Kagura all doesn't know when to quit, but this time he's gone too far in
 declaring that he could give a fuck less about Altair's fate.  Izumo himself
 blows the crap out of his mech, proclaiming that Kagura's got no home on
 Altair any more.  And while Kagura managed to eject at the last moment, the
 colossal firepower of the Iron C's "Altair Cannon" is nothing to sneeze at.

It seems the two sides both have unavoidable reasons for fighting (in Izumo's
case, it's to ensure that Alicia's sacrifice wasn't in vain.  He's certainly
powerful, but as C.C. can tell, that comes at a terrible, tragic cost.  The
Iron Sea system, made by his mother Oriza, draws upon the very lifeforce of
Altair itself.  What should be a vehicle for the planet's glory as instead
experienced an abrupt collapse over the last few decades, compounding the
already dire circumstances of having, umm, no women left.

Izumo intended to find his planet's future on Vega, resorting to accepting
Mikage's help and actually accelerating the power drain in the process.  But
rather than trying to find mutual understanding with the Vegans, he approached
it as "minimizing the damage".  Some commander he turned out to be.  If he
ever knew love, he's sure not showing it now.  What he is showing is lots of
resolve, and in sufficient quantities that's still daunting.

Sheryl and Ranka's songs give the team their wings back though.  Though Amata
is super-curious why Izumo keeps mentioning his mother's name, he'll have to
save the inquiry for later.  Izumo won't ask his forgiveness for invading the
Earth; if anything, he owes Amata an apology for something else.  His defeat
in fact was probably sealed the moment he adopted this wrong-headed strategy.

With him shot down, Mikage unleashes his forces in an indiscriminate assault on
Altair.  Amata must go find Izumo and see if there's a way to stop the carnage
(and, you know, rescue Sheryl and Ranka too).  No sooner are everyone on the
ground than they all basically run off in different directions.  Brilliant.

Amata ends up in a chamber where Alicia has been kept in stasis and therefore
free of the Curse of Eve for all this time.  Alicia won't beg his forgiveness
for leaving him alone all this time, but at least does want him to know the
truth about her departure, and about his father.  Yup, it's none other than
Izumo, who met her on a Rhea Igler-collecting mission back when she was an
actress.  His dimensional warp thingy was temporarily broken, giving them
enough time to fall in love before he finally was able to return.

When he came back again, two things had changed.  One, Mikage somehow found out
about her.  Two, Amata had been born.  Alicia chose of her own volition to go
to Altair, with full knowledge of the Curse of Eve, to help her beloved
protect that which _he_ loved.  She wavered over whether to bring her son with
her, but in the end decided to leave him on Earth for his own safety.

Kind of hard for Amata to continue hating her after hearing all that.  If
anything, he now hates himself as a little kid for being incapable of anything
beyond simply watching her go.  He admires the courage that she had, which he
at the time, didn't.  Izumo turns up at this point, saying a final farewell
to his wife before the whole damn building collapses.

Amata helps his sorry ass to safety , where they discover a firefly flitting
around.  Now this is interesting, because all of nature supposedly fell under
the Curse of Eve too.  But it now turns out that the Iron Sea, covering all
of nature as it does, is itself to blame for the mess: stop trying to
artificially suck power from the planet, and everything just works normally.
Err, whoopsie.  If Izumo's done anything right in his whole tenure as Altair
commander, it's to sire such a fine lad as Amata -- and Alicia's final message
is that Amata should go out and love somebody too, with all his might.  This
is where Izumo, who actually was a bit more badly hurt than he let on,
collapses too...


----------
CHAPTER 52N. The Love of Twelve Thousand Years

So that's what happened to Amata.  What about Zessica?  Well, it goes bad fast:
the thing Mikage did to her back when allowed Mikage to basically possess her
body now.  Mikage's always been good at lurking at the fringes of love, and
tells Zessica to be grateful: seldom to the Winged Possess the Wingless!

Meanwhile Mikono has wandered off and met Kagura.  She says she's got to
apologize to a certain someone, but doesn't get to say who before the place
starts crumbling.  Zessica then runs up, saying she now knows how to save the
world.  For that, they'll need the power of the Wings of the Sun: the Solar
Aquarion.  It should be within Kagura's power to call the thing, given he's
got Apollo's soul and whatnot.  He does so, and Mikage thinks it's the
beginning of the end.

Alto and crew weren't able to find Sheryl or Ranka, and it seems the only hope
is to drag Mikage forth.  At least, Mikage's personal army is on hand,
containing not one Altairan.  The Solar Aquarion then manifests, and of course
Kagura wants to use it to defeat Amata once and for all.  Mikage wants the
collision of these two fragmentary souls, of the red dream and the blue
reality.

 Does Fudou really want a world in which Mikage is the new god?  Not likely.
 But the collision between Kagura (who doesn't even care that his parents just
 died trying to save the two worlds) and Amata seems inevitable.  Especially
 given the horrible parenting Mikage gave Kagura: only the smell of his fated
 woman (Mikono, aka Sylphie) gave him any hope of relief.  This is where
 Setsuna and his Quantum Burst come in.

Kagura has his say about killing Sylphie in the name of Love (hmm...) but Amata
gainsays him by not only knowing more about Mikono the person, but actually
_loving_ her as "her" despite all her faults.  Yep, he finally professes his
undying love for her, and vows to overcome the fate overshadowing all of them.

Mikono hates it when the two of them fight, but she's got more immediate
problems: a very turned-on Zessica-Mikage is creeping up to "Combine" with her.
Mikono realizes something is seriously out of kilter, and Mikage introduces
"her"self as the Loser in Love, nurturing her long-held grudge against
Apollonius even after Apollo forgave her and Became One With(tm) her to save
the world when the World Ash was demolished.  She even "reached the height
of pleasure" when the world was remade...

..AAAAND, also realized in that instant that the dude she was so busy Becoming
One with was _not_, in fact, Apollonius... but (and is there any way to sugar-
coat this?  Nope...) rather his DOG.  Now ULTRA mega super pissed-off, she's
vowed to destroy all love everywhere in the two worlds, as their new god,
and means to forcibly "marry" Mikono to make that happen.

The other Elements figure out pretty quickly that Zessica's been Possessed,
but even Kagura can't stop Mikage from Combining as his controls no longer
work.  The team find themselves in some sort of dimensional rift, with Altair
and Vega shortly to crash into each other or some shit.  Mikage's dressed
his Aquarion all in black (to Roger's annoyance) and is using Kagura's
Reversal power to land Infinite Punches even before the hands extend.

What's worse, he seems to have somehow perverted Ranka and Sheryl's songs...
or rather, their love for Alto.  Yup, they're aboard the Ancient Aquarion in
what one imagines are very tight quarters.  Mikage specializes in messing up
romantic triangles, and sad to say there's a lot of those in this game.  Only
one thing to do, obliterate Mikage and get the Ancient Aquarion back in the
hopes of maybe setting things right.

 Love is not far removed from Hate, and both confer very strong power upon
 their bearer.  If only there was a way to save Ranka and Sheryl and get rid
 of that damn Infinite Punch...  Alto's love finally finds a voice, and as
 he dances through the heavens the Fold Wave System amplifies _his_ voice
 just as it would Ranka or Sheryl.  Basara says it best: there's nothing
 special about song: it's just one way to convey one's feelings.  Or even more
 succinctly, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE.  That's what they say, easy.

 And _that_ is the path to Apotheosis.  Sheryl is the first to accept Alto's
 invitation to sing, and Ranka isn't far behind.  Nobody, not even a god,
 can stop them now.  Maybe theirs is a triangular relationship, maybe one or
 both women aren't destined to receive Alto's love, but they can love him from
 their side anyway.  And, as a nice side effect, their songs seem to have
 turned MIX back into a woman by re-awakening her woman's heart.

 Time for her and Andy to Combine the hell out of this mutha.  Sure, the rest
 of the team is getting a show via their monitors, and in C.C.'s view a little
 actually-romantic pr0n might do the virgins on the team some good.  By the
 same token, Mikage is aghast at the sight of actual, bona-fide love, and
 that stupid Reverse Buddha's Palm Whatever-the-Fuck contraption is now
 offline, making it totally open season on the Ancient Aquarion.

 ...Well, partially open at least.  Mikage managed to get some of the Galaxy
 fleet's Ghost's along with the Vajra he summoned, and tries to use them
 to get in Alto's way.  Totally not happening.  Alto hears Fudou's voice
 telling him to aim for the chest, save the girls and leave the rest to him.
 Works like a charm, but the group are far from the ship and fetching them is
 going to be helluva tricky.

 That is, until Claire uses her Element Power: Teleportation!!  She's not as
 young as she used to be (which very much surprises her students to hear) but
 with Fudou busting his ass she can't bear to stay on the sidelines either.
 Mikage is now down to only one warped love triangle to use as a power source.

Zessica, Mikono and Kagura are wandering the labyrinth of Mikage's heart.
Zessica asks Kagura to kill her so that Mikage won't be able to pilot the
Aquarion, saying that she can't think of any other way 'cause she's a dummy.
That actually gives Kagura pause, and she adds that Amata's going to be majorly
sad if Mikono is lost... and the last thing she wants to do is see Amata sad.
Kagura considers her offer, then passes: he ain't letting her die on Amata's
behalf.  Instead, he'd far rather the both of them give Mikage some serious
comeuppenstance.  Time for fighting, not regret!

Mikage claims to no longer need either of them: once the True Aquarion, which
was once inhabited by the Gods, is awakened, the only Elements needed are him
and his Cursed Bride.  The time for the Vengeful Wedding is at hand, which
Kaien's powers have been warning about all along.

Yunoha wants Zessica and Kagura to get into her side's Aquarion, knowing that
Kagura was (once) Jin's friend.  And Jin in turn was the team's friend -- so,
using the transitive property, Kagura should be able to become their
friend too.  It's called MATH-E-MATICS, people.  And the result is Gentleness
within Strength, Passion within Weakness, and something sweeter than all else:
collective Myth-making, just as Fudou had long sought.

 Mikage's got a lot to way to many members of the team... too bad he gets
 pummeled too quickly to make the rounds.  Interesting among them are his
 observation that Kiriko is just like him in terms of romantic luck, and his
 observation to Amuro that mankind is headed for 120 MILLION years of
 solitude, which seems to be a few zeroes off one way or the other.  Someone
 notify Gabriel Garcia Marquez!

 Best is when he asks Zero why he doesn't use the Ruins to lead mankind.  Zero
 smirks and says that mankind doesn't need Eternity, and when Mikage calls
 him stupid for actually turning his back on the path to godhood, Zero smirks
 even more and says that it's not _as_ stupid as, oh I dunno, mixing the
 entire world up in some ill-founded grudge.  What this world needs is a
 _future_, one brimming over with possibilities -- and his mission is to
 cast aside any shadow that falls in the way!

Smote by Amata's righteous fists, Mikage becomes dazed, crying out for her
beloved Apollonius.  Mikono is now prepared to accept Mikage's sorrow if it
will save the world, but that would just pass the sorrow on to Amata, who once
saw his mother depart under similar circumstances.  No more goodbyes this time
for Amata: he means to protect this world at the side of the woman he loves.
Even if they get old and gray together... even if this world freezes into myth.

He will fly through infinity, _love_ through infinity, and Kagura now realizes
that while he was born to love the Sylphie from 12k years ago, Amata was born
to love Mikono in the here and now.  Time for AQUARION LOVE, and for yet more
rejection for Mikage.  Fudou shows up at this point, offering to make amends
for rejecting this crazy bitch 24k years ago (or was it 120M years ago?  They
can't seem to make up their minds...)  Apparently there's a 12k year cycle AND
a 120M year cycle that are both coming to a close, which leads to some of
the confusion.

Anyway, Mikage Does Not Forgive(tm) because she's cray-cray like that, but that
doesn't stop Fudou from seeing that the Wings of the Sun get back to where they
belong.  Altair is going back to its proper spot in the heavens too... or is
trying to, until the Devil shows up with all that Black Hole Power mumbo jumbo
and threatens to destroy both planets.  Ghoula does his best Mouthpiece of
Sauron impression and challenges the team to duel him before his father wipes
everything out.

Kagura will take some time to get used to this whole friendship thing, but
he's determined to join the fight to save the planet of his birth (and, maybe
the Earth along with it).  Fudou seems to be lurking around somewhere, but
nobody knows precisely where -- ehh, he'll turn up when it suits him.  Kei,
after all, knows Gendou from the past...  But for now, there's the Devil to
worry about, who seems to be in Feuer Frei mode now that the Mikeene are gone.

Claire knows that the team will bear the legacy of Schlede's soul well, and
looks forward to seeing him in another 12k years.  AG welcomes her as a new
combat member of the team, and she observes that Fudou is presumably off
somewhere still looking out for mankind.  She plays along with AG's
"Sale, Sale" game, and he says it's wonderful to have a pretty girl saying it.
Claire's expression is unreadable as she says that people are not always
what they appear to be.  Indeed, just like Fudou himself...


----------
CHAPTER 53N. The Nature of Darkness

Someone, namely Zessica, needs to spend some simulator time with Kagura for
him to understand just how big a deal taking on the Devil will be.  Kodama
pitches in too (looking forward to using his beast-hunting skills on the
newcomer), leaving Suzune to lightly lecture Alto about him needing to do his
part to lift Ranka's spirits.  She and Sheryl are coming along for the ride
in the fight against the Devil, and there's little time to mourn Schlede's
loss.  She, like Kodama, has come a long way towards full adult-hood over the
course of the campaign (not that Kurtz can expect a "private lesson" from her
any time soon).

The person who probably needs the most care and feeding right now is Shotarou,
still clinging to the ridiculous notions that a) Ghoula has any reason to be
his friend, and b) that he in any way deserves roster space during battle.  He
processes both of these to mean that he's obligation to stop Ghoula with his
own hands (or rather, with Tetsujin's hands).  This also will mean the
fulfillment of the missions that he and Ghoula received from their respective
fathers.

The Devil is currently hiding out inside of an apparent contradiction: a
gravity-less black hole.  Maybe "hiding out" is the wrong word: Ghoula says
that the black hole _is_ his father, and AG realizes that he must be able to
control its gravity using Origin Rho.  AG also knows about Robby, a rare type
of robot constructed by a certain society (now sucked up by a black hole) to
record cultural information.  And not just any black hole: of course it was
the Devil's handiwork.  In that sense, Robby knows better than anyone else
how powerful the Devil is (and, hopefully how to defeat him).

At any rate, Ghoula is determined to be his evil father's son, Shotarou is
determined to stop him in the name of Friendship, and the rest of the team
will have to tag along for the ride.

 Ghoula isn't too concerned when Duncan (and Robby, he thinks) get blown to
 smithereens -- it's the way of the universe that the weak perish.  If
 anything, your team has proved themselves strong, and he means to prove
 himself stronger yet by winning.  Talk about delusional.  Speaking of which,
 Shotarou's all like "Next time we meet, throw down your sword and come with
 open arms!"

 And the Devil's all like "NOW you've done it, puny Earthlings!!"  So why is
 it precisely that the Devil, and all his supposed care for his son, didn't
 intervene sooner?  Oh, only the STRONG are permitted to live by the Law of
 the Universe.  Time to get a refund on that "Multiverse's #1 Dad" coffee mug.

 Now it turns out that the Devil is a veteran of this 12k year spring cleaning
 cycle.  The last time this happened, the universe he was in couldn't escape
 collapse, and it was then when he dispatched his son in stasis to this Earth.
 That was the same day when he took the final step to godhood and joined with
 black holes... all thanks to the power of Dimensional Energy.  The force of
 his will gathered countless souls under the domination of his black hole,
 which is nothing if not a mass of "minus"-type Origin Rho: the opposite of
 the "plus" type that stars emit.

 Since even Kodama, a Sphere Reactor via artificial means, doesn't seem to get
 the message, the Devil spells it out.  The power of Will can accelerate
 Psychons.  Moving Psychons is how Dimensional Energy is controlled.  Got it?
 Furthermore!  Though the various Sphere Reactors need their Spheres to get
 stuff done, the Devil directly controls Origin Rho in the form of his black
 hole.  And since the Earth is the best place to _use_ Origin Rho, he means
 to grab it and gain true eternity.

 And in the meantime, the Devil wants to destroy everything other than
 himself in this area, _especially_ Shotarou and his puppet.  Why, one
 wonders, does someone with the power of black holes care about a specific
 unmanned robot?  Could there be something _s_p_e_c_i_a_l_ about it?!
 Mayyybe, but first the Devil gates in a bunch of Invaders.

 One other unpleasant surprise: the Devil will drain 10% of everyone's energy
 per turn.  Guess you gotta make this fast, huh?  Except that the Space Devil
 is a talkative dude, what with all the Black Knowledge he's collected and
 is just dying to dispense.  Actually, your team will be dying _as_ he
 dispenses it, thanks to a nifty little Body Divide trick he pulls off.

 This is the moment Robby's been waiting for: the Devil is split into three,</pre><pre id="faqspan-14">
 and therefore his powers are weaker.  Defeat all three of them within the
 same turn, then neutralize his Minus Origin Rho with Plus... something or
 other.  The Devil blasts him before he can finish, but Robby's last words
 are to ask the Earthlings to finish the revenge he started 100 years ago.

 The Devil's three avatars can't put up much of a fight, relatively speaking.
 But as long as the black hole exists, there'll just be more of them.  Hey,
 doesn't Tetsujin-28 have a Solar Power transfer device built on?  And isn't
 the energy of the sun that "Plus" Origin Rho we've all been hearing about?
 What are the odds that if he simply turns it to full blast, all will be
 solved?

 When I say "all", that excludes the fact that Tetsujin itself will be
 melted or something.  But hell, since Shotarou already killed his best
 friend in the interest of saving the Earth, what's one fugly giant robot,
 more or less?  Ehh, hypothetically it fought as part of Z-BLUE's side and
 therefore deserves a final salute before diving into the black hole.

Takeru then has a vision of what _actually_ happened to Tetsujin.  It didn't
so much melt as fall into an alternate dimension... a dimension which,
despite the obvious evidence of our eyes staring at the screen, is shrouded
in blackness.  Narrating all this is Marg, who asks Takeru to use his psychic
powers and bring Tetsujin back into the light.  Turns out Marg, who's now a
resident of this place, can team up with his brother to do cool stuff like
this when the plot demands it.  Cue the Very Happy Music.

..And abruptly, cue the Anti-Happy music, to announce the arrival of the
Anti-Spirals' messenger.  She tells the team it's too late, and that they're
all to be returned to Nothingness, sans memories.  That sounds bad.  Doesn't
that sound bad?  It sounds bad to me.

Drinking with a total jerkface douchebag sounds bad to Angel, who's finally
figured out why she's been drawn to him in the past.  He tries to recommend
getting drunk and forgetting the past in a burst of animal passion, but if
there's a woman out there susceptible to that kind of pickup line, she isn't
it.  The reason, she declares, is that they have this in common: neither of
them belong here.  This fabricated world, full of posed dolls, is something she
thought she could live without facing -- but Roger Smith wasn't having it.  And
now, neither can Angel, having broken down and read the final chapter of
Metropolis.  Oh how she wishes she could forget everything, and return to those
days of blissful ignorance...  She leaves Gadlight alone at the bar, with
thoughts that, to my immense delight, once again sour the drink in his mouth.


----------
CHAPTER 54N. The Show Must Go On

The team find themselves in Paradigm City, where the grass is non-existent and
the girls would be pretty if they weren't busy looking like extras in a
zombie pandemic film.  Kei, the True Singularity, has something of an intuitive
understanding of how this place works: it is, as always, governed by the
Utter Ultimate, that which orchestrates the beginning and end of all things.
Or so Asakim said anyway -- you remember good old Asakim Dorwen, right?  What
with the Sphere hunting and the undyingness and what have you?  Currently
fast asleep inside a ZONE on Mars?

Yeah him.  He claimed that Paradigm City was sort of a petri dish for studying
ways to build the next universe, and on that reading it seems to suit the
Utter Ultimate's purposes that people here have no memories.  As to the
Utter Ultimate's identity... well, the Spheres are supposed to be fragments of
it.  So assuming that Origin Rho _itself_ didn't somehow make this place, it
means that someone capable of wielding it did.  And given the way this place
operates, it's not a stretch to imagine that Paradigm City is essentially a
dress rehearsal for Eternity Flat.

How this would fit into a Systematic Anti-Spiral plan for destroying mankind is
unclear.  For the time being, the best plan would be to find Roger, who ended
up in a different part of town.  First though, let's catch up with Amuro and
co., who find themselves outside of Paradigm City's dome in a ravaged
wasteland.  There they encounter Schwarz, who seems to know everything about
everyone here as part of his Search For Truth(tm).  He explains that this
wintery mess was caused by "a" Char Aznable, and that this is the _real_ world
as they should remember from the Black History.  He vanishes without offering
any further insight, leaving Amuro to lament what appears to be a bona fide
nuclear winter...

Kodama and Suzune are drawn to the Speak Easy, where Gadlight and Annalotta
await.  Kodama is determined to face them directly, planning to waste Gadlight
using Boost Mode at the first opportunity.  Unfortunately, the Geminite males
have the ability to convert their skin into metal, making Kodama's physical
attack useless.  May as well take a load off and have a drink: this place's
whiskey ain't half bad.  Except of course for the fact that Kodama is a minor.

Annalotta claimed that Kodama is a lot like Gadlight, and Gadlight figured he
should take a look at his adversary before their final battle.  He's also
curious where Kodama got his Geneon, even in name resembling his Geminia.
Kodama relays what he's been told, that the Geneon is a prototype from the
pan-dimensional merchants known as DEM.  He then starts listing all his
grievances with Gadlight, none of which come as a surprise to him.  Gadlight
then offers to give Kodama at least a hint about this world's Singularity...
if he bows his head to him.

Gadlight clearly doesn't expect Kodama's pride to allow such a thing, but with
gritted teeth Kodama does exactly that.  After a bit of joking around, Gadlight
says that the Singularity is a person that the team know very well, due to
their Stigmas and whatnot.  Kodama thanks him, raising his head to add that
he'll have revenge for this disgrace.  He stalks out, leaving Gadlight still
satisfied that there's no way Kodama can actually put the info to any use
(given how the whole team are going to get wiped out by the System here in
this city).  Still, he can see the resemblance Annalotta pointed out: the
conflict between despair and hope within that marks one as worthy to pilot
his mech.  As he and Annalotta go to watch what he thinks will be Z-BLUE's
last fight, Gadlight expects that "he" should now be satisfied... so long as
Annalotta by no means attends too.

Now, about Roger.  He's made a beeline for Gordon Rosewater's pad.  There will
be no tomatoes for Roger to sample this time: Winter is coming, and with it a
bout of forgetfulness for "her" from all her sorry and loneliness.  It turns
out that Angel basically _is_ Paradigm City, and she's now read the final
chapter of Metropolis where the world ends... the legacy of this System we
keep hearing about.

Once Gordon did everything in his power to discover the identity of Paradigm
City's creator -- the same person who made him pen Metropolis in the first
place.  But in the process, he realized how immutable the past was, and how
futile that fact makes memory.  Perhaps this city is exempt from the 12k year
cycle, but Gordon's dissatisfaction with that led him to send Roger that
message.  It's Gordon's belief that the future shouldn't be determined by
the old and feeble, and Roger just hopes Angel concurs.  Because ready or not,
it's time for him to go to work.

He summons the Big O, asking Angel to come out if she can see him.  What comes
out instead is a legion of The Bigs, representatives of the System.  Schwarz
also appears, calling The Bigs' presence proof that Angel's in no mood to
talk.  Well, sometimes using force is part of Negotiation too, as Z-BLUE would
agree.  Roger cautions that these dudes won't go down easily: according to
Metropolis, they are the Army of God that's supposed to reduce everything to
ash.  And as though Kodama needed extra motivation, he knows that Gadlight is
watching -- and he'll be damned if he loses in front of his archenemy.

 Something to ponder while battling: didn't the team like, _avert_ the Black
 History back in the UCW timeline?  If so, what's the deal with the nuclear
 winter here??

 Dorothy agrees with Roger that it's time to bring Schwartz perverse
 backward-looking dance to its grand finale, and unseals the final bit of
 the Big O's power.  Roger has by no means turned his eyes from the past;
 rather, he's decided (like Gordon) that it has no value in helping him forge
 the future.  Schwarz counters that no reporter can report on tomorrow's
 news today, and mockingly tells Roger to Negotiate his way to that future
 he so loves.  To think that his end would come, not with fire, but with
 light...

 It takes a little doing to vanquish all the defenders of Paradigm City, but
 Roger and the team get it done.  That is, until Angel's despair takes
 physical form in an inverse-colored Big O.  Gadlight's been waiting for
 something like this for a while, and tells Kodama to kiss his ass, and this
 world's goodbye.  Dorothy refers to the thing as "Big Venus", a bird with
 its wings torn off... or perhaps, it's the stage of evolution just prior to
 the development of flight.

 It's got the ability to return things to Nothingness, and if left on the
 loose the entirety of Paradigm City, not to mention Z-BLUE itself, are in
 major trouble.  Is this System something that deliberately resets everybody
 before the 12k year cycle can end?  And if so, is it being done out of
 some kind of benevolence?

 In any case, each unit that attacks Big Venus will only get one shot, as
 they will be subsequently filed in a pocket dimension until Roger can get
 them out again.  Assuming he _can_ get them out again.  Basically it's up to
 the rest of the team to set the table, as it were, in preparation for his
 Negotiating.

Watching this mess from the sidelines is mister Execute Women guy.  Though
he's sure that human hands can't change fate, there are other hands that just
might.  Roger tells Angel that if she's tired of dreaming this city's dream,
she need but open her eyes and awaken: reality isn't as bad as she might think.
Perhaps the past, and memories thereof, never existed in the first place... but
_now_, the Present, clearly exists -- as does Paradigm City itself.  Should
she dislike her role in events, simply step down from the stage, and go where
the wind, or at least where her own two feet, will take her next.

It's always open to anyone to create the future for themself, regardless of
what the past held.  She's free to play the part _she_ wants, of her own free
will, just as Roger has done with his Negotiator thing.  And nobody else can
tell her she's not "fit" for the part.  And if it's about the wings business,
she should know that her wings have always been there in her heart.  Just,
spread them already!  She's a bit sad that it can't be just the two of them,
but she's now got the confidence to accept the world, and promises to meet him
again, somewhere, sometime.

Z-BLUE (including the vanished members) reappear at Point X.  The good news:
the world's been saved for the moment.  The bad news: a week has passed,
leaving only one week more till Eternity Flat day.  The worse news: Axis has
begun moving toward the Earth, with a Federation fleet commanded by Saigas
going to intercept it.  The team has no choice but to head to Merida for
emergency repairs.  Has Z-BLUE's absence provided Char an opening for a
preemptive strike?  Or...?

Roger explains the bit about Angel being Paradigm City itself, in effect, its
memory.  She has no idea who set that arrangement up, but it caused her to
despair and to try to forget, which the System for erasing everything
apparently hinged on.  With Paradigm City preserved in some fashion, it's now
Z-BLUE's turn to figure out this Eternity Flat business.  Char seems bent on
becoming the leader of mankind before Eternity Flat is even announced, perhaps
staging this battle based on what he saw via the Zero System.

Roger assures Dorothy that he'll see Angel again, either in Paradigm City
(whose disposition is anybody's guess) or elsewhere.  It's like a contract
between him and Angel, and if there's one thing Roger always does it's fulfill
his contracts.

Suzune queries AG on what he was up to leaving the ship during the last
battle.  Looking for clues about the Geneon and its twin, and not having much
luck, as it turns out.  AG lectures Suzune on not sympathizing too deeply
with Gadlight: maybe there's some aspect of his personality that's similar to
Kodama, but everything else about him is totally opposite.  Get too involved,
and it will be she and Kodama who end up dead.  She sees the wisdom in this
and cheers up, which is good: the Geneon _must_ defeat the Geminia....


[From this point forward, the two routes merge permanently.  The event
descriptions come from the "N"ormal route unless otherwise noted.]

----------
CHAPTER 55. Fly, Into Space...

Despite all the victory, the team seem no closer to fixing the Eternity Flat
problem.  Even if Traia's scheme for causing a Quake using Ranka and Sheryl's
singing works, it won't fix the basic faults in the universe and the process
will just have to be repeated.  Everything seems to hinge on that clue Gadlight
gave to Kodama, that the Singularity they seek is someone they know.
Presumably that someone isn't on the team or they'd already have felt some
reaction; finding them, and the physical Greater Singularity, must be top
priority as the team continues battling ahead.  Yes, battling: the more Z-BLUE
keeps hope alive for mankind, the more stress it puts on the Geminis forces:
and they're the only people known to have the power to break out of the Time
Dungeon.

And though Gadlight has been playing it cool verbally, Kodama sensed that
something else is at work under the surface -- that something could well come
to a head during the battle at Axis.  Jeffrey at first thought that Gadlight's
actions and words were driven by overconfidence in his abilities, but he's now
starting to believe something deeper is at work: that Gadlight fundamentally
can't control the balance of his own heart.  Which, it must be said, doesn't
make him any less dangerous.

And then there's Char, who's been systematically defeating Saigas' fleet
little by little.  Basically, he's been spending his time defeating the
Earth First'ers while Z-BLUE has been busily fighting off mankind's common
enemies.  Confronting him about it will require getting to space, and with
Z-BLUE's current state of damage, that will require using a launch facility,
such as the one in the Leyte islands.  What everyone wants to know is why Char,
who ought to know the futility of warfare by now, insists on using it here...

As the pilots chat to pass the time, Kaname turns up: she's been helping Tessa
remodel the TdD, knowing full well that it's headed into a battle zone.  Kaname
kind of wants to spend a bit more time with Sousuke, though he's just clueless
enough to take that to mean "with Sousuke and the rest of the Volunteer Club".
Also, it's a fair point that nowhere on the Earth is actually safe from, say,
Axis falling to the surface.

WHOA, WAIT.  Nobody's been talking about anything like that -- where'd she
hear that idea from??  She's not sure herself, and though most of the team
put it down to an overactive imagination, Sousuke wonders if it's her Whispered
abilities at work.  But even the Whispered aren't prophets... are they?  Still,
the idea isn't as crazy as it sounds: Char already seems to have considered
dropping Fifth Luna on the Earth...  This raises an interesting point though,
regarding the Singularity: could Kaname, who's been present for all this
world's major turning points, _be_ the Singularity?  And, for Amuro, could
the aftermath of a colony drop be what he saw in Paradigm City?

Meanwhile, Tessa fully expects Amalgam to attack prior to arrival at Leyte,
owing to their collaboration with Full Frontal.  And she is not disappointed:
the bad guys are so determined to stop the TdD that they even stage a suicide
attack, setting the table for Gaulun to arrive.  He's brought a giant A.S. with
him, and the remaining Firebugs (complete with their resident Three Stooges).

 Beck may be a punk, but he's a punk who, like Roger, has managed to escape
 from the curse of memory.  The guy deserves a little credit at least.  Kan
 Yur deserves none, apparently so flustered when Kiriko actually reacts to
 him that he runs out of throw-away lines to spit as he retreats.  Gates
 spouts the most incomprehensible line of all, that the morning wind is the
 enemy of his lovingly-cared for locks.

 Gaulun's fondest wish seems to be for "Kasshim" to become as perverse an
 individual as he himself.  Sousuke by this point has matured enough to not
 have it in the slightest.  The best way to show this is his statement that
 Gaulun, far from being an arch-enemy, was just one more opponent, nothing
 more.

All this combat has made Z-BLUE very late, and they get later when Mister Ag
hacks into their system.  He's had his Amalgam forces busily destroying the
Leyte launcher during the battle, and tells Tessa and crew to give up on
saving this warped world of theirs.  He then tries a stronger show of force,
dispatching enough troops that even the TdD should, in his view, have trouble
breaching them.  Tessa orders all the Z-BLUE forces back aboard, and even Zero
tells the team they've got no choice but to trust her.

Turns out that Kaname hasn't been hanging around JUST out of her love for
Sousuke, nor has Tessa been content to do what her brother might expect.  Come
to find out that the modifications to the TdD have made it _spaceworthy_!
This required help from the top minds of old Britannia, plus Traia.  Their
next masterpiece will require all of them in one place: the one to prevent the
end of the world -- and that masterpiece has been readied in secret.  It seems
that Z-BLUE's actions haven't just served Char as camouflage -- but a coalition
of do-gooders as well.

That project is all down to one of the ZONEs, whose Core Traia really hopes
she can awaken.  It's the least she can do in Crow and Ester's absence.

Tessa by the way admits that the whole TdD taking flight thing was her very
last trump card: something nobody had even had time to test.  But she was
deliberately counting on Amalgam, and her brother, underestimating the team.
And as for Kaname volunteering to become the TdD's central nervous system...
well, she's just glad to help Sousuke and the world as they've helped her.
Sweet!  Now on to the stopping Char Aznable part.

It seems Gadlight is in touch with Chrono, having accepted the dreadfully
boring job of guarding this Paradise in order to get the best seats in the
house for the upcoming showdown between Z-BLUE and Neo Jion.  Oh, and maybe
he'll have to liven things up at some point.  In any case, he plans to make
damn sure that nobody stands in the way of establishing the Time Dungeon.
King makes a show of wishing Gadlight fortune in battle, but after Gadlight
hangs up he sounds rather unhappy that Saigas seems intent on waiting for
Z-BLUE to do the heavy lifting in the upcoming battle.

Still, Chrono has a job to do in watching over human evolution, as their
predecessors had wished.  OR DO THEY?!  Such a plan isn't what Advent had been
taught, and he and his fellows choose action instead of observation to protect
human evolution.  Advent is the de facto head of his faction with Ioria and
Elgan out of the picture, and the kerfluffle with Z-BLUE and Char will decide
which of the two factions of Chrono is qualified to endure...

By the way, if you have Kiriko shoot down Kan Yur, and Roger shoot down Beck,
AG will come up with 100Z for this "showdown of arch-enemies".  Roger isn't
thrilled about hearing Beck and he spoken of in the same terms as Char and
Amuro.  Amuro, by the way, seems rather nervous -- just as he was during the
One Year War.  Katsu remembers that well, and one can only hope that he,
Hathaway, and everyone else can put paid to all their concerns in the next
battle...


----------
CHAPTER 56. The Truth About Char Aznable

Reporter extraordinaire Isabelle has been paying very close attention to the
movements of highly-placed people in the Federation government, and tries to
corner Rilina for an explanation of what the hell is going on in the world.
Rilina reluctantly asks her to wait until November 1st, when the President
herself will have an important announcement regarding the fate of all mankind.
And Isabelle can quote her on that.  Hopefully this will be the last piece of
getting the world to hear the announcement in the best light possible.  The
rest is up to Hiiro and friends.

Chrono's advance troops have been vanquished with little problem, but the only
way to truly root out Chrono, in Hamarn's judgment, is to take out the
Federation itself.  Char leaves her and Full Frontal in charge of Axis'
defenses while he takes to the front lines himself, and she's not happy at all
about it.  She tells him to stop acting like a spoiled kid and start acting
like an adult.  Settling the score with Amuro won't get rid of the specter of
Lalah Sun, nor will it do any good to the restless Gyunei or the trusting
Quess.  Char thanks her for not getting thoroughly sick of him by now, and asks
her to look after Neo Jion with all her considerable skills should something
happen to him.  And as for Full Frontal, well, Char's got a plan.

He then apologizes for the mess he made when he ran into Mineva's body double
back when, now understanding that the real Mineva has been raised well under
Hamarn's care.  He also appreciates how Hamarn left Mineva be instead of
dragging her back into all this, though Hamarn tells him that Mineva deserves
most or all of the credit for that -- she's her own person, after all.  Before
leaving, Hamarn tells Char two things: one, he should keep in mind that she's
there to help shoulder some of the burden of leadership.  And two: he'd better
damn well come back alive so she won't have to add a funeral for him to her
already lengthy to-do list.  Encouraging, but all that is coming to an end
soon.  Char will be counting on her, and Amuro, to do what he seems to feel
he cannot...

Gyunei's gotten to be a bit more... human during his time with Z-BLUE, less
stuck up about how he's a Fortified Human and all.  He's also gotten less
bent on revenge for his parents' deaths during the One Year War.  None of which
changes the fact that Z-BLUE are their enemy.  Z-BLUE, meanwhile, faces the
unappetizing prospect that Saigas might try to shoot them, as well as Neo
Jion, in the back depending on how the battle goes.  Tessa is determined to
see it through with the other battleships, having trained quite hard for the
chance.

Indeed: once this battle is over, mankind will all be told of the upcoming
Eternity Flat, and given the chance of how to proceed.  Z-BLUE's role here will
be to lure Char out and figure out what _his_ intentions are.

 When Char emerges, his stated intention is to wage this war to figure out
 whether or not mankind deserves to survive.  And to do that, he does in fact
 intend to drop Axis on the Earth, forcing mankind into space where Newtype
 evolution must occur.  This is precisely the sort of mistake that Treize
 made, and that Treize specifically told Char _not_ to repeat... so why's he
 doing it anyway?

 Why the egotism?  Why the impatience?  Why the determination to act
 unilaterally?  It's because _Char_ is the Singularity.  But why abandon the
 truce with Z-BLUE?  Char says he owes the team no answer, and dispatches
 Quess and them to do his dirty work.  It seems like taking out Axis will be
 easy enough for a team that once stopped an entire _moon_, but Amuro tells
 his fellows to wait until they've forced all the truth out of Char.

 If Char wanted the business, he certainly got the business.  He flees, in a
 shocking departure from character, resulting in Full Frontal showing up to
 take his place as the "real" Char Aznable.  It turns out that Full Frontal
 too is a Singularity (the way Kei and Orson are) and suddenly this whole
 operation of Char's makes sense to Amuro.  The Greater Singularity, the pivot
 of all history, is Axis itself!!


----------
CHAPTER 57. Beyond the Time

The Federation president begins her broadcast about Eternity Flat, the Baals...
and about this frigging *asteroid* that Neo Jion is trying to dump onto the
Earth.  It's a pretty grim programme (as they say in the UK) and for color
commentary, let's cut to a bar that's _not_ located in Paradigm City for a
change.  There we find Mineva chatting with the barkeep, a long-time resident
who correctly notes that there's really nowhere to evacuate to, either on the
Surface OR in space.  His family is from the UCW, and there they tell of the
tragedy that led to the formation of the Federation and the decision to
colonize space -- not just with Poor Unfortunate Souls(tm), but also with
volunteers and any amount of optimistic folk too.

Those original Colonists were prepared to not return to the Surface until the
balance of nature was restored, and a fine mess their and the Earthnoid's
governments made of that plan too.  Still, even if the good intentions that
founded the Federation and the colonies were rooted in a certain egotism, that
is preferable to the blackness of a world ruled entirely by cold indifference.
Char Aznable's, for instance.  Assuming that Axis can be deflected, mankind
will still have to choose between Eternity Flat and the Baals: a tough choice,
but one that at least admits of good-intentioned contemplation.  Mineva is
moved by his words (and his complementary coffee) to reconsider her decision to
run from the conflict in the heavens, and like him now wants to do whatever is
in her power to do to help.  Before she goes, she asks what he would wish for
ere Axis falls.  A future, overflowing with hope for all people.  Word to
your grandmother's cousin's former roommate's dog.

To even slow down Axis will require taking out Axis' remaining warpower, but
there's more at stake than a mere rock in orbit.  Amuro and Camille saw outside
Paradigm City what will happen should Axis fall: a bleak scene truly befitting
the Black History.  Everything revolves around Char and Axis, and since Full
Frontal insists on being Char right now, he's got to be the focus of the team's
assault.  Capturing, instead of killing, him is going to be tough, as is
deflecting but not pulverizing Axis.  Still, that sort of heavy lifting is why
Z-BLUE exists.  Genneman meanwhile finds himself unable to break free of his
old hatreds, and as much as asks Banarj to stop him.

 Whoever Full Frontal is, he's _not_ the proper Red Comet... rather, he's
 some kind of sub-human wearing the Red Comet's mantle.  And as proof of how
 full of himself he's gotten, he dares to call Char himself an imposter, too
 overextended in his quest to save both Spacenoids _and_ Earthnoids.  The
 wrath of the Spacenoids, Full Frontal claims, can only be satiated by extreme
 measures like this asteroid drop.

 Hell, even Char's stated goal for dropping Axis was to force mankind to go to
 space.  Full Frontal's version is a mere venting of the hypothetical spleen
 of the Spacenoids -- a far cry from what the _real_ Char Aznable would do.
 Oh and by the way, breaking Axis would kind of render Eternity Flat
 unavoidable, wouldn't it?  It sure would, and in Full's view, that's a better
 gamble than facing the Baals head-on.  That's why he's made his pact with the
 Geminis folks.

 Amuro's been considering this line of bull, and declares that Full Frontal
 is indeed "Char", but without any of the hesitation that detracted from his
 strength.  However, that lack of love also makes him unfit to bear the
 burdens of the world.  ON the other hand, it makes him Mr. Popularity with
 the Anti-Spirals (hi, Nia!) who I guess would prefer not to fire up their
 Spiral Nemesis machinery.  Nia chips in a few troops to help "protect the
 Universe" in her words, but if she expects the team to despair, she's in for
 a sore disappointment.  In fact, Simon the crew largely ignore this gambit
 in the interest of stopping Axis from falling.

 Nia tells Simon that she's being recalled to the Anti-Spiral homeworld for
 further data analysis, and that the possibility of him rescuing her is
 extremely close to zero.  But not IDENTICALLY zero (see, more math-e-matics),
 and hence 100% in the parlance of these games.

 As Nia vanishes, regaining her old self for a moment, Full Frontal seems
 delighted that the Anti-Spirals will leave the Spacenoids alone once Axis
 falls.  He retreats to a safe distance, not intending to let emotions get in
 the way of a clean victory.  Amuro now knows without a doubt that this is the
 guy who sent assassins after him, and retracts his earlier statement.  Full
 is not Char, is not the Red Comet, and is _certainly_ not someone worthy of
 ruling the world.

 Full Frontal keeps the team from getting anywhere near the nuclear pulse
 engines propelling Axis, and it's certainly not an easy feat getting anywhere
 near him.  But then Char comes back, informing Full Frontal that his whole
 charade about doing "what the people want" is merely his misunderstanding of
 what "Char" is really about.  Char's real game was to force everyone to
 actually _think_ about what they wanted the world to be, and to focus their
 thoughts on Axis (the Greater Singularity) by timing its drop with the
 announcement of Eternity Flat.  Full Frontal appreciates the incredible
 resolve it took to orchestrate all this, including turning former friends
 against him, but he notes that Char has changed, no longer the Char Aznable
 that he knows.

 Come to think of it, there have been a lot of different "Char Aznables", that
 is to say, "Caspar Lem Daikun"s over the years.  One fighting eternally as
 Quatro Bagina, one opposing the whole world as "Char", one making nice with
 aliens to save the world...  Among those, Full Frontal has chosen the
 "proper" path as the Red Comet and elected to drop Axis on the Earth.  That's
 earned him Char's enmity, even though Char himself expects to be hated in
 turn for the preposterous machinations that led to this point.

 It seems that visions have plagued Char ever since this world was formed,
 too vivid and too bleak to be dismissible as dreams.  That got him thinking
 about Singularities, and motivated both his truce and his use of the Zero
 System in a bid to divine the visions' meaning.  There he learned the truth
 of his and Full Frontal's Singularness, the nature of Axis, and something of
 the extent of Chrono's menace.  To deal with all of that, he had no choice
 but to hide what he knew.

 Oh and just for good measure, it turns out that Chrono is the real force
 behind the assassination of Char's father Jion Zum Daikun... AND behind the
 assassination of the original Hiiro Yui.  In short: Chrono has managed to
 bridge multiple parallel Earths all this time.  Full Frontal has some idea
 about all of this from his pursuit of the Laplace Box, and he means to
 throw one final obstacle in Char's way: Hamarn herself!

 Hamarn wants to know why Char didn't trust her with the information about
 his being the Singularity.  He tells her he wanted to leave Neo Jion in her
 hands after he was gone, but she's not having that.  She means to conduct
 Dimension Healing herself, forcing him to kneel to her in the meantime.
 All this is as Full Frontal wishes, and as long as his mask remains
 intact, no rational appeal will avail.  But when in doubt: C4.

 Hamarn is very much torn between her reason, which agrees with Char's
 motives for using Neo Jion as a means for human advancement, and her emotions
 which call for payback to those who so cruelly afflicted the colonies during
 the One Year War.  Perhaps it's a common human failing that she can't put her
 emotions behind her, and perhaps that's why Char has to disable her mech,
 only to insist that she withdraws in the interest of looking after Neo Jion
 down the road.  One thing's for sure: he'll never be the man she (secretly)
 wants to love.  Full Frontal meanwhile has no idea what it is to love in the
 first place, and that's why he can't have nice things.

 If there's one thing separating the tack taken by folks like Treize, or to
 some extent Zero, from Full Frontal, it's that _they_ believed in a future
 for the world.  Full believes in no such thing, and Char manages to finally
 provoke a burst of anger from the guy by pointing that out.  After all, the
 rightful leader of humanity ought to be human him (or her) self!

Full Frontal has one final trick up his sleeve: self-destructing, and taking
Char with him.  It seems his emotionlessness extends to a lack of attachment
to living, which if you think about it explains neatly why he's so okay with
killing others.  It's at this point that Gadlight shows up, momentarily
complimenting Char on figuring out there's two Singularities before
accelerating Axis further towards the Earth.  Unfortunately for him, Amuro and
the team aren't going to be swayed by a little rock or two.

During this battle, all the info the President has about Eternity Flat and
the Baals has been broadcast to mankind.  Let all with ears to hear, and eyes
to gaze toward their fellow man, wish for the future they desire.  And may that
prayer be delivered... a prayer for a genuine peace, not one handed down by
others, but won by the sweat and blood and tears of one's own body.  May the
world to come be filled with Light, and Love!!  For it's only through the
future that we can forget the past.  And only once Eternity Flat is brushed
aside will the true battle begin -- a battle that Gendou even now is preparing
for.  If there's anything _he_ wishes for at this moment, it's that all the
children are safe.

One way or the other, it's time for the legacy of the Red Comet to end.
Fortunately, both Full Frontal and Char are in mecha with Psychoframes, making
them both vessels for the will of mankind.  Traia then phones in to let the
team know that all mankind, on the Surface and in the Colonies, are connected
to GN Particles, focused through Alto's Fold Quartz and other Star Trekian
technobabble to produce... a lot of power.  Even the remaining Neo Jion forces
pitch in, and with a little guidance from Lalah... ... ... we go to
Intermission.  Natch.

----------
CHAPTER 58. The Quarreling Twins

Chrono's do-nothing faction are in full sour-grapes mode after they failed to
realize that the progressives were preparing for Dimension Healing all this
time.  King reckons this will produce the worst possible result for mankind,
and both he and Queen know they can no longer intervene in the course of
events.  It's up to Gadlight and Advent now -- who will win?

The will of mankind has blown Axis to smithereens, leaving behind quite an
afterglow that Genneman and his crew find themselves pondering.  None of them
are willing to tell each other what they wished for to the light of mankind's
will, but the net result is an abandoning of their original quest for revenge.
Even if it means unfulfilled promises to Mary for Genneman himself.

Z-BLUE are around too, confirming that Eternity Flat is about to be toast... in
this universe.  There's presumably a parallel universe where all those who
wished for it to happen ended up: after all, mankind is a species, not a single
hive-mind.  So complete was the secrecy for preparing for Dimension Healing
that even Tessa only knew the vaguest details, and the request to keep Z-BLUE
fighting as a distraction.  Char had no idea either, and it seems he ended up
in this side of the universal route split.  He knows he didn't live up to
Neo Jion's expectations and doesn't plan to return there, but he _does_ plan
to fulfill his "responsibility" as one of the people behind the war.  Zero
warns him that that better not involve him dying.  In fact, how about he sticks
with Z-BLUE and finishes the showdown with the Baals?

Amuro knows that Char always believed that Axis would be stopped before it fell
on the Earth... and that Z-BLUE would provide the perfect focus for mankind's
better angels as they confronted Chrono and the Baals.  Neo Jion is likely in
chaos right now, and Hamarn will have to something pretty vigorous to keep its
people unified.  And Full Frontal is missing.  But for now, the fight against
mankind's common enemies should avoid any chance of Earth-space war restarting.
Thus, Z-BLUE has to pursue the Geminis forces, which will lead them to Chrono
as well.  And taking out _Chrono_ will open the door for true peace throughout
the Earth Sphere.

Saigas and the fleet turn up at this point and start firing on Genneman's
forces for no good reason.  Jeffrey orders Z-Blue into battle, declaring that
this is pointless slaughter and that Z-BLUE is going to exercise its Allies
of Justice(tm) prerogative to stop it.  Genneman gratefully accepts the help
and flees, setting up a showdown between Saigas and Z-BLUE at long last.

Gadlight then appears, and he's _pissed_.  Basically, he's pissed because the
Earthlings saved their planet, whereas the Geminis _failed_ to do the same for
theirs.  Seeing Saigas' treacherous, simpering ass only makes him madder, and
he singlehandedly wipes out the Federation fleet.

 Annalotta intends to protect Gadlight even if it costs her her life: the
 world isn't worth having if he's not in it.  Kodama tells her that she may
 not be so bad a person... on one level.  On another level, the Geminis
 started a frigging WAR and slaughtered countless innocents on Earth.  How
 does she think _her_ life has any rhetorical value left?!  In fact, what
 they've done isn't even properly callable as "war", and there's no turning
 back for her people now.

 Come to find out she's pregnant with the last Geminis child, and Gadlight
 orders her to retreat before she gets hurt.  But she's willing to get hurt,
 eager to die even, if it would restore this dude's rage and pride.  So she's
 saying that he can't fight without a sacrifice like that, huh?  Not to
 worry: he'll take care of this and be back soon.  He tells her he loves her
 (using one of the lamest pet names ever) and she says she loves him too.
 But after she leaves, Gadlight says that she's to run, as far away as
 possible from the Earth, should something actually happen to him.  Run,
 before _he_ comes.

 In the meantime, Gadlight summons a bunch of Invaders, apparently possessing
 similar power to the Devil thanks to having mastered the way to fuse the
 warring sides of his heart.  That's what it means to be a Third Stage
 Sphere Reactor, apparently: even Yuusar and Eim couldn't manage this level
 of mayhem.  Simon tells Kodama not to get discouraged at this turn of events:
 the point of a wall is to tunnel right the hell through it.

 ...And, on cue, the Ark Gurren shows up for combination time, though it
 doesn't seem to be enough initially.  Gadlight prevents the team from
 intervening, declaring for the umpteenth time that miracles can't happen, but
 Lowgenome tells Simon that he can, under the circumstances, drill between
 dimensions themselves in search of a little trinket he left behind: the
 ultramassive Space Daigun known as the Cathedral Terra.  You might remember
 it as the _other_ moon that was in the skies over the Earth?  Well, that's
 no moon.

 Simon rechristens it the Ultra-Galactic Dai-Gurren, and Ryouma decides to
 pitch in a bit by contributing some Getter Rays to accelerate the
 Dai-Gurren's "Evolution".  You know this is going to be bad-ass when Simon's
 pilot suit changes shape.  He one-hit-one-kill's a giant-ass Invader, and
 evidence strongly suggests he can keep it up all day.

 Gadlight is now beside himself, yelling that this kind of crap just ain't
 fair!  Why the hell can the Earthlings defend their planet when he couldn't
 defend his?!  Suzune suddenly gets a smirk on her face, finally figuring out
 what is needed to activate the Gemini Sphere.  All people have conflicting
 emotions within, and it's the resignation and rage inside Gadlight that let
 him draw upon his Sphere's power.  Gadlight yells for her to shut the hell
 up, and Advent appears to belittle how fragile his ego turns out to be.

 Gadlight admits that his homeworld has been destroyed, and wants to know
 why the hell the Earth's been put in some pocket dimension, apparently for
 safekeeping (as in, Eternity Flat??).  He DEMANDS that the Earth meet the
 same fate as his planet did, and busted his ass to make the humans kill
 themselves.

 So.  Gadlight attacks the Earth because he's jealous, and runs his mouth
 so people won't see the resignation within.  It was a game to this guy to
 kill Kodama's parents, and if the guy has SUCH a tragic past with his own
 planet, why can't he understand how painful it would be for others to suffer
 the same fate?!  Advent tells Gadlight that there's one way out of the
 suffering he endures caught between his rage and resignation: to kill his
 beloved Annalotta and burn his body away in an overwhelming fury.  A certain
 reputed artist is said to have done so to his daughter once, the better to
 visualize the torments of hell.

 In fact, for all Gadlight's talk of having been through Hell, he's only
 maybe seen the outside of the gated community where Hell's house is.  Only
 those who've actually rung the doorbell and stepped inside can proceed
 Higher.  Gadlight really doesn't want to hear that, but Kodama is well
 beyond caring.  All the Geneon's limiters are now cut: he can use GAI Mode
 indefinitely, but after this battle, all the mechanical parts will be toast.
 Kodama will never be able to use it again, but that's fine with him so long
 as he can beat Gadlight now.

 Advent finally reveals his true identity: the last of the Forgotten, who
 like Kodama had a run-in with an "Angel" back when.  He's been fighting to
 dispel that curse ever since, and his Ascleps is, like the Geneon, meant to
 help fight back.  He's not of this world, but rather exists to help support
 ALL worlds.  Suzune smirks again at that, and Advent smiles broadly when he
 tells an indignant Gadlight that "The Heavens help those who help
 themselves".  True dat.

 Gadlight can't figure out what's come over Kodama -- he actually thought he
 liked the guy when they met in the pub.  Fearsome Suzune notes that he
 also found something in Kodama that he didn't have, and that something
 changed that like to hatred in an instant.  Almost like, say, quarreling
 twins.  Gadlight yells at her to stop peering into his heart, and Kodama
 smirkingly asks if Gadlight even has such a thing left.  If there's one
 thing Kodama will NEVER be, it's a drunken, heartless bastard like him.

As with Eim, Gadlight's final throes are violent indeed: his Sphere power isn't
to be quelled easily.  Annulling the warring emotions in Gadlight would require
the ability to invert one of them, and for that, the power of the Sphere
controlling Falsehood would help.  Yep, that would be the False Black Sheep,
which seemingly is out of reach.  But Advent seems determined to stop the guy
anyway, and basically causes so much rage for Gadlight that it upsets the
balance of his Quarreling Twins.

Guess Kodama won't get to hang out with the guy any more, much less guide him
to any higher truths.  Why the heck is this guy willing to go so far for
Kodama's sake?  It's Gadlight's greatest joy, as he is Kodama's... something or
other.  Kodama rushes over to smite Gadlight for taking yet another thing from
him, and it seems the Geneon is finally reaching its limits.  Kodama knows he
can't waste this chance that Advent has given him.

Kodama's despair at his mech's failings is at war with his hope that something
can be done anyway, and that duality is something that Gadlight's Sphere seems
to really appreciate.  As does Suzune.  Who's the Imitation now, monkey boy?!

Gadlight has one last moment of malicious self-satisfaction before he dies:
even if Kodama's killed him, he won't be able to beat his Sphere forever... and
he _certainly_ can't beat Them.  He yells to the new Reactor that his mother's
beckoning him from Hell.  To think that even in his final moments Gadlight is
that venomous...

The remaining Invaders explode, and Advent's men show up to confirm his death
in battle... as he would have wanted.  With Gadlight gone, the Geminis forces
are as good as toast... and with its pet fleet gone, the reactionary side of
Chrono will have no choice but to fall silent.  The Chrono progressives will
see to the rest, leaving Z-BLUE to face the Anti-Spirals.  Now that Eternity
Flat's been defeated, they will certainly come with a direct offensive against
the Earth -- and only after they're dealt with will the Chrono agents explain
the full import of Advent's last words.

Z-BLUE are, as the Chrono agents put it, mankind's last hope against the Baals
and the Anti-Spirals.  The plan is to take the fight directly to the Anti-
Spirals' homeworld, and Lowgenome has an idea for how that might be
accomplished.  Kodama's personal fight might be over, but he intends to keep up
his part of Z-BLUE's struggle, and to master the new power that Advent's helped
him obtain.  And he _certainly_ won't give in to the despair that Gadlight spat
with his literal dying breath; he'll balance it with Hope.

Kodama knows full well that he couldn't have gotten to this point without the
help and encouragement (and training) from all of his teammates.  As the bon
homme proceeds though, Roger finds himself thinking about how Kodama's mech
seems to have been designed specifically to steal a Sphere... much like
Asakim's Schloger.  Talk of the side-effects of Sphere Reactorhood should also
wait for a more opportune moment; his teammates will have to keep watch for
now.  Fortunately for him, he's got his trusty partner by his side.

Annalotta does her best to keep the remaining troops organized, passing along
Gadlight's final order to evacuate from the Earth if something like this
should happen.  They've got nowhere specific to go, but _something_ has to be
done to preserve the blood of Geminis.  Mister sunglasses guy then turns up,
incapacitating the other soldiers so as to leave her unguarded.  Geminid was
a totally matrilineal society, and with her dead it will be well and truly
destroyed: as it deserves for violating the will of Heaven.  Gadlight's name
is on her lips as she falls to his sword, and with that taken care of, the guy
now awaits a chance to fulfill his _other_ mission.

AG confirms that the Geneon was always intended to have a Sphere driving its
GAI mode, but without one it needed to have various limiters in place to keep
things stable.  As it is, the Sphere has unknown effects on the pilot, so GAI
mode should probably be using sparingly for now.  Kodama thanks AG for being
part of the path to today's victory.  Heck, maybe AG can figure out something
to do about the Sphere's name?  There are plenty of twins out there on good
terms with each other...


----------
CHAPTER 59. The Final Battle for the Galaxy

"The Despair that is possibility, the Ruin that is evolution... the Door has
been opened, and nothing can save them now..."

Who the hell said that?  Not me.  Anyway, the Anti-Spiral homeworld has been
pinpointed (don't ask how) and it seems the team can get there (warp engines,
and whatnot).  In fact, the new ship is so damn big that people get around via
Short Warp instead of by like, walking down the hall.  The Spiral Race that
built this must really be something.  Klan feels like she's seen something like
the inside of this ship before, but isn't willing to speak up lest Michelle
make fun of her.

The assault may well be a one-way trip, and participation will be strictly
voluntary.  Departure is in three days￾f time so everyone can go say goodbye to
those they love, something that even ZEUTH and ZEXIS didn't do.  You can
certainly count the various children in, despite Misato's initial hesitance.
Fast forward through the business-like folks handling business, the family
folks saying by to their families, and so on and so forth.

Interesting is the reaction from Lidy, who tries his best to put the whole
thing with Chrono behind him for the remainder of the trip.  Amuro and Char are
also deep in discussion about the future evolution of mankind that the
Anti-Spirals fear so much.  Will humans one day be able to control time?  Will
Amuro ever see Lalah again?  Also interesting is Kei, who's doing some
souvenir shopping _now_ so that in the event he can return to Mimsy and the
others _later_ he'll be all set.  Kiriko, reminiscing about the first place
he met his very few friends (and his doomed significant other) hopes that
Sousuke can avoid a similar path through life.

Not much changes in general though, as the writers chain together all the
various series' storylines.  That is, until we get to Kodama.  The terrified
kids Kodama visits are likely to continue to improve now that Gadlight's gone,
and while Kodama is coy with Maki about what he really does for a living, he at
least promises to contact her again when (and if) he can.  Suzune is waiting
for him outside, and when he asks if there's anyone she wanted to meet, she
says that she really doesn't know anyone well in "this world".  Though she
never mentioned it, it turns out she was thrown here interdimensionally four
years ago.  No big deal really, kind of like what happened with Noriko.  But
maybe that solitude is why she's always felt so drawn to Kodama.  The both of
them now have this school of theirs to protect, and Kodama vows that once they
come back they'll both dismount the Geneon for good.
</pre><pre id="faqspan-15">
With all the pilots feeling good (including Noriko, whose fretting over the
faded picture of her beloved Elder Sister is interrupted by a healthy dose
of souvenirage), it's time to set off.  The location of the Anti-Spiral
homeworld actually came to light through a curious quirk about how the world
works: observation of the universe affects it on a very deep level.  Collapsing
superposition states, all that quantum mechanical mumbo jumbo that goes over
the heads of some of the team.  Basically it means that an Observer's will
has power, even over Dimensional Power as the team learned in Paradigm City.
That Asakim referred to Origin Rho as the Primordial Power says a lot.

But the bottom line here is that Nia is still wearing the ring Simon gave her,
and _that_ made it possible to trace her.  Call it a victory for the Power of
Love.  ...And for Convenient Censoring(tm) when the team finally arrive at the
Anti-Spiral's little pocket dimension, finding a massive projection of Nia
against the backdrop of space.

The Anti-Spirals really don't like Evolution, the high crime they accuse
Spiral lifeforms of committing against the universe.  They bust out a bunch of
large... body parts?  And Invaders and Space Monsters, who seemingly share the
same objective of protecting the "Order" of the universe.  Apparently the
Anti-Spirals are on an unbeaten streak, much like that of Z-BLUE, and it'll be
interesting to see who wins out...

 A major rumpus with the hordes of bad guys seems to avail little when they
 simply print more and send them after the team.  The problem, declares
 Lowgenome, is the Death Spiral Machine: a gadget that sucked up all the
 Spiral Power from the various warriors of the Spiral Races and converts it
 into a form the Anti-Spirals can utilize at will.  This Machine has a Core
 and all that, but's very well protected.

 Youko springs into action, planning to stage a probably-suicidal attack
 loaded with all the firepower she's got.  I guess her thinking is that
 none of the folks with hole-making gear of their own (like Simon, say) can
 afford to die at this point.  Kitan then declares that this is his job, since
 in part he's got the toughest Gunmen.  He has Lee Long load all the spare
 drills he's got, and as he heads for the cockpit Gimmy tearfully gripes that
 Kitan can be unafraid of death, even to the extent of choosing his own place
 to die.  Kitan yells at him that EVERYBODY is afraid of death.  But there
 are things we tell ourselves that let us proceed anyway.  He can say this:
 however reckless he is as he charges ahead, it's only because he knows the
 people who've got his back.  He gives Youko a fond kiss goodbye, then goes
 out and performs his own Giga Drill Break.  At long last he too can feel the
 Power of the Spiral.  ...And it ain't half bad.

Lowgenome drily notes that this operation had an identically zero percent
chance of success until Z-BLUE came through and trashed all the calculuses.
What we've got instead is a massive outpouring of all that pent-up Spiral
Energy, and of the souls of the Spiral Warriors guiding the team to the true
Final Battle.

The final Anti-Spiral is, optically anyway, colossal and then some.  It
notes that the sacrifice that led the team here is typical of Spiral lifeforms:
destroying whatever necessary for them to survive.  It is a fundamental truth
of the universe that those same beings which thrive on the Spiral also cannot
control its power.  Hence the so-called Spiral Nemesis: uncontrolled Spiral
Energy bursting forth from every living being, each creating an entire galaxy,
all of which devour each other into a universal-scale black hole.

There are those who find that notion a little, shall we say, unsettling.  SO,
they decided that instead of Evolving, mankind should Apotheose, which still
results in everything in the Universe getting trashed but at least the new gods
would survive.  I guess that's worse than just kind of inadvertently
obliterating everything like evolving life-forms apparently do, since the
Anti-Spiral refers to the Apotheosis advocates as the Primordial Peril.  The
Anti-Spiral orders the Spiral Race known as humanity to be laid waste, ere it
incurs the very Wrath of God: for that is the one and only way to save the
universe.

We've heard this kind of rhetoric before, but in this case, the helical DNA of
all regular life forms carries with it a primordial fear of the Spiral Nemesis,
and that fear is making even Simon hesitate to act.  But Viral, engineered
being he is without hereditary material of his own, can at least still think if
not do anything about the situation.  The Anti-Spiral then consigns the team to
a fate of wandering in an eternal closed-system world of possibilities: the
Multi-Dimensional Labyrinth.


----------
CHAPTER 60. All the Lights in the Heavens are Stars

Okay, let's get this panoply of hallucinations started off with Simon, who's
back to being a kid and partnered with his best bro Kamina.  They're a
smash-and-grab gang, with Simon drilling into banks and stuff and Kamina
grabbing the loot.  Back in real life, the Anti-Spiral explains to Nia that the
dreams gripping the team are both convenient fantasies of what might-have-been,
and nightmares.  So long as they view those possibilities as, well, _possible_,
they will never find their way out, or manifest their Spiral Power.

Truth be told, the Anti-Spirals are getting royally sick of dealing with
new outbreaks of Spiral lifeforms all over the multiverse.  They hope that if
they can analyze the oddity within Nia herself, they'll be able to put an end
to them once and for all.  Simon and crew better hurry, or there won't be
enough left of Nia to save.

Let's see.  We've got Watta being lulled into conformity by virtue of his
father being the CEO of a major company.  We've got Shotarou acting the passive
grade-schooler even when faced with a simple case of Junior High cat abuse.
Kiriko's a simple Battling athlete, encouraged by his lady love Fiana.  Alto's
on his way to a career as a celebrated actor, like his father, and an arranged
marriage.  Kouji's a simple kid from a NON-broken home.

Lelouch is "free" to do whatever he wants after graduation, blessed with good
looks and major smarts... and a sister with all her faculties _and_ a pleasant
relationship with his best friend.  Sousuke: standard-issue high school student
with two girls politely quarrelling over his attentions.  Noriko: training hard
on her school's athletic team under the watchful eye of Kazumi.  Shinji: also
confronted with two girls who seem on good terms with him.

Kei faces Orson, who pleads with him not to do Dimension Healing and thereby
be able to stay with Mimsy, just as Orson wants to do with Atena.  Shouldn't
they get to live as they see fit, regardless of this "Singularity" business?
Marg is trying to lead Mars into the pivotal base guarding Earth's safety.
Both of them are faithful soldiers to the Emperor, are they not?

Camille gets snared by Sirocco￾fs vengeful spirit.  Amuro is confronted by
Char and Amuro argue hypocrisy against each other for variously misusing Quess
and killing Lalah.  Hiiro goes to kill Rilina.  Kira and Shinn get ready for
major throwdown.  Setsuna is confronted by eternal war.  Audrey leaves Banarj
before he has a chance to do anything.  Ryouma is assailed by his teammates
as a threat to mankind.  Kagura and Amata fight to the death.

Aoi is all alone.  Basara can't move a mountain just by singing at it.  Akagi
back to a normal salaryman.  Roger amnesiac in Paradigm City.  And Kodama and
sexy-Suzune as regular student and teacher.  ...Got the picture yet?

Fudou and Kaworu turn up, not precisely to interfere but apparently to sort of
say hi?  And to let the Anti-Spirals know in no uncertain terms that all
those possibilities they set up for Z-BLUE can only lead them to the _correct_
possibility.  Nia piles on by pointing out that even in a labyrinth, the team
will always try to move forward.

Simon gets a vision of good-Kamina, who helps him remember that his Drill
isn't to point down in shame, but rather to Pierce The Heavens(tm).  The rest
of the team follow suit rapidly, saying hi to the souls of Kamina and Kitan
before setting their dreams behind them and getting back to ass kicking.  And
to taking Nia back by force.

The Anti-Spirals opt to face Z-BLUE on their own terms, the better to confer
absolute despair when they win.  Lowgenome has a temporary body now, and that
means he can fight alongside the rest of the team.  The power of will holds
sway in this Spiral Space, and that plays both to the Anti-Spirals and to
Z-BLUE's strengths.  The Anti-Spirals belatedly realize that humanity is in
the Age of the Sun, about to tread the path to Apotheosis.  And with the
whole of the Earth watching, it's time for serious fragdown!

 Like with Gadlight, you can putter around killing some of the bad guy
 extras if you want.  OR, you can get impatient like me and just waste the
 bastard.  In this case, you only need three turns.

 On the head of the Anti-Spiral is a planet: the homeworld they came from.
 Yes, the Anti-Spirals were once a Spiral Race like mankind.  But they
 realized what Evolution would lead to (the Spiral Nemesis) and made the
 decision to stop their own evolution, secreting their own people away in
 this pocket dimension.  This takes a huge amount of will, and the Anti-
 Spirals are sure that mankind lacks anything close to the same.

 For example, defeating the Anti-Spirals will result in Nia's destruction too.
 As Simon falters and the Anti-Spirals get their trash-talking on, seemingly
 blasting Simon to smithereens before turning their sights on the Earth
 itself.  But the Solar Aquarion turns up (with Fudou at the controls) to
 inform the Anti-Spirals that the whole truth of the universe is to be found
 in something they've forgotten.

 That is: the Heart!  The capacity for emotion gives rise to boundless
 strength  Simon is not in fact toast, and Nia is super glad just that he came
 to save her (whether or not it's actually possible to do).  She means to
 join him in resisting her creators to the bitter end.  The Anti-Spiral
 intends that end to be very soon, as it musters a mass of destructive energy,
 but Lowgenome knows how to convert that into Spiral Energy.  And with that,
 the Dai-Gurren Gang severely kicks the Anti-Spiral's ass.

 It turns out Fudou's come to deliver to the team the light of human hearts,
 buried along with the Solar Aquarion for the past 12k years.  The good wishes
 of the people of the world of the present are also part of the deal, and to
 the Anti-Spiral's great chagrin the team rally behind their newfound strength
 and do _not_ submit to despair as scheduled.

Why?  Why do the humans not understand?!  WHY DO THE HUMANS TRY TO EVOLVE?!
Cause like, nobody else gets to tell them what their limitations are?  Which,
come to think of it, is still technically in keeping with Callahan's Law.
Anyway, if the dictum is correct that we all make our own reality, the
Anti-Spirals are directly responsible for their own (mis)conception of the
limits of the Spiral Races, as reflected in their own circumscribed home.

But remember this: Simon's Drill will pierce the heavens, and his wake will
be as a super-highway for those who follow after: the wishes of the fallen and
the hopes of the yet-unborn are the double helix that drives it all forward.
THAT is the Drill that will CREATE the Heavens!!

The Anti-Spiral's last words to Simon, after Simon says he's unafraid of the
Primordial Peril, are to be damn sure he protects the universe in his stead.

Nia is still likely toast according to Lowgenome, whose consciousness has
reverted to data and returned to the computer aboard the Ark Gurren.  But
_when_ her body will fail her is anybody's guess, and in that sense, she gets
to live the same exciting, finite life as anyone else.  For now, the team gets
to return to Earth, after taking one last look at this bright, sparkly universe
around them.  Every light is a star, and every star is brimming with life.


--------
EPILOGUE. Time Starts to Move, And Then...

Welcome at long last to the dreaded 11/11, birthdate of a Certain Someone and
oh-so pivotal to the Z3 universe.  The team is headed for the final point
where the barriers between this world and the others will crumble.  There's
a lot of problems remaining, like the Earth-Colony political situation to deal
with (and a brooding Lidy to worry about).  There's also Full Frontal, who if
still alive must be feeling very strong effects from the process of becoming a
Singularity, even more so than Char himself.  What would he want of the world?
One thing is clear: the vision Char saw hasn't yet come to pass, and when all
this gets settled down, he wants to discuss it with Amuro...

The Plants also seem to have something very fishy going on about them, and not
just due to Chrono or Neo Jion.  Hopefully Aslan and Lunamaria will at least
find some info on what all that's about.  Ultimately, the goal of the Celestial
Beings and everyone else is to find ways of hashing out differences _without_
resorting to war -- and that will make the Quanta ever more necessary.

The demolition of Eternity Flat raises the prospect of much more commerce
with other dimensions, and maybe even meeting up with old friends from ZEUTH
and ZEXIS.  And for Kagura to pay a visit to his homeland, with Yunoha happily
coming along for the ride.  Kei on the other hand has his doubts about being
able to return to the Factory: he's the Original Singularity, and a Stigmatic
to boot.  Who knows when the next Spacetime Quake will toss him somewhere
unexpected?  At least he'll have MOME with him.

Roger is happy with his own robotic companionship, but behind his eyes the
wheels are turning.  Why precisely _did_ Gadlight pick this Earth, of all the
possible ones out there, for his enmity?  And if the team truly bear Stigma,
does that imply the existence of some sort of being that engraved them?

Noriko is hoping to join the Frontier fleet as it resumes its travels across
the universe.  Remember, she of all the team has actually been to the center of
the galaxy... and if it's true that Baals will become more numerous as the 12k
year cycle closes, her help will be that much more crucial.  Speaking of which,
Ryouma has it in mind to NOT wait for Invaders and whatnot to come attack the
Earth next time -- why not take the fight directly to them instead?  Not a bad
idea, in fact, but it's something that all mankind should get a chance to weigh
in on.  And that can wait until after Eternity Flat is finally done with.

Speaking of 12k year stuff, it seems a ruin that old has been found on the
island of Limonecia.  The details are being kept top secret, but one has to
imagine that the discovery involves some kind of clue to survival.  Maybe it
has something to do with the Twins of Light and Darkness that Marg obliquely
mentioned -- words that cling to Takeru's mind.

Angels?  Still possibly coming, though if they don't the EVA pilots are going
to have to figure out what else to do with their lives.  Kiriko has only one
thing to do with his life: fight.  So at least he'll do it on Mithril's
behalf, as they try to figure out what to do about Amalgam.  Kiriko senses
the same thing that Zero does, that another battle looms before them.  C.C.
intones that both men are caught within Fate, and while Zero allows that
that's probably true, he's never let a little something like Fate stand in
his way before.  That's what C.C. likes to hear, even if she won't say it.

The students in the Volunteer Club, and their faculty advisor, may face being
held back a year in school due to insufficient attendance.  That's less of
a concern to Kodama than the fact that his mech was indeed deliberately
fabricated to be able to steal a specific Sphere.  Who did that and why is
known only to the higher-ups at DEM, who AG will hopefully be able to query
once the final dimensional walls fall.  Kodama and Suzune intend to keep their
head in the game and be ready to help defend the Earth, but that school
lifestyle thing does have its merits too.

Now, there is a little unanswered question about the whole revenge on Gadlight
thing: is Kodama one hundred, thousand percent sure that Gadlight is actually
the "Angel" that killed his family?  If the red reaction of his eye and the
chills wracking his body are any indication, the answer is "maybe not".  That
might have something to do with the dimensional distortion that just showed
up at the precise point where Eternity Flat is supposed to end...

Before the team appears the thing from Char's vision, an enemy who recognizes
Kodama as the (brand) new Sphere Reactor... someone who will need considerable
time before he's the equal of this guy's affiliates.  This guy wouldn't call
himself a "comrade" of Gadlight's per se, but he does represent the same
organization: the Kishuku of the Sidereals.  He names himself Shikuu, and
adds that he's the Reactor for the Silent Crab.  His powers seem to deaden
the spirit of everything near, and though he claims he's not here for revenge,
it's not quite clear _what_ he wants other than to fight.

 Well, he does want the Earth to regret their decision to break out of the
 Paradise that was the Time Dungeon.  And to tell Kodama that he's not yet
 worthy to be one of the Sidereals, for all his twinning hope and despair.

After getting pounded by the team, Shikuu allows that they are not, in fact,
weak.  But that not-weakness will lead to their destruction.  He withdraws his
troops relatively easily, leaving no hint about who the Sidereals are or what
they're after.  Kodama is fairly sure the team didn't witness anywhere near the
full extent of the guy's powers, and doesn't know what to make of the fact
that he, like Gadlight, seems to be able to cause his red eye issues.  One
thing's for sure: if Shikuu really was the "angel" from back then, he's none
other than the Angel of Death.

But enough of that for now.  Maybe it's time for a little break, and the long
awaited ending of Eternity Flat.  Just as everybody thinks all will end
happily for now, something... big happens.

ROLL CREDITS.

..
.....
..............


King: ...It's finally come...
King: With Advent fallen, the Progressives are as good as silent.
King: Mankind can aspire to a new age...
     Yea, by the hand of the Servants of the Ultimate...

Queen: Mankind can now enter a new age...
Queen: But something must be accomplished first,
Queen: and so must you open your eyes,
Queen: Asakim Dorwen...
Asakim: [...Fully 100% not opening his eyes...]


                                 * PREVIEW *


WITH THE TIME DUNGEON DESTROYED, A NEW EARTH APPEARS!
The conclusion to the Super Robot Wars Z series!

Kodama: Urgh!
Suzune: We can't hold out much longer...!
Kodama: Fuck!
       Fucking GOD DAMN IT!!!


WHAT WILL BE THE DESTINY OF THE TWO EARTHS, THE BLUE AND GREEN PLANETS?


Misato: Shinji!!
Shinji: I don't care what happens to me!
       I don't care what happens to the world!
Shinji: But Ayanami...!
       If nothing else, I've got to save her!!


Kira: No way...!
     How did this happen?!
Shinn: Pull yourself together, Kira!
Aslan: At this rate, the Plants are headed straight into ruin!


Audrey: ...It's too much for that boy to bear.
Banarj: Audrey...!
Audrey: (Farewell, Char... And Banarj...)


Char: Is _that_ the truth hidden in the Laplace Box...?
Frontal: Certainly any rational person would call that a "god".
Char: And guarding it is Chrono's duty...


Graham: Forging a path to the future...
       That's why you fight, isn't it?  Setsuna F. Seiei...
Felt: Setsuna...
Setsuna: [...Unconsciousness...]
Graham: I believe in you.  That you will wake up again...


Alto: Ranka... I...
Ranka: Don't say it!
Alto: [...Not saying it...]
Ranka: Strange, isn't it.  Hearing your feelings scares me so much more than
      singing in the middle of a battle...
???: So lively of you...
Ranka: [Exclamation POINTO!!]


Amata: Kagura!
Kagura: Yeah, we ain't got no choice!
       We gotta get the Sun back by combining our powers!
Amata: Oooooooohh!!
      A-Q-U-A-R-I-O-N !!!!!


Kaname: ...Sousuke...
Sousuke: Chidori...!
Kaname: ...Goodbye...
Sousuke: CHIDORI!!
Kaname: [...Ellipsis...]


Kiriko: [...Out of power-save mode!]
???: Yes, Kiriko: this is your inescapable fate.
Kiriko: [ANGRY FACE]


Lelouch: [Holy Mother of Gawd! Face]
C.C.: That's right, Lelouch...
     This is the duty you are bound to fulfill.
Lelouch: [United-States-of-Japan FUCK YEAH!! Face]
        ...So be it.
        If _he_ could do it, then I bloody well can too!


Gai: Do it.  Draw forth your Machine's true power.
Kouji: Mazinger's true power...
Ryouma: Shut up, Gai!  Ain't no fucking way I'm the Getter Rays' fucking
       lackey!!


Kei: True Dimension Healing...?!
Orson: That's right.  It's your... _our_ destiny.


Noriko: I've got no regrets!  Even if I get thrown another twelve thousand
       years into the future!
Noriko: That's the duty of any Gunbuster pilot...
       Anyone who ever boards a Buster Machine!


Kodama: Miss Suzune?!
Suzune: Face it, Kodama.  That's what the Geneon really is.


WHAT IS THE TRUE IDENTITY OF THE ULTIMATE ENEMY OF THE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL WORLD?


???: So, now what?
???: Obviously we wipe all Earthlings off the face of the planet.
    That's our job.


AT THE END OF TIME-HELL AWAITS HEAVEN-HELL...
        AND THE DOOR IS ABOUT TO BE OPENED...


                      SUPER ROBOT WARS Z3: TENGOKU-Hen

                   What can one see at the End of the Myth?

-------------------------------- T H E   E N D --------------------------------