"Gilgamesh and Balarant. For one hundred years now, these two star systems have been locked in a war whose cause was long ago forgotten. At first they managed to contain the hostilities. But by the time I joined up, the front had enlarged...and 200 worlds belonging to them had been caught in the flames of war.

I fought. At first I fought sincerely, to defend my home world of Melkia. But the war just dragged on and on, with no end in sight. I'm so tired now. Everyone is so tired."

On the edge of the Astragius Galaxy, the decommissioned Gilgamesh battleship Teltain approaches asteroid Lido. It deploys a platoon of Scopedogs, which attack and infiltrate the base. Chirico Cuvie, an AT pilot newly-transferred to the Teltain, protests that they are attacking one of their own bases, but his platoon leader orders him to be silent while they begin looking for their objectives. Left on his own, Chirico discovers one of the objectives himself - the body of a woman, lying suspended in a tube of swirling energy. She wakes and sees him. Shocked and bewildered, he closes the tube. His mind racing with questions, he is nevertheless ordered outside - and barely escapes an explosion meant to end his life.

Lost and adrift in his damaged Scopedog, Chirico is picked up by the Melkian battleship Bauntaunt and questioned about his involvement in the Lido raid. the intelligence officer who question him, Captain Jean-Paul Rochina, is convinced that Chirico knows what happened to "the Prototype," and takes him back to Melkia for further questioning. There, Chirico escapes and flees into the vast outback. Unaware that Rochina's commanding officer, Battentain, has ordered a homing beacon planted in his body, Chirico is determined to find out what sort of mess he's been caught up in - and who exactly that woman on Lido was.

"That day, the accursed war which had so disrupted my destiny ended. But its end was ultimately meaningless for me. The moment I saw her, my own private war has begun...a war for which there would be no end."

"The armistice which finally ended the Hundred Years War was signed right around the time I deserted the Melkian army. That was six months ago. I had slipped away from the military's eyes...and lost myself in the crowds in the city of Uoodo."

A Melkian satellite tracks the progress of Chirico (now called "Program K"), as he enters the sinister Uoodo City. Mere moments later, he is caught by a gang of bikers who toss him into a truck along with other victims, and roar away to evade the Uoodo Security Police. Taken to the bikers' fortress on the outskirts of the city, Chirico and the other slaves are forced to dig for jijirium in the ruins of a computer factory.

Later that night, the police pay a call on the fortress. Uoodo's chief of police has come to inform the gangleader, Boone, that their arrangement must be dissolved - now that the war no longer serves as a distraction, he can no longer turn a blind eye to the slave raids. Boone attempts to bribe him with even more riches, but a sudden slave uprising takes all of them by surprise. Grabbing a motorcycle during the confusion, Chirico escapes back into Uoodo, chased by bikers. The Melkian spy network intervenes, and Chirico falls into a scrap yard. He climbs into the wreck of a Scopedog, the only shelter he can trust.

"It was a place that held a familiar scent for me. With only the cold feel of metal on my hands, a once-dead warmth now glowed to new life inside me. And, feeling as safe as a child held to its mother's breast, before I knew it I was fast asleep."

"For a man like me, who knows only how to fight, combat in Uoodo was something I could not avoid. And within the battle, I met her once more. Now all I can do is try to pursue here. She's tied deeply to my destiny. But what sort of destiny is it?"

Police helicopters comb the edges of the city, firing randomly in search of Chirico and his companions, who now complain that their continued association with him has gotten them into more trouble than they bargained for. Tired of their bickering, he wanders off into the city. Overhearing gossip about a outgoing shipment of jijirium, Chirico ambushes a cop to get more specific information. Coconna, who has been following him, is caught by a rogue member of the Boone Family, who carries her off to the bikers' fortress.

Elsewhere on the planet, Rochina is ordered by Battentain to take a personal role in the tracking of "Program One." Rochina is to take up residence in Uoodo and report directly for there as he obtains information about the secret society and the Prototype.

In Uoodo, Chirico has developed a plan with Vanilla and Gotho to hijack the jijirium shipment. As they make ready, Coconna returns. Frazzled and beaten, she wails that the only way she could escape the bikers with her life was to tell them about the jijirium shipment. Chrico is encourage by this; their involvement should only make things easier for him. And he is proven right - the bikers attack the airfield from which the shipment is to be taken, throwing the entire place into chaos. Using a rebuilt AT with Vanilla providing covering fire from the stolen helicopter, Chirico swiftly makes off with the very truck that was hauling the prize.

"Everything had worked out perfectly. I cared nothing for the jijirium we now had. But if I was right, and it was tied to the Prototype, then perhaps she would come to get it back. Perhaps..."

Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna are ecstatic about their new found riches. They have enough jijirium to live in luxury the rest of their lives. But Chirico shows no joy; he has other plans for their treasure. Elsewhere, Borough proposes to Iskui that the time has come to play their trump card against Chirico. Rochina, meanwhile, dispatches his operatives into Uoodo city to start observing Chirico directly.

Coconna reports to Gotho and Vanilla that the police are active throughout the city, looking for the stolen jijirium. Gotho realizes they will probably never get out with their treasure and suggests they instead use it to buy their freedom. Vanilla is incredulous, but Chrico agrees with Gotho's plan; it will also serve his purposes.

Shortly after Albert Killy gives Borough and Iskui permission to use the Prototype against Chrico, Gotho is brought into police headquarters. They strike a deal for the jijirium and let him go, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to nab Chrico. Gotho travels to a ruined coliseum where he is to meet Iskui. Coconna drives the jijirium truck up a policeman elsewhere in the city and runs off. The policeman reports to Iskui that the treasure has been recovered, and Iskui breaks the deal, refusing to pay Gotho anything for his trouble. Gotho slinks off and Chirico roars into action, bearing down on Iskui in a Scopedog. No the final trap is sprung. Another AT (a Brutishdog) appears and grapples with Chirico. For the first time, he is evenly matched...and for the first time, he is beaten! Police surround him as he gazes into the face of his mystery opponent - The phantom Lady!

"Who are you? Near-perfect reflexes, almost supernatural intuition. Who are you...?"

During the battle, Gotho managed to make off with the payment Iskui originally promised him, but he didn't hang around to see if Chirico made it out. Having rejoined Vanilla and Coconna, he gleefully counts his money. But they all grow uneasy as more time passes without Chirico returning. Later, they learn that he won't be coming back; he is now a police prisoner. Coconna is adamant that they have to go to Chirico's rescue.

They make an attempt to disrupt the police caravan that is taking Chirico to headquarters, but their first flyover in the stolen helicopter is unsuccessful. Gotho and Vanilla are ready to take their money and run - and Coconna realizes the money is what will give them the means to help Chrico after all.

Sometime later, they fly over the caravan again...but this time instead of attacking, they dump their money out the window. Predictably, the Uoodo streets fill with people, stopping the caravan dead in its tracks. This time it works - Chirico breaks free and escapes back to Vanilla's home with the others. Acknowledging their sacrifice, he finally begins to feel trust and friendship.

"Friends. I was almost embarrassed to feel it. But a long dead warmth had begun to rekindle somewhere in my heart."

Sleep in Vanilla's home is broken by the sound of thunder. Police units have begun to literally take the city apart to find them, and before they know it they are boxed in with no escape! Vanilla, Gotho and Coconna despair for their lives until Chirico snaps them back to attention and leads them through an impossible route to safety. Having lost everything, they refuse to go on, but Chirico does not expect them to, in any case.

Iskui and Borough receives reports from their assault units, who report that Chirico's hideout has been destroyed, and now they ponder wheat to do with their troubled "Prototype." On the streets below, Chirico makes his way into the AT hanger of a Battling arena and goes to work on a Scopedog. Gotho and his companions prepare to leave Uoodo through the underground tunnels when Coconna demands that they turn back to help Chrico. Gotho and Vanilla are typically reluctant, so she turns back on her own. She follows Chirico's trail to the arena, and Vanilla appears in the nick of time to save her from being caught by a guard.

Reunited once again, the three find Chirico inside, building a Scopedog into a heavily augmented Red Shoulder style AT. This is when Gotho makes the connection - Chirico was once a Red Shoulder, one of the deadliest AT pilots in the war. No sooner have they agreed to aid him in his continuing battle, that the police arrive and prepare to move in. Chirico takes cover, ready to return their brutality in kind.

"They could never understand the pain of being a Red Shoulder. Thinking that, I prepared to meet the advancing energy. Only by fighting could I forget the horrors I'd seen. I fought on only so I wouldn't remember. But someday..."

The Phantom Lady meditates in police HQ and is approached by Borough, who demands that she prepare to go into battle once more. She refuses. Borough angrily overrides her, freezing her with the name "Proto-One."

The police roll into the Battlig AT hanger, and a Scopedog appears to challenge them. The exchange is devastating, but brief - and the AT is demolished. The police open it up, but Chirico is not inside. Behind them, another Scopedog emerges; and this time it's the real thing! Chirico lets them have it full force, blowing them to bits and escaping into the streets to do more damage. His companions follow with still another Scopedog for later use.

In police HQ, The Phantom Lady is subjected to a mind probe to investigate her erratic behavior. Borough and Iskui are shocked at what they find. Her initial memory from awakening on Lido reveals that Chirico was the very first human being she ever saw. Iskui presumes that she had been contaminated and will no longer follow orders - but Borough insists that she must be made to kill Chirico in order to break the mental connection. Iskui reluctantly agrees.

Rochina and his spy network watch with interest as Chirico makes his way toward police HQ. He burns out his Red Shoulder Custom and moves to his other Scopedog, which takes him directly into the police tower. There, The Phantom Lady waits for him in her Brutishdog...but this time Chirico gets the upper hand and takes her captive. Rochina learns of this and dispatches the news to Battentain. Now that Chirico has made contact with the Prototype, it is time for the Melkian army to move in.

As the police regroup outside the tower, Chirico finally speaks to The Phantom Lady. She admits that she does not want to kill him, and he asks her - her name. "Proto-One" is all she can answer.

"The woman who had changed my destiny was not longer an enemy. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was sinking deeper and deeper into quicksand. But at the same time, I felt something amazing. Never before in my life had I wanted so much to keep on living."

Proto-One tells Chirico what she knows, but is unable to answer most of his questions about the conspiracy they are both caught up in. When their discussion is interrupted by attacking police, she vows that this time she will fight with him, not against him. Together, they charge into battle.

Iskui is desperate to end this debacle, and Borough gives him the idean to fight fire with fire; they will send in Battling pilots to attack Chirico. While they arrange for this, Chirico makes contact with Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna. He suggests a rendezvous point and moves out with Proto-One. Seeing the forces arrayed against them, Vanilla tries to back out, but Coconna holds him up with his own pistol. This does the trick.

Inside the tower, Chirico and Proto-One are attacked by the Battling pilots and quickly outnumbered. Proto-One is knocked out of her AT, and Chirico rushes to her rescue, calling a name out of the blue: "Fyana!" He scoops her up and rushes her to safety. She is puzzled by the name, but is glad to accept it as her own. They attempt to escape the tower, but are finally overpowered and separated. Chirico falls to safety just in time to meet up with Gotho and the others, but Fyana is take away by police.

The skies above Uoodo rumble with the sound of approaching airplanes. Scopedog platoons parachute down toward the city. The Melkian army has arrived. But Chirico is concerned only with the woman he has been parted from.

"Fyana...but why did I call her by that name?"

"I had managed to escape the police...but hadn't been able to take the Prototype with me. I didn't even notice the airborne AT units drifting down like snow."

Iskui and Borough watch helplessly as the police tower is surrounded by Melkian Scopedogs. Rochina leads the assaul force, demanding that they give themselves up. Instead, they call Albert Killy, who orders Iskui to wait for the backup he is sending. Borough is to escape to the heliport with Proto-One.

Rochina barks the orders to move in, and all hell breaks loose. Chirico and his companions discover this, and Chirico explains to them what he has learned, namely that all these events have centered around the Prototype, who is an experimental Perfect Soldier created by the Melkian army. Chrico was just a pawn in the Lido raid, and it has made him a fugitive.

Iskui is killed as Rochina's men enter the police tower, but the Prototype is nowhere to be found. Overhearing their radio transmissions, Chirico deduces that she has gone to the heliport and he intends to follow her there via the abandoned subway. He locates her, and asks her to escape with him. She cannot, claiming that if she tries to leave her captors, she will die.

Finally, time runs out. Rochina's army attacks the heliport and are met by a new enemy: Tortoise-type ATs sent by the Secret Society to cover the escape of Borough and the Prototype. The entire base, like Uoodo itself, collapses in flames. Chirico walks through the inferno alone, cut off from everyone he now holds dear.

"The city of Uoodo was disappearing. Vanilla...Gotho...Coconna...Fyana...please don't leave me to be alone. Where are you? Where have you all gone?"

"Oppressive heart and dampness. Jungle disease and deadly insects. It may have been painted in tones of green, but this was definitely another province of hell. But to me, after dodging death and my pursuers for the three months since I left Uoodo, the war-torn Kingdom of Kummen seemed like heaven."

Rochina and Battentain continue to monitor Chirico via the homing beacon implanted in him. They watch with interest as he enters Kummen and the civil war that is raging between the mercenary forces and the Holy Kingdom. Chirico signs on at the mercenary base Assemble EX-10, and is reunited with Gotho, who has been waiting for him since the fall of Uoodo. Chirico is then approached by Kan Yu, and interrogated about the beacon they have discovered in his x-rays.

Queestioned by Gon Nu about his purpose here, Chirico answers that he has seen the Perfect Soldier, and is searching for it in Kummen. Gon Nu knows of the PS and lets Chirico off the hook, but Kan Yu remains suspicious of his motives. That night, Gotho drives Chirico into Niitan, a nearby town, where he has bought a nightclub called "The Fantom Club." Vanilla and Coconna are overjoyed to see Chirico again. Kan Yu enters the club and begins to taunt Chirico, but they are interrupted by explosions outside - the last artillery attack by the fearsome Veela Guerrillas!

Chirico joins other mercenaries as they scramble for their ATs and pluge into the jungle. The Guerrillas have deployed Turtle-series ATs against the mercenaries, and the two forces seen evenly matched except for one wild card: a deadly blue Turtle nicknamed the "Blue AT." Chirico faces off against it in his Marshydog, and is positive he knows who the enemy pilot is.

"In that instant, I knew for certain. Its reaction time was too fast to be a normal human. The one I was fighting had to be her. The woman I'd lost at Uoodo. My Fyana."

At a Melkian army base, Gon Nu prepares to return to EX-10. With him is Rochina, who is looking forward to seeing Chirico again.

Meanwhile, Chirico and his companions rush into Nitan and launch their counterattack on the invading Turtles. Chirico looks around for Ypsilon, but the PS is not participating in this fight. He is insted watching from the palace as reports roll in. He protects when Kanjelman orders a retreat, but is overruled. Ypsilon complains to Fyana, who admits that she has become afraid to fight in any further battles.

At Niitan, Chirico's group takes out a few more enemies, and Kan Yu finally appears with the rest of the mercenaries to drive the invaders back into the jungle. The next morning, Niitan lies in ruins. Vanilla broods over the loss of the Fantom Club, depressed over losing his purpose in life. Gotho approaches to announce winds of change.

Chirico reports to Gon Nu on the events of the previous evening and receives a full pardon, even though he defied Kan Yu. Bitter and humiliated, kan Yu leaves...and Chirico is introduced to Rochina. He has come to discuss the Perfect Soldier situation. Back at Kanjelman's palace, Fyana has undergone an examination to determine why she has developed a fear of fighting. To Ypsilon's outrage, Borough declares that the interference of Chirico is what has poisoned her mind.

Rochina describes how Proto-One was created, but is shocked to learn that a second PS is in action. Since Chirico has more experience than anyone,he will be sent into darkest Kummen to recover Proto-One. A short time later, a special task force under Kan Yu prepares to depart into the jungle. Once again, it includes Potaria, Kiderra, and Shako. Chirico is along as a specialist. having decided to sign up with the army, Vanilla desperately wants to join them...but arrives too late to leave with Chirico.

Coconna sits sadly on the dock as Chirico's boat disappears into the distance, and she sings her love song one last time...

"It's okay baby. I guess I'm just used to it now. you never used to say much, but we have time 'til dawn. You never really treated me that well, but I could see a little bit of the real you inside. So long, baby. I loved you once upon a time."

"So many villagers killed. caught in the midst of the war. The stench I smelled seemed full of the anguish of the dead."

Travelling by boat toward the inner reaches of Kummen, Chirico and the others try to keep a low profile; no easy task with the hot-tempered Kan Yu in charge. Against Chirico's batter judgment, Kan Yu stops another boat that passes by, insisting it must be searched for Veela weapons. The search turns up nothing...but when kan Yu fires a cannon at the boat, explosives hidden within it rip across the water. Kan Yu gloats that Veela Guerrillas cannot be underestimated.

Later, the boat reaches Ramoh Temple, a religious colony that is supposed to be neutral. Again, Kan Yu insists that the platoon march in with their ATs to look for enemies. Exasperated, Chirico agrees, and reluctantly follows the others into the huge compound. Nothing turns up until Kan Yu spots a boat similar to the one he blew up earlier. he repeats his action, and gets the same result - it also carries Veela weaponry.

Their cover blown, Veela Guerrillas burst out of hiding and open fire on Kan Yu's task force. The battle is joined and quickly ends...but now the secrecy of the mission has been compromised, and they must ask for new orders from EX-10. Those orders are delivered a short time later by a helicopter pilot new to the EX-10 ranks: Vanilla! Chirico wanders the wreckage of the temple, pondering this turn of events.

"What is it that leads men to the battlefield? For some, they pull the trigger to earn their daily bread. For others, the chance to fight for their ideals. For me, I can't live without the scent of gunpowder and death. This was no longer a house of God. It was now merely a pile of rubble."

No longer able to travel the river route to Kanjelman's palace, Kan Yu's task force is airlifted to nearby Crescent Moon lake, from which they will travel by land. A Veela spy watches the airlift and reports to Kanjelman. The news quickly passes to Borough, who informs Ypsilon that Chirico is on his way...and he plans to take advantage of their next battle in a way that will end the confusion in Proto-One's mind.

The airlift of Kan Yu's task force is interrupted by Veela artillery. Vanilla plays the unwilling bait in his helicopter while the ATs drop into the jungle and eliminate their attackers. Word of this also reaches Kanjelman's palace, confirming the whereabouts of the task force. Borough and Ypsilon contact Albert Killy to propose their plan: Proto-One will be made to watch as Ypsilon kills Chirico in an ambush, thus ending her distraction.

Some time later, Kan Yu's men cross Crescent Moon lake with a gunboat escort. Abruptly, one of the gunboats is struck from beneath; Ypsilon and a platoon f Turtles launches an ambush from their hiding place under the water! Chirico and the others engage the Turtles in their own ATs, and Ypsilon singles out Chirico immediately. As they face off, a helicopter flies overhead. Inside is Borough, who forces Fyana to watch the scene below.

She tries in vain to avert her eyes as Chirico's Marshydog takes heavy damage...and when it is finally too much for her, she lunges for the helicopter's flight stick, spinning it out of control! The careening helicopter knocks Ypsilon aside and crashes headlong into the shoreline. Chirico watches the crash from his slowly sinking AT.

"In Ypsilon, I had seen an almost bottomless hatred for me. And yet, I saw something else, she'd risked her life for me. Fyana. An indescribable warmth filled my body..."

Surviving the helicopter crash, Borough crawls free in time to watch Fyana rise and flee into the jungle. Underwater, Chirico swims free of his sunken Marshdog and fires handgun rounds into the air tanks of Ypsilon's snapping Turtle. Ypsilon has no choice but to abandon the fight and loses himself on shore as the rest of Kan Yu's task force finishes off their remaining enemies.

Injured and angry, Borough is flown back to the palace, where he asks Kanjelman to order his men to hunt down the treacherous Proto-One and shoot her on sight. Both Perfect Soldiers have failed him, so Kanjelman declares that this is the last favor he will grant. Back at the lake, Chirico repairs his Marshydog and sets off to find Fyana, defying Kan Yu's orders to stop. The others die with Chirico, and their mission to find the Prototype PS gets underway again.

Not far away, Fyana picks her way across a mountainside, when suddenly she runs into the Blue AT. She tries to run, but Ypsilon stops her. She grabs his pistol and threatens to shoot, but he doesn't believe she can. They are interrupted by gunfire from another Turtle, who declares that he has orders to kill her. Ypsilon mounts up and leaps to Fyana's defense - but cannot bring himself to fire on his own allies.

Chirico notices the firing from nearby and leads his companions to Fyana's aid, just as Ypsilon's AT is disabled by the other Turtle pilots. After rescuing Fyana, Chirico frees Ypsilon from the wreckage of his AT, and Ypsilon slinks away in defeat. But when Chirico turns around, Fyana is gone - and so is Kan Yu. Kan Yu chases down and captures her, determined to take her back alone and abandon the others in the jungle.

Chirico tracks Kan Yu down and fights him hand to hand for Fyana's life. They wrestle each other into a raging river and Kan Yu is swept away. Fyana pulls Chirico free of the raging water and saves his life. the next morning, the two finally share a quiet moment together in the sun. But their peace cannot last while their enemies still live...and Chirico is determined to bring this fight to an end.

"I'd finally found Fyana again. Why did I still need to fight? Was there any point to my trying to stop Borough and his group?"

Chirico and Fyana travel the jungle together in his Marshydog, and when the two are ambushed by Veela ATs, three unexpected allies come to the rescue: Kiderra, Potaria, and Shako. Afterward, Chirico tells them what happened to Kan Yu and introduces Fyana, the PS they have been tracking all this time. Potaria and Kiderra agree to accompany them on their mission to assault Kanjelman's palace, but Shako dissents; he is bound by his contract with EX-10 and cannot bring himself to violate orders.

A short while later, an EX-10 helicopter passes overhead and spots the rogue mercenaries. Gon Nu relays the news to Rochina, who orders him to keep Chirico under observation. His actions could give them the opportunity they need to launch an all-out attack on the palace.

with Fyana's help, Chirico and the others destroy another platoon of Turtles and make their way closer to their objective. At the palace, Albert Killy informs Borough and Ypsilon that he is sending a new AT for Ypsilon to fight in now that his Snapping Turtle is gone.

Chirico's group reaches one of Kanjelman's arsenals. Fyana makes her way up to it alone and finds herself a Brutishdog. The others make short work of the installation. Fyana informs them of something she has overheard on the radio; that Kanjelman has ordered all Veela Guerrilla units back to the palace. Potaria is confused by this news, unable to figure out why the prince is abandoning his tactics after all this time.

Heading back into the jungle, Chrico and the others are spotted by another helicopter from EX-10, which is piloted by Vanilla. He reports that he has found Chirico, but is ordered to return to base. Chirico watches him leave and realizes that many eyes are now on him. His next move must be a decisive one.

"Go Nu wasn't going to let me go. As the enemy closed in from both sides, my excitement built. But in the palace beneath the gathering storm clouds, a deep whirlpool of suspicions was also building..."

High above planet Melkia, Albert Killy listens to Arron and Gurran, two scientists studying the PS, speculating on what must be happening in the civil war below.

Holding Borough at gunpoint, Chirico questions him. Ypsilon arrives, but cannot intervene. Borough explains that the Secret Society brought the PSs here to try and perfect them; their emotions have proven too erratic, and have constantly interfered with their efficiency as killing machines. What's more, they can never be remade into normal human beings. Kiderra attempts to attack Ypsilon from behind, but fails at the cost of his own life. His move disrupts the scene, giving Ypsilon the chance to attack Chirico. Fyana can only watch from her AT as the two grapple and fall from level to level down into the bottomless mineshaft.

Outside the palace, Gon Nu gives the order to move in. Behind them, a third party prepares to enter the fray: the Melkian army. Lead by Rochina, their orders are to overwhelm the palace and destroy everyone in their way. Only the PS Prototype is need alive. Unaware of this new development, Vanilla finds Potaria, who passes along the key given to him by Kanjelman.

Chirico and Ypsilon land at the bottom of the mineshaft, which is full of oil and priceless jijirium. Both their ATs have been damaged, so Ypsilon leaps out and challenges Chirico to a hand-to-hand fight. Fyana appears in her Brutishdog, and when Ypsilon refuses to stop, she fires on him. He is furious at her final betrayal, but the scene is broken by the laughter of Gon Nu. Peering down from above, he proclaims victory. Now that Chirico is of no further use. Gon Nu will destroy him along with everything else.

Rochina, however, has already begun bombing the palace from outside. Suddenly, Gon Nu himself has become expendable! Chirico and Fyana escape as the palace begins to crumble, and Ypsilon is left standing alone as Borough dies in the fire.

Chirico and Fyana find Vanilla, who gives them Potaria's key. It will activate an escape shuttle, and Vanilla wants them to flee in it. At the last moment, however, the insufferable Kan Yu appears and prepares to finish Chirico off once and for all. Shako intervenes, having finally decided his commanding officer isn't worth following any more.

Their enemies now dealt with, Chirico and Fyana launch in the shuttle, just in time to evade Melkian Scopedogs. They burst out of the palace and into the open air, their future opening up before them.

"My journey through Kummen was at an end. For my own sake, I had chosen to enter hell. For Fyana's sake, I was now leaving it behind. Love? could it be even I was capable of fighting for love?"

Recap episode.

"After escaping the military, I was ensnared into working the jijirium mine at the city of Uoodo. I thought I'd escaped hell...but this was hell, too...It was in Uoodo that I finally found him...Major Iskui. He and the others on the decommissioned ship Teltain had thrown my life into chaos. It's been a long six months.

"Before I knew it, we were in an underground armory, fighting each other in our ATs. The clanging of steel and the smell of gunpowder were both familiar and disquieting to me. I understood. This girl was that strange life form I saw. She was called a PS, and was the military's deepest secret.

"When I deserted the army, I picked up a bloodhound who was after the Secret Society that stole the PS. Always floating in the back of my mind was the mocking laughter of Captain Jean Paul Rochina. To maintain this secret, they destroyed a city. But all the death and destruction was merely a prelude to the destiny I was burdened with."

Chirico finishes off the first platoon of Balarant Fatties, but a second quickly approaches after a brief exchange of gunfire between Battleship X and the Balarant patrol fleet. Chirico is thrown back into battle, but he is finally overwhelmed and Fyana barely manages to get him back inside after he is wounded.

News of the battle travels quickly to the Balarant HQ Command Satellite. Admiral Zanjeny and his staff review an audio record of the battle, in which Chirico's voice mentions the term "PS." Knowing this to mean Perfect Soldier, Zanjeny orders his patrol fleet to keep close pursuit. On planet Melkia, Rochina reviews puzzling data collected immediately after the battle in Kummen...data which reveals a single ship escaping the palace and being picked up by a larger one. Reports come in of a battle in the nonaggression zone, and Rochina meets with General Battentain for new orders. To Rochina's surprise, Battentain orders him to stand down from the pursuit of the PS; he has taken too long and gotten insufficient results. Rochina turns the table when he drops a hint about the battle going on in the nonaggression zone...and walks away to follow an agenda of his own.

The Balarant now keep their distance from Battleship X, but this gives little comfort to Fyana, who nurses a wounded Chirico and is continuously assaulted by the Red Shoulder video. A seemingly delirious Chirico wanders the flight deck and speaks to an unseen entity, demanding to know why he is being called and where he is to go. Mercifully, he passes out. But no sooner has Fyana gotten him into a cot than the Balarant decide to renew their attack. She prepares to face them alone and Chirico is left behind, unable to get to her aid.

"Fyana...why are you fighting? To protect yourself? To protect me, someone who despises himself? I've been a thoughtless, miserable fool. Why have I been fighting up until now? Who do I go on fighting? Fyana had finally begun to pry open my heart...and I'd slammed it shut again. And once more, almost unconsciously, my heart sought comfort in battle."

As Chirico and his friends go to work patching up derelict vehicles, a familiar face looks down on Sunsa from orbit: Rochina. Now in command of a Leslion-class Balarant Battleship, he has crossed both the nonagresssion zone and his allegiance to Melkia in order to find Chirico again. Rochina's ship descend on the abandoned supply station, and Chirico's group is quickly overwhelmed and taken captive. Chirico is taken directly to Rochina, who offers the release of his friends if Chirico will consent to face Ypsilon again. Chirico questions Rochina about who he really is. Rochina's only answer is that he is a man from the kingdom of heaven.

Captain Futtor discusses the situation with Arron and Gurran aboard the Teltain. They have not heard from Ypsilon since the raid on Zophie's fortress, but they are sure he will go after Chirico despite the Balarant presence. When that happens, the Secret Society must be ready to recover him.

Chirico agrees to Rochina's terms, and is freed to prepare for the battle. He doesn't have long to wait - Ypsilon and his small platoon launch an attack on the Balarant landing party and fight their way quickly inside the perimeter. Rochina orders all ships to launch, and Chirico is left behind in a Fatty to face his enemy. In short order, they find each other in an empty chamber deep inside the supply station. Once again, they draw their weapons and prepare to engage. Rochina arrives to watch with Fyana in tow, but there is nothing that can be done to stop the fight now.

"His will to fight was practically a madness. But, as opposed to him, my heart didn't burn. the thing that drove me on was an almost pitiful craving for battle that raged within me."

Chirico and Ypsilon unleash heavy fire, with Ypsilon pausing only to eliminate anyone who threatens to interfere in their battle. Suddenly the entire room starts to shake, and the floor drops out from under their ATs - their battle has ignited the ammo dump! Plummeting helplessly, they disappear into a deep shaft, and Rochina managed to escape with Fyana as the entire building crumbles.

Landing relatively intact, Chirico gets the upper hand against Ypsilon, but does not choose to kill his foe. Instead, he begins to dig himself out and suggests they work together to survive.

On the surface, Rochina orders his men to begin an excavation and recover Chirico. He discusses the situation with Fyana, who suspects that he is hiding the answer to a key question: how has Chirico, an ordinary human, lasted so long against Ypsilon, a Perfect Soldier?

Similar questions burn through Ypsilon's mind as he and Chirico make their way toward the surface. The PS angrily declares himself a superior being, and that he belongs with Proto-One. Chirico corrects him on the name, and Ypsilon demands to know why he calls her Fyana - a question Chirico is unable to answer. Finally, when they reach the upper limits of the shaft, Ypsilon admits that they are alike in one respect; Chirico can fight as well as he can...but Ypsilon will eventually kill him.

On that note, the Balarant excavation team finally breaks through from above and rescues Chirico. Ypsilon slips away just in time to join up with a rescue team from the Teltain, and they fight their way free. Chirico is taken to Rochina, who demands that he be ready to fight Ypsilon again. In return, Rochina orders Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna flown out of danger.

"It seemed Rochina had kept his promise. My final battle with Ypsilon. The time was fast approaching. Will I survive it, or will he? And if I do survive, what then?"

On the Teltain, Futtor insists that they must leave Sunsa now that Ypsilon has been recovered. Arron and Gurran reply that their mission take precedent. Ypsilon must be allowed to fight Chirico again, and they must stay to observe.

On Rochina's ship, Chirico fine-tunes a Scopedog and writes himself a new mission disc containing everything he knows about the maneuvers of a PS. Fyana speaks with Chirico, admitting she is afraid for him, but he counsels her to accept what must happen. Ypsilon is fighting out of loneliness, and will not stop until one of the tem is dead. Ypsilon, meanwhile, renews himself with a jijirium bath and launches for the surface in a new Strikedog.

On the other side of the galaxy, Melkian General Karmeny meets with Battentain to discuss the implications of what has happened in the Nonaggression Zone. Battentain is shocked to learn of Rochina's defection, and admits he never quite knew how to read the man. Despite the risk to the peace treaty, a task force of Gilgamesh battleships must be sent to Sunsa with Rochina as their target.

Chirico crosses the Sunsa desert to Siguray Crater, where Ypsilon's empty landing craft stands waiting. Chirico takes the bait, and the battle is joined! This time there are no distractions; the two clash with each other time and again. Chirico's mission disc works perfectly, allowing him to match Ypsilon move for move. Rochina takes notice and finally announces to Fyana what he has suspected all along: that Chirico is a true Perfect Soldier! And at long last, Chrico fires the fatal shot that takes Ypsilon down!

Before he can finish Ypsilon off, however, Chirico is interrupted by Fyana, who gives him the shock of his life - that he is more than human. Chirico insists that his mission disc is what allowed him to win, but then notices that the disc burned itself out only a few minutes into the fight. From then on, it was his own ability. Ypsilon insists in his final moments that Chirico has to be a PS...Ypsilon's pride would not allow him to die at the hands of a normal man.

Later, Chirico prepares to leave Sunsa, Rochina's words echoing through his mind: "You are a PS. You want proof? Then go to planet Quent. There you will learn everything."

"What was it that lay hidden in my past? I'd fought Ypsilon and won. But I couldn't believe it. There was no way I could be a PS. The Planet Quent...what awaited me there?"

Chirico Cuvie wakes up in the Sandrunner of a curious little man named Gecko, who scolds him for trying to cross the Quent desert alone on foot. Chirico looks out the window of the vehicle in the desert traders' caravan; they are approaching the Tower of Gomor.

In orbit around Quent, Albert Killy cautions Arron and Gurran, who are about to embark on an expedition. Chrico is not the only threat to them; the planet itself can take lives.

Chirico parts with Gecko in Gomer and heads for the mercenary center, where he demands to speak with a Quentman. The workers in the center react with suspicion, and a chase erupts when Chirico becomes the target of security guards. He finds his way into a room that houses the emissary to the Quentmen. Chirico asks questions about Quent and the PS, but the emissary cannot provide answers, saying instead that he will get Chirico some help.

Chirico flees the mercenary center into the hands of Hazegar, a thug-for-hire who insists that Chirico come to meet his master. Gecko intervenes, telling Chirico to surrender for moment. He resists being picked up, but is shot with a tranquilizer and taken to the spaceport where Arron and Gurran await to take custody. At the last moment, fate intervenes in the form of the Mayor of Gomor, who claims Chirico is the guest of a Quentman, whose authority must be obeyed. The Quentman turns out to be Ru Shako, recently returned from Kummen!

Amazed, Chirico prepares to embark on his quent into the desert with his unexpected ally.

"Our reunion on Quent could only be called miraculous. With uncertainty and anticipation mixing within me, I stepped forward into an unknown world. what awaited me at the end of this desert?"

Arron and Gurran have tracked Chirico's progress and speculate about following him themselves. Killy agrees to let them go, provide they use extreme caution.

Chirico and Shako enter the Quentian village, but rather than talking with the chief, Shako instead gives Chirico a drink which causes him to pass out. That night, the women of Shako's tribe perform a strange ritual. Chirico wakes afterward, and Shako explains that they wanted to determine if he was "one who was changed," but says no more.

Rochina prepares to leave the Sunsa system, and Fyana demands to know what he thinks Chirico will find on Quent. Rochina doesn't know precisely, but he does admit to having been following the orders of a higher mind...and has questions of his own to be answered on Quent.

The next morning, Chirico questions Tedaya, the chief of Shako's tribe. Tedaya explains that Chirico might be "one who was changed," but says that he must speak with Meji to learn more. Venturing deep into an underground labyrinth, they find Meji, who appears more ancient than the very rocks around him. Meji explains something of Quent history, about beings who appeared 3,000 years ago and where driven away into darkness after they said all Quentians would be reborn by their hands.

More confused than ever, Chirico later runs into Arron and Gurran, who chase Chirico and Shako deeper into the caverns...which give way to ancient underground technology. They corner Chirico and fire a tranquilizer dart at him. The air around them comes alive with power, and everything begins to fade away...

"Even as consciousness faded from me, I saw it. Saw how they'd disappeared. What had happened? And what was going to happen to me? Was I still even alive?"

Chirico is left alive with Shako in the tunnels, but Arron and Gurran inexplicably re-materialize 800 km away in the streets of Gomor. They report this to Killy, who is amazed to finally learn one of the secrets of ancients Quent: teleportation.

Chirico and Shako return to Meji for an explanation of what happened, but he cannot answer. Chirico asks where a power generator might be found, and Meji says the upper portion of the Tower of Gomor is one of many forbidden places.

Albert Killy is faced with a decision. Fleets are approaching Quent from both the Gilgamesh and the Balarant, and he has to act now if he wants to seize the planet before they arrive. He deploys a contingent of Zwergs to the surface under Arron and Gurran's supervision. They land in Gomor and begin a march across the city, alarming the citizens and defying the city's small security force. From his chamber in the mercenary center, the emissary touches his stone monolith and sends out an emergency signal which is noticed by Chirico and Shako in the deep desert. Shako laments that they cannot reach Gomor in time to be of help. but Chirico has an idea; they turn the stolen Zwerg around and head back into the underground labyrinth.

As Arron and Gurran lead their army toward the upper section of the tower, Chirico and Shako enter the caverns. Chirico fires a random shot into the darkness - and instantly teleports them to Gomor! They strike immediately at the Zwerg army and a firefight begins, which carries inside the tower itself. Again, the air crackles with energy and lashes out at the battling ATs...

"Again! It was happening just as I'd predicted. Where would it transport us to this time? And what had we set into motion?"

Chirico shouts for Shako to power down his AT, and through Arron and Gurran are teleported away, Chirico and Shako remain standing inside the Tower of Gomor.

Rochina's Balarant fleet approaches Quent and he receives news of Chirico's progress. Elsewhere, a Gilgamesh fleet under the command of Admiral Lepard moves toward the same destination...and within a prison cell in Lepard's ship are Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna.

Rochina and Fyana descend into Gomor. When Rochina drives their vehicle into the tower, they are instantly teleported out of it, and into one of the tower's ancient chambers of high technology. Rochina recognizes them as the remains of Quent's abandoned culture. He also explains that the superior intelligence he has been following is the product of thousands of years of Quent technology. It was created by "Overmen," who was exiled from Quent and began to manipulate both the Gilgamesh and the Balarant.

Chirico appears with Shako, having been shown images of Quent's past by the strange intelligence that lives in the Tower of Gomor. Rochina demands to know what Chirico has been told, but Chirico doesn't yet know what what it all means. The intelligence tells Rochina that the Gilgamesh fleet has arrived, but before Rochina can leave with Fyana, Chirico grabs her and teleports them away by touching an orb built into the wall.

Chirico makes plans to escape into the desert with Shako and Fyana, but Gilgamesh Scopedogs suddenly appear, and they have no choice but to flee back into the tower, teleporting themselves onto its outer roof. The Scopedogs follow suite and the pursuit begins again. Chirico and the others attempt a desperate lunge for freedom - but are instead jumped right back into the hands of Rochina, who has begun to prepare for the Gilgames arrival.

"At that moment, the mysterious intelligence's message reawakened in my mind. And I gradually began to understand its meaning."

Killy watches from his ship as the Gilgamesh fleet approaches Quent, where Rochina's Balarant fleet awaits them. Arron and Gurran report from the surface that they are safe, but their entire AT army was destroyed. Killy is content to wait and watch history repeat itself now that the power of Quent is reawakening.

Admiral Lepard speaks with General Battentain, who warns him about what he is walking into. Someone has been tampering with the secrets of this planet, perhaps even the lost Perfect Soldier.

Arron and Gurran watch as Lepard lands and is greeted by Rochina. The two officers begin their verbal fencing, Lepard demanding that the Prototype be returned. Rochina attempts subterfuge, but when Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna appear, his lies about losing contact with Chirico and the Prototype are revealed. Recovering, he offers to rendezvous in orbit and bring the Prototype with him. Everyone who watches the proceedings know what a risk this will be...especially with Chirico involved.

Chirico infiltrates Rochina's AT platoon, and the Balarant fleet lifts off into space to play its part in the deadly game. Rochina's landing party docks with Lepard's ship, and he produces Fyana, insisting that the Gilgamesh now leave Quent. Lepard refuses, but as a Scopedog steps forward to seize Fyana, Chirico makes his move, striking out from inside a Balarant Fatty. Rochina escapes with Fyana, and the Battle quickly escalates into an all-out bloodbath!

Chirico takes a moment to free Gotho and the others, then escapes outside into the escalating firefight.

"The battling had turned more intense than I expected. And then somewhere in my body, I felt it. A premonition. Yes, one from the darkness, for only me to know. And that's when the whole horrible thing happened..."

Furious over the turn of events, Lepard is bolstered by the fact that his force outnumbers Rochina's, and when the battle is over, the prize of Quent will go to the Gilgamesh. Rochina relizes Lepard's attempt to recover Fyana was only a ruse, and he pauses to receive visitors; Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna, who barely made their way through the battle to his ship.

Even Chirico is hard-pressed to emerge alive from this conflict. He makes it back to Rochina's ship with little room to spare. And it is then that Quent makes its move; enormous streams of energy burst our of the Tower of Gomer and blast into space, destroying everything in their path! Both fleets are devastated, and the only survivors are Rochina, Chirico, Fyana, Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna, who manage to escape in a shuttle and power down to avoid being hit.

They are soon picked up by the only other ship now in Quent orbit - that of the Secret Society. Killy gloats over his victory, with all of his enemies now under his control and the secrets of Quent ripe for the picking. But before he can act, his ship is seized by an invisible force and pulled away from the planet by the same superior intelligence that has manipulated everything leading to this moment.

Chirico finally recognizes its identity.

"Wiseman. The name of Quent's mysterious, ancient intelligence. As we proceeded into the unknown, toward our destinies, I felt as if the fate of everything we knew now rested with us."

"It seemed that Killy, Rochina, and I were three of a kind. The ship we were on, under Wiseman's control traveled on through the darkness of space, its destination still unknown to us."

Killy's ship proceeds through a belt of sinister floating tubes and toward a gigantic artificial planet, which he calls the technology of God. Drawn inside, the ship is set down and a silent command is spoken to Killy; to bring Chirico to Wiseman. Rochina admits to having received the same commands in the past, and Killy orders him imprisoned.

As Killy leaves with Chirico, the time of execution has finally come for the other prisoners. Ever the trickster, Vanilla manages to overcome his would-be executioner and frees the others. Rochina is allowed to escape with them, but is not trusted with a weapon.

On planet Melkia, a report of the disaster at Quent reaches Battentain. One Gilgamesh ship avoided destruction, and sighted the Secret Society ship leaving intact. Battentain postulates that since the Gilgamesh and Balarant both lost ships in the conflict, they now have the basis for an alliance against the mysterious enemy on Quent.

While Killy and Chirico march closer to Wiseman, Rochina fills in his fellow escapees on what brought him this far, and warns them that Chirico is far more than they imagined him to be. The group is sudenly caught between two groups of Killy's guards, and a running battle begins, from which Rochina manages to slip away.

Finally, Killy and Chirico reach the center of the complex, and Chirico is levitate into the core shaft. There, the truth is finally revealed; he is a natural-born PS, a new "Overman," for whom Wiseman has been waiting all this time. Chirico is to be his successor, the master of the entire Astrigius Galaxy. Offered this blessing, Chirico accepts it.

An incredulous Albert Killy is told that his mission is over - and he is killed by Wiseman without a second thought.

"I was Wiseman's successor. His will had determined this forme. I could finally se my destiny unfolding before me. Because I was a child of God."

The Galactic Assembly of 7214 concludes with the declaration of an alliance between the Gilgamesh and the Balarant. Together, they will end the manipulation of 3,000 years and destroy the last god in existence.

In Wiseman Station, Fyana, Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna find Chirico in the central core. Arron and Gurran explain that they are all meant to follow Chirico's orders from here; he speaks for Wiseman. To wit, Chirico summons guards and orders his former friends taken back into captivity. The clock is ticking and they will soon leave for Quent.

Frightened by the magnitude of what they now face, Arron and Gurran carry out Chirico's orders, preparing a task force and observing that this is the very thing the Quentians threw away their civilization to prevent. Still on the lam, Rochina communicates with Chirico, asking what he has learned. Chirico pities him for having been abandoned by Wiseman after all this time, and explains that the Gilgamesh and Balarant are coming to destroy this place. Rochina suggests that he could talk their way out of this, but it is already too late - the combined fleet is approaching!

The floater belt acts as a defensive mechanism against the attackers, but can only hold them back for a limited time - time which Chirico uses to his advantage. Escaping first in a breakaway portion of Wiseman station, then the Secret Society ship, then only the forward section of the ship, he leaves his enemis - and his friends - far behind. Now supported only by Arron, Gurran, and the remaining crew, he turns his back on the past and looks toward his final destiny...

"I had been born as PS, destined for an existence beyond that of mere men. Whether it's true or not isn't the question. Wiseman had decided I was. I had only to accept the destiny assigned to me...to be the successor to the ruler of the Astragius Galaxy."

Gotho, Vanilla, Coconna, and Fyana trek across the Quent desert. Coconna screams at Vanilla for not landing their escape shuttle closer to Gomor, and he insists that only an expert pilot could have gotten them this far. Shako appears, and though they are overjoyed to see him, he is not reassured. He explains that a child of God will soon descend to Quent and decide the fate of the Universe.

On the Secret Society ship, Chirico has uncovered treachery; Arron sabotaged their trajectory in order to delay the arival at Quent. Chirico kills him, leaving Gurran in despair. Rochina, who has stowed away on the ship, watches and waits. Later, Chirico descends alone to the Quent surface witha a new AT. Gurran resists the urge to shoot him down in cold blood, resigned that Wiseman is now in control of all their fates.

Gotho and the other assemble an old Berserga AT for Fyana and discuss what is to come next. Shako spots Chirico's ship descending and goes to meet him in Gomor. Chirico disembarks in his own AT, the Rabidlydog, and is greeted by Shako. Chirico explains that he will need the destructive power of Gomor to meet the approaching fleet, and Shako offers to take him to the control center. There, they examine the machinery and Chirico explains to Shako the cold truth behind what is happening; although the ancient Quentians tried to exile the Overmen, their final creation now lies beneath the very feet of the modern Quentians. It has used war to manipulate history for 3,000 years. Now Chirico, the ultimate product of that war, will take control of it from here on.

Shako tries to stop him and succeeds in damaging the equipment, but is overpowered and shot by Chirico. Gotho and the others, having trailed after them, burst in and open fire. Chirico slips away and plunges into the desert in the Rabidly dog. Furious, the others watch him disappear, and Fyana prepares to give chase. Chirico radios Gurran, ordering him to assemble their AT troops near the site of the Quentian villge now that the Tower of Gomor is out of commission. Fyana calls to Chirico to stop, but he rejects her and insists that she leave this planet far behind.

"My final battle was beginning. Would I be blown to atoms...or would I inherit the throne of God?"

Vanilla makes one final attempt to radio Fyana as he flies the others to safety away from Quent. She begs him simply to leave her behind. Only she can reach Chirico now.

The Gilgamesh and Balarant landing forces descend in staggering numbers, but Chirico cuts right through them in his Rabidlydog with the Secret Society's Zwerg platoons backing him up. They quickly fall to the greater numbers, and when Chirico is down to only a few allies, he orders Gurran to begin the second phase of their plan. Gurran orders the Secret Society ship to descent into the battle.

Fyana trails Chirico in secret, and just manages to attach herself to a landing craft as Chirico hijacks it. Chirico orders Gurran to prepare missiles, calling atention to himself and drawing the fire of the enemy. Gurran interposes his ship between Chirico and the combined army, taking devastating hits and striking back as best he can. As Chirico descends into the crevasse toward the underground labyrinth, the ship is overwhelmed and crashes to the ground. Gurran is mortally wounded, surviving just long enough to see an uninjured Rochina step out of hiding and slip away. He will find out once and for all if Chirico is a suitable successor to God.

Pursued relentlessly by a few tenacious enemies in Scopedogs, Chirico and his last two Zwerg pilots plunge into the labyrinth. Exhausted and bereft of ammunition, Chirico is called ever deeper by Wiseman, who declares that his true successor should need no help reaching his final goal. Chirico pushes beyond his fatigue and fights on.

"I'll have my vengeance on everyone in this galaxy! Unending war and chaos...I'll plunge them all into hell! To be the absolute ruler of this galaxy, that is what I desire! To become a living God!"

Having lost all contact with the Scopedogs chasing Chirico, the combined fleet consider their final option; that of destroying Quent itself.

Chirico smashes the last of his pursuers and nearly collapses from the effort. Finally, Fyana appears in her Berserga and asks him one last time to turn back. He refuses, firing on her and throwing her backward into a teleport field. She is gone. Wiseman congratulates him, and beckons him on by foot.

Chirico struggles to reach the final goal, the central core of the Wiseman bio-computer, the collective consciousness of the Overmen. Chirico lies unable to move, and Wiseman lowers a large machine toward him, one that will complete the bond between God and successor. All Chirico has to do now is stand up...but instead he plays his final gambit, firing a bulled directly into the machine!

At last, Chirico's subterfuge is revealed - having come this far and lead all of his enemies into their own death, he now sets about the work of destroying Wiseman itself. Wiseman pleads with him to stop, explaining that it was he who brought Chirico together with Fyana, and provided her name. This gave Chirico something further to live for, and with life came the desire for strength and power. Wiseman also explains that Chirico need not regret the death and violence he has dealt in the battlefield, saying that "God does not sin when he kills."

Chirico ignores every word, continuing to disable the computer core. As Wiseman's consciousness begins to disintegrate, it lashes out one last time, throwing Chirico to the ground with an electric shock. He rises to see Rochina standing over him. Rochina tries to stop Chirico's sabotage, but Fyana leaps in to overpower him. She recognized his true intentions when he fired only to damage her AT. Together, the two complete the work of killing God and flee to safety as Rochina screams in anger and dispair and what he has lost.

The combined fleets of the Gilgamesh and the Balarant stand witness as Quent explodes with the fury of a sun.

Epilogue: One Year Later

A stolen shuttlecraft soars away from a Gilgamesh planet as a new war dawns on the horizon. Sometime later, a tiny capsule is released into space. Inside this capsule, preparing to disappear into history, Chirico holds Fyana dnd bids farewell to his Friends as they drift off in search of a world untouched by war.

"Coconna. Gotho. Vanilla. Shako. I'm glad I was able to meet all of you. And you, Fyana..."