Merida Island Base
Anime Episode Summaries
Episode One
Ki ni Naru Aitsu wa Sergeant | The Guy I Kinda Like is a Sergeant
The story begins as we witness a teenage girl being rescued. She is saved from her pursuers and we are introduced to Sousuke Sagara, along with his fellow Mithril mercenaries, Melissa Mao and Kurz Weber. Shortly after returning from the rescue, Sousuke is given an assignment in Tokyo with Mao and Kurz. He is to go undercover as a student at Jindai High School to protect Kaname Chidori, a young woman at risk for being abducted by terrorists.
Upon his arrival, Sousuke runs into various obstacles surrounding his unfamiliarity with living in a peaceful society. We are introduced to Kaname, a spirited teenager in her junior year. Put off by Sousuke’s initial behavior, she loses her temper frequently at finding him constantly following her. Sousuke later arrives back at the designated Mithril safe house, a unit in Tiger’s Mansion right across the street from where Kaname lives, handcuffed to a folding chair after a misunderstanding with Kaname and the girl's softball club that led them to punish him. Mao has Sousuke listen in on part of a phone call between Kaname and her younger sister, where she describes him as ‘strange, but kind of interesting’, leaving him surprised as it had seemed she didn’t like him at all.
Episode Two
Mamotte Agetai | I Want to Protect You
Captain Teletha 'Tessa' Testarossa and Lt. Commander Andrei Kalinin are given daily reports concerning Sousuke’s activities during deployment, leading them to agree that while it seems he is having difficulties, that the mission should help him in the long run. Tessa and Kalinin discuss further regarding their part within the current plan to protect the Whispered candidates.
Coming back to Tokyo, we see that Sousuke has messed up again, angering both Kaname and the teacher and being told to report to the teacher after class. Kurz and Mao relay that they will keep tabs on Kaname for the evening, with Sousuke later arriving back at the safehouse in need of some bandaging for his injuries. The three of them discuss curiosities concerning their part in the current mission, confused as to what terrorists and the KGB could want with a seemingly normal girl like Kaname.
A meeting between two KGB officials and a strange man takes place on a foggy bridge. The strange man kills one of them as they discuss the Whispered and research concerning them. He turns and speaks to the other on the possibility of kidnapping a possible candidate and showing Kaname’s photo.
Back in Tokyo, Kaname, as the Class Representative, begins making plans concerning the class trip to Okinawa, and what parts her classmates to play during. Giving Sousuke the job of trash duty, Kaname and her friends later laugh about it after school while getting something to eat at a local burger restaurant. Sousuke keeps an eye on them from behind a newspaper with a small square cut out of it, keeping in radio contact with Kurz who was stationed outside with the ECS cloaking his Arm Slave. After a misunderstanding regarding a man who had left his briefcase behind, Sousuke saves Kaname from being hit by an eighteen wheel truck, her friends coming over and commenting on the brave act.
The moment is ruined however, when Kaname hits Sousuke for unknowingly grabbing her breast. Catching the train, Kaname’s frustration grows as Sousuke stays close by, once again watching her behind his modified newspaper. When he refuses to answer her question, she tricks him and runs off the train at the last second, trapping him as the doors close and begins to leave the station. Sousuke leaps through the window and tumbles across the pavement, hitting a bench before managing to stop. Kaname makes sure he’s alright, and giving up trying to figure him out, tries getting to know him a little better, managing to come to an understanding and somewhat shaky start to a new friendship.
Episode Three
Lingerie Panic
Reviewing paperwork regarding the class trip, we learn a little more about Tessa before she accidentally drops her folders. While trying to organize them, Kalinin takes back a paper that was from Sousuke, regarding what would be expected of him as Garbage Chief during the trip and written up for him by Kaname. A bit overwhelmed by his assigned task, Sousuke receives a lesson from Kaname on how to separate garbage during the trip. Kaname’s friends watch curiously, wondering when it was that they seemed to have worked out their differences. That evening while reviewing instructions from Kaname, Sousuke is ordered by Mao to take the next day off and relax, leaving the job of staying close to Kaname to Kurz as Mao watches from their AS.
Kurz comes back somewhat drunk that evening, saying that it was easier to keep an eye on Kaname if he got close through being friendly and going with her and Kyouko to a bar. Mao observes an unidentified figure trying to sneak onto Kaname’s balcony, and the three of them mobilize just to find it was Shinji Kazama, a classmate of Sousuke’s who was pressured into trying to steal Kaname’s underwear. The two were caught by Kaname, angering her greatly and leaving Sousuke believing that if she didn’t hate him before, that she certainly did then. While boarding the plane for the class trip, Kaname is still upset at Sousuke, and we see the strange man who had been speaking with the KGB is boarding the same plane.
First Season
Episode Four
Kidnap
The plane takes off, and immediately the students break out video games and cards to keep themselves occupied. The strange man, introduced as Gauron, breaks into the cockpit and kills the pilot, ordering the co-pilot to change course toward a new destination: the Autonomous Region of Khanka. As a few students begin noticing how long they have been on the plane, Sousuke begins feeling more on edge as time passes, his fears confirmed when the plane lands on a military base, and Gauron makes an announcement over the plane’s speaker system that they are being held hostage.
Gauron takes Kaname, and Sousuke manages to get to the cargo hold during the confusion and fear among the passengers, picking up his bag and escaping the plane to contact the TDD-1. Receiving his orders, Sousuke took out a man who had discovered him before moving to a new position on the airfield. While watching a large trailer closely that supposedly was where Kaname was being held, his fears get the best of him at the memory of the shape of last girl he rescued had been in. Hearing a gunshot from inside the trailer, he disobeys his orders and runs out from his cover toward the trailer to save Kaname.
Episode Five
Sasayakareshi-mono | Whispered
Sousuke’s comrades in Mithril are given their orders concerning the evacuation and retrieval of the hostages aboard the plane, while Kaname is placed into a large device that shows her random images and words. Finally throwing a fit about all of it, the scientist tries to subdue Kaname, but is knocked out for a moment when Kaname hits her in the head with her elbow. Two men come in and try to assist the scientist with giving Kaname a strange injection, but Sousuke tases them and threatens the scientist to tell him everything. Gun shots ring out, and Sousuke takes Kaname to another truck and starts driving away from the danger.
While Sousuke tries explaining what’s going on, they take cover in a nearby hangar, with Sousuke telling Kaname to hide while he starts up one of the RK92 Savages held there. He defeats their immediate pursuers and flee the base, but their escape is halted when Gauron shows up in another Arm Slave that’s far more advanced. Before Gauron can kill Sousuke, he is forced to dodge shots fired from the sky, Kurz parachuting in an AS and landing between them, covering Kaname and Sousuke retreat back to the base for extraction.
Episode Six
Still Alive
As Kaname and Sousuke’s classmates are carried off to safety, the two of them barely missed their extraction and are forced to escape back into the forest. They run into an injured Kurz who had managed to survive Gauron defeating him, and the subsequent total destruction of his AS by friendly forces to prevent their machinery from ending up in enemy hands. Stealing a wheelbarrow to carry Kurz, Sousuke gave him some morphine from his med kit to help with his injuries, stopping near the edge of the forest to rest.
Seeing his and Kurz’s sacrifice as the only viable option for Kaname's rescue, Sousuke tries convincing her to go on without them, until she tells him that she trusts him to find another way for them to all get out. Waking back up, Kurz tells Sousuke that he remembered details about the mission before deployment, leading to the plan of making a signal to be seen by Mithril’s spy satellite. Sousuke leaves to find some oil at a nearby farm, dousing a field and setting fire to it to convey a message. He waits for the cloud cover to disperse some before heading back to find Kurz knocked unconscious by Kaname.
Talking a bit with Kaname, they realize that the soldiers had caught up to them, deciding to all go out in a blaze of gunfire. As ammunition was runs low, they notice an AS being dropped in nearby. Sousuke rushes to it and starts it up. A message from Kalinin regarding their escape details was left on it, and Sousuke starts up the AS known as Arbalest, quickly heading out to destroy the enemy.
Episode Seven
Boy Meets Girl
Easily defeating the enemies from the base, Sousuke is warned of another AS approaching, recognizing it as the one Gauron had been piloting. As the two begin to fight, Kurz tries to figure out what made it so that Gauron defeated him and destroyed his AS until Kaname mentions that it wasn’t magic, but technology, and that both Sousuke and Gauron’s machines have it. Kaname grows worried at the knowledge that Sousuke will lose if he doesn’t know about what he’s using, witnessing what looked like a possible critical hit from Gauron’s AS, showing a bright light that protected Gauron and threw Sousuke back. Surprised to find that there was only minimal damage after such a great impact, Sousuke demands to be informed about what happened. The artificial intelligence named Al states only that it was the activation of the Lambda Driver, and any further details are unknown.
As Sousuke struggles to fight against Gauron, Kaname fights against a voice in her mind, smacking her head against a nearby tree and demanding Kurz give her his radio so she can help Sousuke. Patching through, Kaname tries to explain to Sousuke how to use the Lambda Driver, directing him through the fight until he delivers a killing shot. With Gauron defeated, Sousuke rushes to pick Kaname and Kurz up and head for the coast, leaping across the bay to meet back up with the TDD-1 as Mao provided cover fire from their pursuers.
Kaname wakes up a few days later in a hospital in Tokyo, with Mao disguised as a nurse waiting for her. Mao urges Kaname to insist she doesn’t remember anything, and leaves moments before Kyouko and the rest of Kaname’s classmates show up to see her. Sneaking in with the other students, Sousuke brings her a get well gift, and assures her that he will be staying with her as ‘insurance’ for a while longer.
Episode Eight
Part Time Steady
Sousuke and Kaname prepare their everyday items to pack up and leave for school, mentally preparing for a Classical Japanese test. Exiting the train, Kaname is pestered by Satoru Shirai, a fellow student from Jindai who tries to convince her to go out with him. Kaname turns him down immediately, Sousuke backing her up and restraining Shirai at gunpoint. Reassuring Sousuke that it was fine, they leave together to finish the walk to school, ignoring Shirai and never noticing the angry girl staring at the scene. Slander is discovered written across the school’s bathroom walls about Kaname, and Sousuke, thinking the most likely suspect is Shirai due to Kaname rejecting him, drags him to the boy’s room to begin interrogating him. Kaname is called to stop him, yelling at him until she’s interrupted by another girl coming in to help Shirai. She introduces herself as Mizuki Inaba, Shirai’s girlfriend.
Watching Shirai walk away with barely a word to Mizuki, Sousuke deduces that as Shirai’s girlfriend, that he could also interrogate Mizuki, but Kaname smacks him with her harisen and stops him. Trying to help Sousuke better understand dating within Japanese society, Shinji, another Jindai classmate, lets Sousuke attempt playing one of the dating sims on his laptop. Failing horribly, Sousuke still doesn’t understand what’s wrong, the simulated girl crying and calling Sousuke a nerd as she runs away and he fails the game. While waiting for the train home, Mizuki prank calls various local restaurants and sends large food orders to Shirai’s apartment in revenge. Feeling a bit more vindicated, she informs Sousuke that because the break up with her and Shirai was because of him, that he will pose as her boyfriend so she can show off to her friends.
After a night of trying to train Sousuke to come off as Shirai, Mizuki, Sousuke and Kaname go to meet Mizuki's friends from middle school for a group outing. Sousuke still doesn’t understand how dating and most teenage interactions work, resulting in his talking back to the movie screen and nearly breaking the glass of a claw game with the butt of his handgun. Towards the end of the afternoon, the group runs into Shirai on a date with another girl, blowing Sousuke’s cover and proving Mizuki was lying. In a last ditch effort to continue the lie, Sousuke attempts kissing Mizuki when it is said that her friends would believe them if they did. Mizuki hits Sousuke and knocks Sousuke into a nearby lake, running off and crying. As Mizuki’s friends leave after her, Kaname helps Sousuke to get out of the lake, caught daydreaming about the prospect of kissing Sousuke and trying to cover it up.
Episode Nine
Abunai Safe House | Dangerous Safe House
A teenage boy, Takuma Kugayama, arrives at Narita Airport. While going through customs to re-enter the country, he experiences a psychotic episode, nearly strangling the officer to death over the man’s tie being crooked. Having been called out for a mission, Sousuke, Kurz and Mao are deployed to take down a supposed terrorist group called A21. The tip being a dud, Sousuke heads back to Tokyo, suddenly worried at remembering that he had forgotten to call Kaname about missing their study meeting. Arriving back at school slightly after the start of second period, Kaname takes out her anger on him for seeming uncaring about blowing off their studying.
While sharing all the extra food she had cooked the night before with some of the girls in her class, Sousuke brings Kaname a gold bracelet and pair of earrings. He explains that they are more than just simple baubles, and Kaname’s anger gets to her again, pulling one earring apart and setting off the concealed flashbang in Sousuke’s face.
Mithril is still on the hunt for A21, and receives a call from Kalinin who informs them about Takuma’s case. Tessa arrives at a secret Japanese government holding facility, meeting up with Kalinin and going in to observe Takuma. During the observation, the facility falls under attack by the real A21. Kalinin is injured in the attack, and Tessa escapes with an unconscious Takuma to hide out in Sousuke’s apartment.
Depressed at having Kaname yell at him so strongly, Sousuke arrives back at his apartment, noticing the small changes and defensively entering until realizing it was Tessa. Knocking out Takuma when he awoke, Sousuke handcuffs him to his bedpost and asks Tessa to brief him on the situation, offering her some tea as they talked. Somewhat flirting with him, Tessa excuses herself to borrow his bathroom and clothing to clean herself up as Sousuke puts in a call to the TDD-1 to report what happened. As he waits for Tessa to finish cleaning up, Kaname knocks at his door, offering some leftovers and an apology for yelling at him. Finding himself suddenly anxious about the situation, Sousuke tries to gently turn her away when Tessa peeks out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel and her hair still damp.
Episode Ten
Run, Running, Ran
Jumping to conclusions, Kaname hands over the food and prepares to leave, assuming that Tessa is Sousuke’s girlfriend that he never spoke of. Inviting her inside, Sousuke tries to explain things to her, but Tessa plays dumb and makes Kaname believe that it could all be a lie. Hearing Takuma scoff from across the room, Kaname goads him into another psychotic episode, prompting Sousuke to knock him out once again and discovering a tracking device that was implanted in Takuma’s arm. While he discusses with Tessa the ways to remove the device, Kaname interrupts and suggests using the microwave. With the device taken care of, Sousuke states they should abandon his apartment, and they take Takuma to hide at Jindai. Talking amongst themselves to pass the time, Kaname leaves the room for a moment to make a phone call, stumbling on her way back as Takuma trips her.
Later on, after excusing themselves to the restroom, Kaname and Tessa are taken hostage by members of A21. Takuma surprises Sousuke when he pulls out Kaname's phone, admitting to having stolen it when he tripped her. Sousuke is told over the phone to take Takuma outside for a hostage exchange. Sousuke handcuffs Takuma to him, heading outside with Takuma at gunpoint. During the exchange, Sousuke notices the various snipers in place, having Tessa sent over first and waiting until Kaname and Takuma just pass each other before warning the girls to get down as he throws a grenade toward one of the light fixtures. While he's busyt shooting at two of the snipers, Tessa tries to convince Kaname to allow Takuma to escape, and Sousuke is forced to take cover when a rocket launcher is fired towards him. With Kaname and Tessa believing Sousuke to possibly be dead or dying, they are taken along with the A21 members as they leave the school.
Episode Eleven
Behemoth Kakusei | Behemoth Awakening
As Kaname and Tessa are being taken to the A21 hideout aboard the cargo ship George Clinton, Sousuke comes out of hiding to greet Mao and Kurz as they arrive a few minutes too late with Mao’s M9. Following scans from local police radio frequencies, Kurz and Sousuke hotwire a truck and head toward Aomi Wharf with Mao following in her cloaked AS.
Meanwhile, Kaname and Tessa are put into a holding room until being brought in front of A21's other prisoner, Kalinin. Tricking the man that had taken them in there, Kalinin is able to shoot the man with his own pistol, then shoot off the chain from the cuff around his ankle. Rather than escape, they delve deeper into the ship, and come to the large cargo interior to discover an impossibly huge AS which Takuma tells them is called ‘Behemoth.'
Sousuke, Mao, and Kurz catch up to the George Clinton while being pursued by local police forces, driving the truck onto the ship as Mao brings her AS out of ECS and guards the entrance. Making it inside, a firefight breaks out as Kurz and Sousuke make it over to Tessa, Kaname, and Kalinin, too late to stop Takuma from boarding the Behemoth. Kalinin stays behind, hoping to perhaps convince Seina, A21's leader, to switch sides, as Sousuke and Kurz begin leading Kaname and Tessa back to the truck, escaping the ship as Behemoth powers up. Before they can pull out, a massive hand breaks through the side of the hull and takes hold of Mao’s AS.
Episode Twelve
One Night Stand
Managing to escape the ship, Tessa tries to call to Mao over the radio to cut herself free using the monomolecular cutter, but Mao’s AS is crushed in two before she can act. Believing Mao to be dead, they watch as Takuma shields himself using the Lambda Driver from the local AS forces, and they quickly retreat as the head of the Behemoth turns toward them. Needing to use some extra effort getting the truck going again, Kurz jumps in back as Sousuke takes the wheel, speeding off and through the shipping yard. Tessa contacts the TDD-1 for backup, instructing Mardukas to send the Arbalest to the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center. As Behemoth follows the truck, Kurz manages to shoot out one side of the Behemoth's head mounted chain guns with a sniper rifle, giving them a better chance to keep ahead. Seina manages to help Kalinin out of the bay, but due to injuries when the George Clinton went down, Seina dies after speaking with him.
Sousuke manages to keep them out of direct fire of the Behemoth long enough for the Arbalest to arrive, bailing out of the truck and telling Kaname to keep driving. Breaking through a nearby warehouse entrance, Tessa is knocked out and Kaname experiences a short Whispered episode, being brought out of it when Kurz smacks her cheek. Sousuke has difficulty opening the transport pod, but manages to catch up to them before Takuma can attack the three, engaging in battle with the Behemoth. Tessa resonates with Kaname while unconscious, and Kaname takes the radio used to call the TDD-1 to contact Sousuke, telling him how to take down the Behemoth. With the Lambda Driver, he fires at an exposed area for the cooling system and defeats the Behemoth. The massive AS collapses in on itself from the excess weight with no Lambda Driver to support it.
Having been injured during the firefight on the George Clinton, Takuma dies shortly after being pulled from the wreckage. Tessa informs Sousuke that the Arbalest is now his unit, and instructs Sousuke to turn off the external speakers, confessing to Kaname that she has fallen in love with Sousuke.
Episode Thirteen
Neko to Koneko no R&R | A Cat and Kitten's Rock and Roll
While performing routine maintenance on the TDD-1, Tessa is given an assessment on the overall performance of the sub, appearing to be somewhat depressed or stressed as she picks a drink from one of the base vending machines. Arriving back at her quarters, she finds Mao waiting for her, surrounded by piles of half-eaten junk food, beer cans, and used cigarettes in various ashtrays. Growing frustrated over the state of things, Tessa begins making generalized comments on those who usually do such things, prompting Mao to reply defensively as she grows more and more offended.
Things escalate until Mao bets that Tessa is unable to pilot an Arm Slave better than she can, wagering that she prove it, and the loser runs a lap around the base naked. Not wanting to be outdone, Tessa agrees, writing up an official challenge and emailing a copy to Mao. Sousuke is recruited by Tessa to coach her in basic Arm Slave operations, but once seeing how hopeless she truly is with the more advanced M9, they decide she ought to operate an M6 for easier handling. Tessa goes over her plan for the mock battle, getting Sousuke’s professional opinion on her chances of success.
Tessa strategically arrives late, and the contest begins as Mao and Tessa move through the jungle terrain. Mao finds Tessa early on, but Sousuke rules her shots invalid because they are shooting paint rounds, and Mao’s were blocked by trees and foliage. Determined to take out Tessa, Mao’s frustration grows as it seems that Tessa is getting favorable treatment throughout. Tessa’s determination falters as her nerves start getting the better of her, but Sousuke is able to talk her back in, and she stands back up to keep moving. Pulling a trick on Mao, Tessa shoots at her with her paint rounds, emptying her ammunition and crying in relief.
Mao complains to Kurz and Sousuke about the unfair treatment, but then admits that she also made her own mistakes. Tessa and Mao forgive each other for what was said, kicking some sense into Kurz when he inquires about the original agreement of the bet to see if one of them was still going to run a lap around the base naked.
Episode Fourteen
Narashino wa Moete iru ka? | Is Narashino Burning?
Sousuke and Shinji drag Kaname, Kyouko, and Mizuki to an Arm Slave Festival in Narashino at one of the local military bases. While Kaname is unhappy about the turn of events, they still wander through the food and entertainment booths, observing as it seems that the promotions for the AS Games are being mocked. Shinji’s father comes over to greet them, but doesn’t stay long as Shinji doesn’t seem to want him there. As the girls get some food from one of the booths, one of the men from the Nerima team comes over and begins flirting with Kaname, angering Mizuki despite Kaname’s disgust with his efforts.
Watching the beginning of the AS Games, Shinji points out that the referee seems to favor the Nerima team, as they keep getting away with cheating during the events. Hoping to balance the scales, Sousuke hijacks an unused AS and interferes with the ping pong match, hiding his identity and challenging the Nerima team to play fair before Kaname throws her harisen at him.
At first Kaname chews Sousuke out for getting involved, but when Mizuki comes over to flirt with the mysterious AS pilot, Kaname does what she can to get them away before Sousuke is discovered. Shinji’s father and the other men with the Narashino team ask Sousuke to help them, and under the arrangement that he is to remain anonymous, he agrees.
Still angry at Sousuke for pulling what he did, Kaname agrees to fight alongside the Nerima team to spite him, and the Narashino team agrees to have Shinji and his father operate an AS of their own. Nerima still tries cheating during the event, but with Sousuke’s help and direction, Shinji and his father manage to strike the winning blow. During the train ride home, Shinji thanks Sousuke for helping him to patch things up with his father, and Kaname whines about missing out on her classic summer fun on the beach.
Episode Fifteen
Kokyou ni Mau Kaze, Zenpen | The Wind Blows at Home, Part 1
Kaname finally gets her summer fun time at the beach, but Sousuke has been called back to Merida for a meeting with Tessa. An intelligence agent shows a video capture of Gauron within a Helmajistani market, and informs him that he will be sent to assist in Indian Ocean Squadron’s objective to kill Gauron. Meeting the team on the transport plane, Sousuke is immediately the odd man out, the others teasing him regarding Sousuke’s younger age. The only one interested in working with him is the team’s second in command, Grace Weissman, most often called by her nickname ‘Grey.' The team and their ASes are deployed from the air, parachuting down to the desert valley and continuing their trek toward the designated attack point on foot.
Getting closer to the area of operation, the team begins to make plans regarding Gauron’s assassination. Sousuke tries to give input on Gauron and how he operates, but his comments and observations are ignored, despite Grey arguing on his behalf. Grey attempts to talk some sense into their leader, but the team makes a move on the transport trucks Gauron was seen with before anything else could be said on the matter. Destroying the extra protection and stopping the trucks, an unfamiliar AS makes a move to kill Batist, one of the Mithril team members.
The team discovers that part of the transport was shipping a nuclear warhead, immediately putting everyone on edge about the mission. Gauron shows up in his Codarl and takes out the team leader, Bill, using the Lambda Driver, and Sousuke attempts to kill Gauron with the Arbalest, the resulting explosion giving them cover as they steal the warhead and retreat for the time being.
Episode Sixteen
Kokyou ni Mau Kaze, Chuuhen | The Wind Blows at Home, Part 2
During their retreat, Sousuke tells them how to get away with cover, and with nothing left to lose, the team takes his advice and slides down a steep slope. Parts of Sousuke’s past within Helmajistan are revealed, and the team begins to take a bit more stock in his knowledge of the area and how to navigate it. Using the last of the morphine on Batist for his injuries, the team tries to decide on what should be their next move and how to deal with the warhead. Small arguments erupt between the team as their squad begins to fall apart, but Batist talks them down and advises them to finally start listening to Sousuke’s input.
It is decided that the higher priority is getting Batist to a doctor, and they begin dragging the warhead along with them to the nearest town as directed by Sousuke. Gauron is impatient and frustrated about the loss of the warhead, and discusses such things with Zaied, who is shown to be a former child soldier that fought with Sousuke when they were with the Mujahideen.
With Batist getting worse, Sousuke directs them to an old Mujahideen hideout in hopes of locating an old emergency medical kit. Gauron and Zaied make plans to hunt them down, both knowing of the same location. Finding the kit, the team begins the process of helping Batist as Sousuke volunteers to take watch outside. He and Grey speak for a short while, and Grey offers Sousuke the vacant spot on their team, saying that she hopes he will consider it before heading back inside.
Back in Japan, Kaname and Mao stay up late talking, giving Kaname the idea of picking up a welcome home gift for when Sousuke gets back. With Mithril and Gauron’s teams making plans, they soon meet in the mouth of a canyon to face off, intent on settling things for good.
Episode Seventeen
Kokyou ni Mau Kaze, Kouhen | The Wind Blows at Home, Part 3
Sousuke is pinned down as Zaied shoots down over his position, and the Mithril team begins having issues with their communication systems, thanks to an incoming sandstorm, following a surprise message from Gauron. Gauron leaves Zaied in charge of dealing with Sousuke as he goes to kill off the rest of the Mithril team and retrieve the warhead, and Sousuke has difficulty sending off the newly received data to warn the rest of the team. Sousuke uses the sandstorm to his advantage and starts taking out the enemy Savages.
Zaied then gives instructions to remain calm as he fires from above with a gattling cannon. Gauron shows up in front of the rest of the team, managing to sneak through their net, and kills Andy as he rushes forward. Sousuke figures out that it is Zaied operating the Shadow, and for an instant, his communications are brought back online, hearing the situation from Grey before it cuts out again. Gauron manages to knock Jackson down, but Grey surprises him before he can deal a killing blow. Jackson is pulled from his AS by Batist, who is intent on taking Gauron down with him, and tells Jackson to escape with the warhead.
Initiating self-destruct mode, Batist tries to get close enough to take Gauron down, but is blown in half when Gauron uses his Lambda Driver and leaps away from the blast. Coming back down, Gauron kills Jackson by landing on the warhead transport truck and using his monomolecular cutter, issuing a challenge to Grey who tries to fight back in vain. Sousuke receives her final transmission, telling him to not worry about them and complete the mission, giving him the strength for a last ditch effort and roll out of direct fire from Zaied’s gattling cannon and stab him with his monomolecular cutter.
Making his way further into the canyon, Sousuke finds Grey’s AS left out on a large boulder with the warhead laying nearby, calling out Gauron from his hiding place. Initiating the Lambda Driver, Sousuke lures out Gauron and destroys his Codarl, taking the warhead and retreating back to the rendezvous point. Arriving back in Tokyo, Sousuke finds Kaname waiting for him outside his apartment with a gift, and he tiredly slides down the wall to sit with her.
Episode Eighteen
Shinkai Party | Deep Sea Party
Because of Sousuke and Mithril’s constant interference, Gauron is having difficulties with keeping up any side jobs, and he decides to get back to his original objective.
ack at Jindai, Kaname demands Sousuke explain why there is a huge, metal structure rather than an inviting school festival gate. He explains that this year’s theme is security, and she smacks him over the head when his plans would apparently completely drain the budget for the entire festival. Kaname is sprayed with paint from the marking system by mistake, ranting about how her youth is being wasted keeping watch over Sousuke and his exploits. Hearing that she plans to be free, Sousuke invites her to go to a ‘southern island’ with him, promising it would be just the two of them, and that nothing weird or dangerous would happen. Packing for the trip, Kaname takes along the bikini Mizuki insisted on, as well as Kyouko’s camera that had been given to her, beginning to feel excited at the prospect of going somewhere special with just Sousuke.
The TDD-1 is running practices on their systems, using the American sub USS Pasadena without them knowing. Tessa is looking forward to when they return to port, but receives transmission from Mithril explaining a possible chemical weapons attack in the Perio Islands, requesting the TDD-1 to go and remain in the area should the US military not be equipped to handle things.
During their flight, Sousuke is called by Kurz from the communications room in the TDD-1, relaying instructions from Tessa to meet up with and board the Danaan with Kaname. Kaname is anything but happy when the two of them parachute down to the ocean’s surface, but they manage to successfully board the sub. Tessa takes Kaname for a quick tour, leading her to the hangar where the crew salutes Kaname in gratitude for her help with previous missions. The crew quickly sets up to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the maiden voyage of the TDD-1, with Kurz taking over as something of a party host.
The situation on the Perio Island base looks grim, with Gauron showing up and taking out the last of the American AS troopers, and planning for when Mithril and Sousuke will inevitably show up.
Episode Nineteen
Engaging Six and Seven
After the party Tessa, Kaname, and Mao go to relax in the baths, which are regulary used to clean and maintain AS parts, though Tessa assures Kaname they're safe for people to use. While talking, the subject turns toward what Sousuke was like when he was younger, Mao confessing that she didn’t know him or Kurz before roughly a year prior. Mao is given permission by Tessa to tell them the story of how she met Kurz and Sousuke.
Mao describes it as just before the new M9s were ready to see deployment, and she was being sent to the Mithril training grounds to choose her replacements for Uruz Six and Seven, since the two who once occupied those positions had been taken out due to a training accident. When she recounts her first meeting with Kurz, Kaname comments disapprovingly on his attempt to possibly sleep with her. Mao went over the performances of each applicant, and had settled on two until seeing the results of a training exercise where an old RK92 took out an M6. Discovering the one behind it, Mao went to meet Sousuke in the barracks, intent on finding out if it was really him behind the win. Kurz catches up to them and ends up at gunpoint with Mao after trying to flirt with her again, but Sousuke breaks things up before they get too heated, impressing Mao with how fast and silently he managed to cross the distance between the far corner of the barracks and where she and Kurz were.
Getting a call from the central command center, Tessa leaves the baths early, leaving Kaname to finish listening to the rest of the story from Mao.
Receiving a video from the local Peruvian government with a request for help, the trainees who volunteered to assist in the mission were brought along, Kurz and Sousuke being two of them. With several of their comrades discovered and taken prisoner, Mao calls out Sousuke and Kurz for hiding their real abilities, and devises a plan to save the rest of their team and the original hostage. Finally using their once-hidden skills, Sousuke takes control of one of the enemy Savages, after Kurz disabled the legs with a carefully placed shot through the ventilation system. The enemy defeated and turned over to the Peruvian government, Mao settles on her choice for her new teammates.
Noticing they were being listened to, Mao yells at Kurz for attempting to steal Tessa’s underwear for a prize in one last game of bingo with some of the crew and Sousuke leaves with Kaname. Sousuke had been authorized to give Kaname a more in-depth tour as they near the area of operation, showing her around and giving her some rudimentary information regarding the ship.
Episode Twenty
Venom no Hi | Venom's Flame
While enroute to the operation, Tessa and Kaname speak about what it means to be a Whispered and the possible dangers presented. The conversation turns a bit more lighthearted as Tessa tries to one-up Kaname in their attempts to win Sousuke’s affections, even though Kaname denies it all.
During the briefing for the operation, it is revealed that a red Codarl, codenamed by Mithril as ‘Venom,' was sighted to be on the island, along with Russian Zy98 Shadows. The team is told to retreat if they should encounter the Venom AS, and allow Sousuke to move in and engage it in combat. Starting to feel the added stress of having his comrades hopes weighing on him, Sousuke speaks to Lt. Leming from R&D about the Arbalest operations while preparing in the hangar. As everyone makes final preparations, Kaname tries to come over and talk to him, but is shown out as kindly as possible by Mao and Kurz. Boarding their Arm Slaves, the team is divided into three groups of two per Kalinin’s orders. Nearing the island, Mao calls to Sousuke over an unused channel to talk to him, hoping to put him at ease and remind him that it’s not all just his fight.
Splitting up at the designated waypoint, Kurz and Nguyen take up sniping and cover fire positions on a rocky outcropping a few hundred meters offshore, Sousuke and McAllen approach the shallows and await orders, and Mao and Dannigan sneak in through an old cave entrance to disarm the bombs and secure the hostages. Dannigan and Nguyen speak of better possibilities for employers and pay, noting how much more difficult it is to leave people alive than it is to just kill them. Kurz and Mao insist they focus, and as soon as the go ahead is given from Mao, McAllen gives the order to rush the enemy. Focusing on destroying the enemies, Sousuke and the rest of the SRT clear out the enemy Arm Slaves, keeping an eye out for Gauron. Mao spots him on top of a building with a gatling cannon, the fight breaking out as the rest of the team provides Sousuke with cover fire. Sousuke falters when the Lambda Driver refuses to activate, and Mao takes the hit from Gauron’s attack. Kurz gives Sousuke direction on where to lure Gauron, shooting out the support beams from the building as it crashes down over him. Gauron’s AS has overheated, and with seemingly no way out he surrenders, advising Sousuke that if he wanted him dead, he should just do it right then and not risk regretting it later.
Episode Twenty-One
Deep Trap
Gauron is taken into custody aboard the TDD-1, and Mao is rushed to the medical bay to be treated for her injuries. Kalinin gives instructions to McAllen regarding Gauron, advising them to treat him with utmost caution before staying behind to discuss the incident with the US military. Sousuke blames himself for not being able to do as he was ordered, ignoring Kaname in the hall when he reboards the sub. Kaname goes to check on him in the locker room, and due to his recent stress and hardships, he yells at her when she tries to cheer him up. She leaves in tears, and Kurz punches Sousuke and yells at him for making Kaname cry, telling him to try thinking before he takes out his frustration on others.
Up in the command center, Lt. Leming gives her report concerning Venom to Tessa, being excused shortly after. Having a bad feeling, Tessa asks to speak with Mardukas privately. The USS Pasadena receives orders to tail the TDD-1, nicknamed ‘Toy Box’ by the US military, and gather all information possible, despite not being able to locate it. Captain Sailor becomes frustrated at the impossible order, doing some rough calculations while recounting days of his youth and comparing them to the current situation.
Back on the Danaan, Kaname feels alone and depressed on the sub, wandering around until coming to the hangar and stopping to look through the pictures on the camera Kyouko let her borrow. Sousuke asks around the sub trying to find her, hoping to apologize for what happened, but he’s unable to locate her.
Dannigan and Lian are on shift to watch Gauron, and while warning Lian of the dangers of letting his guard down, Dannigan shoots and kills Lian, revealing that he was bribed and made an undercover contact for Gauron within the sub to help him escape. Dressing Gauron up in Lian’s uniform, he and Dannigan leave the room and are caught by McAllen and Nguyen. McAllen tells Nguyen to call for help, but Nguyen kills McAllen and starts dragging him back into the brig. Kaname comes around the corner at this time and sees them and she tries to run but is caught by Nguyen and handed over to Gauron.
Using Kaname as a hostage, Gauron, Dannigan, and Nguyen take control of the command center, using the disc Gauron had with him in order to gain control of the ship’s artificial intelligence, Dana. With the ship under his control, Gauron runs a fire and evacuation drill and locks the bulkheads, trapping everyone on the other end of the ship and keeping them from any kind of rescue. Unknown by Gauron, Sousuke and Kurz didn’t obey the drill, having a bad feeling and keeping their heads down as they begin to investigate.
Episode Twenty-Two
Jack in the Box
With Gauron in control of the ship, the nearby USS Pasadena’s sonar picks up the echo from the alarm, locking onto its location with plans to ambush the Toy Box. Carefully navigating the empty halls, Kurz and Sousuke have an increasingly bad feeling about everything, deciding to locate some weapons. Gauron explains that any sort of a rescue will be useless with the bulkheads secured, and when Tessa proposes a counter to that, Gauron responds with increasing the oxygen concentration. Tessa tries pleading with Gauron, demanding that he stop while he still can, but he only laughs at her.
Kalinin arrives on the nearby USS Bunker Hill naval ship to meet with a US Navy Admiral. In the hangar of the TDD-1, Lt. Leming tries to adjust the oxygen filter in the hangar, and Mardukas orders someone to try calling the command center, only to find that the line has been disconnected. Tessa speaks with Kaname through the resonance, explaining that to begin turning things around, Kaname needs to retrieve the universal key from her safe, and make her way to a place called ‘Lady Chapel,' so she can connect with the systems and take control of Dana directly.
Not able to really grasp the hang of resonation, Kaname accidentally speaks outloud, catching Gauron’s attention and curiosity at what she may be trying to hide. Tessa grabs the small Walther pistol she hid under the captain’s chair, shooting at Gauron and Nguyen to distract them as Kaname escapes the bridge.
Finding McAllen and Lian’s bodies stashed in the empty brig, Sousuke and Kurz hear the shots fired from the command center, agreeing that the traitors could be Nguyen and Dannigan, since they were the recent transfers on the sub. Dannigan and Nguyen chase after Kaname, and Gauron decides that an appropriate punishment is to raise the ship to periscope depth, searching for possible targets on the surface. Hiding until things went quiet, Kaname leaves behind her jacket and shoes, continuing on her way through the sub to try and reach Tessa’s room. Gauron prepares to launch harpoon missiles at the USS Bunker Hill, tossing Tessa around when she talks back and treating her roughly. Arriving at Tessa’s room, Kaname gets a hold of the universal key from Tessa’s safe, leaving and wondering how to get to Lady Chapel from where she is. Closing the door behind her, she’s surprised when Dannigan catches up with her in the hall.
With the missiles launched, Gauron becomes more frustrated when he realizes that Tessa had the warheads turned off, making it so that the ship he hit would only be damaged and not blown up. Hearing noise in the mess hall, Sousuke and Kurz head down the hall, being pinned down by Nguyen and told that Kaname is in there with Dannigan. Speaking quietly with Sousuke, Kurz plans to distract Nguyen and let Sousuke go help Kaname. In the mess hall, Dannigan seems to be toying with Kaname, telling her to keep running and to fight back as he makes warning shots at her. Grabbing an iron skillet, Kaname holds it up defensively, both of them turning to see Sousuke come in. Moving quickly, a few shots graze Sousuke as he closes in, at first being held down until he manages to take Dannigan’s pistol and killing him. Finally able to make up and apologize, Sousuke and Kaname agree to stick together, pausing when the loud sound of an attacker's sonar resonates through the sub.
Episode Twenty-Three
Kyojin no Field | Field of Giants
With the damage taken to the USS Bunker Hill, Kalinin is suspected and held at gunpoint. Kalinin requests to use the phone to straighten things out between Mithril and the US government. Trying to convince Gauron to let her and the crew go to avoid being destroyed by the Pasadena, Gauron laughs at the idea and decides to play a game of chicken, ordering Dana to dive to 1500 below the surface, past the safe depth. Nguyen and Kurz are at a stand still in the hallway, and Nguyen tries convincing Kurz to switch sides, stating why doing so would be far more beneficial to him, but Kurz wants nothing to do with it. Sousuke manages to help Kaname get to the room called ‘Lady Chapel’ finding a slightly older model TAROS inside. Kaname gets inside and resonates with Tessa, who speaks through Kaname to request Sousuke's help on the bridge.
Kurz uses a fire extinguisher to fight off Nguyen, but Nguyen brings out his knife and manages to get a few slices before two scalpels are thrown into his neck. Using the fire extinguisher, Kurz knocks Nguyen on the head and watches as he falls back down the stairs to die from hitting his head on one of the access doors. Mao comes out from the other hall groggy and confused, trying to make sense of everything through her haze as Kurz takes a few seconds to wish he had a camera, as Mao is sitting next to him in only her underwear. Resonating with Kaname, Tessa helps her to navigate the TDD-1 system, Dana announcing various problems as the pressure of their depth damages the ship. Gauron gives orders to launch some decoys seconds before the screens go dark, lighting back up in the proper blue color as Tessa orders to release countermeasures and an emergency blow.
As everything within the system is put back to its optimal settings, Gauron’s anger grows as Tessa gains the upper hand, the door next to her opening as Sousuke dives in to shoot at Gauron. Gauron manages to escape as the sub breaks to the surface, tossing everyone around and knocking Tessa out with the impact. Sousuke releases the crew and runs off to locate Gauron, receiving some help from Kaname who projects her likeness just out of his field of vision and tells him where to go. Finally hearing from Mardukas in the hangar, the helmsman tells him Gauron’s description in time for Mardukas to point him out among the other soldiers in the hangar, making his way to, and boarding the Venom. Starting up the mech, Gauron pauses as the Arbalest also begins to move, and the rest of the crew quickly evacuates the area as the two bring out their monomolecular cutters.
Episode Twenty-Four
Into the Blue
Gauron rips the head off of a nearby M9, giving Sousuke flashbacks of when Mao was injured, and the two activate their monomolecular cutters and begin to fight in the hangar. Striking Gauron and pushing him back, Gauron manages to blow back Sousuke with a push from his Lambda Driver. The helmsmen in the command center rush to try and correct the problems and errors caused by Gauron, watching as he and Sousuke continue fighting in the small confines of the hangar.
Managing to strike him several times with his monomolecular cutter, Sousuke begins hitting Gauron’s AS, nearly completely smashing the head in. Grappling Sousuke’s machine, Gauron activates his self-destruct mode, setting it for a hundred-twenty seconds. Trapped by Gauron’s machine, Sousuke tries to fight his confinement as Kaname orders the TDD to lift them to the flight desk and opening the hatch as the helmsmen receive readouts about the continued pursuit of the USS Pasadena.
Because of Kalinin’s efforts, the Navy Admiral orders the Pasadena to halt their pursuit of the TDD-1, to the relief of the command crew. Kaname sends a message to the command crew as Sousuke and Gauron are raised to the flight deck, turning on the runway lights and projecting an image of herself to give Sousuke a clue to her intentions. Moving the two of them over to the track, Sousuke uses his grappler cable to attach to the mechanism, throwing Gauron off the sub and into the ocean as his self-destruct sequence runs out. Pulling himself back up onto the flight deck, Sousuke lets out his frustration and hits the ground under him with the Arbalest before heading back inside, letting Kaname close the flight hatch and begin diving back below the surface.
Arriving back at the base on Merida, a service is held for Lian and McAllen, with Tessa watching with a salute as their coffins are taken to be dropped at sea over an undisclosed location. Later finding her in the hallway and staring aimlessly at a vending machine, Kaname tells Sousuke he should try and say something to cheer her up, walking away as Tessa cries over the loss of her men in his arms. Packing up her things, Kaname is stopped when Sousuke asks her if she wouldn’t mind going with him for a surprise, taking her to his secret fishing spot. Inviting her to stay and try fishing with him a few minutes, he reiterates his belief that as long as they are together, that they can do anything, whether it’s escaping some danger or catching a giant fish. Agreeing to test that theory, Kaname stands as she feels a possible bite on her line, Sousuke helping to hold her steady from around her waist, confirming that if it’s a huge catch, he will help her take it home with them.
