"My endless wandering since deserting the army had brought me to the city of Uoodo. And I was now in trouble with the Boone Family, a gang of thugs who ran the city."

The next morning, as the Bone Family begins to scour the city for Chirico, he awakes and meets Bouleuse Gotho, the owner of the scrap yard. Gotho serves him breakfast and discusses his plans to salvage some of the ATs he has found. Coconna drops by, hoping to buy a meal with gossip from the streets. Elsewhere, a new chief of police takes residence in the city's central tower: Gimual Iskui, a member of the Secret Society. Iskui immediately hatches a plan to deal with the troublesome biker gang.

Chirico goes to work repairing one of Gotho's salvaged Scopedogs. Vanilla Vartla arrives, wanting to buy guns now that the city is crawling with hostile bikers. Intrigued by Chirico's expertise with the Scopedog, Vanilla starts to ask questions. Coconna returns with news of the bikers, and Chirico brings the Scopedog to life. He marches out to confront the Boone Famil - and proves more than a match for them in his AT. Just as they rally to destroy him, the police spring a trap of their own, ambushing the gang and turning the street into an inferno.

"The flying bullets, the flames. Before my eyes lay a scene so familiar to me. I was back on the battlefield...I and my VOTOM."

"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..."

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?"

Chirico demands to knwo where Fyana is, but the PS refuses to tell him anything, and their battle resumes. As Kan Yu watches from hiding, Chirico's Marshydog is wrecked, and Chirico barely escapes into the jungle on foot. Kan Yu returns to Zonmu Village, which is now being leveled. The others insist on searching for Chirico, but he orders them back to base.

Later, another type of combat is taking place at the palace of Prince Kanjelman. The prince duels Fyana in a round of Balancing. She does well, but is beaten by the more experienced Prince. The Prince's other student, Ypsilon, returns from the jungle ad reports to Borough that he had fought Chirico again.

Out in the jungle, Chirico is caught by robotic sentries and brought to the palace. Everyone gathers to watch, including Fyana, who recommends that he be imprisoned. Instead, Ypsilon offers to duel him in a round of Balancing. Chirico is completely out of his league, and is quickly beaten. Fyana herself delivers the final blow, which draws blood and finishes the match.

That night, Fyana goes to Chirico in his cell and apologizes. This was the only way she could think of to save his life. She helps him to escape, but once again refuses to go with him. Saddened, Chirico nevertheless slips away. Monica lends aid as well, asking Chirico to tell Potaria that she remembers their childhood together. Agreeing to do so, Chrico vanishes into the Kummen night.

"Fyana hadn't forgotten about me. Knowing that was good enough for now."

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..."

"Fyana...the last thing I remember was escaping the jungles of Kummen with Fyana. There's no doubt about that. But afterward, something took us..."

Chirico and Fyana wake up in the shuttle they used to escape Melkia. It has inexplicably come to rest inside the hanger deck of some large facility. They investigate their whereabouts and discover themselves to be on a gigantic space battleship, heading toward an unknown destination on auto-pilot. Left with no way of stopping it, the two finally have a quiet moment, in which Fyana is amused to learn that Chirico has never tasted alcohol before.

The peace is interrupted by blasting music, which comes from a self-playing video that depicts Chirico's notorious Red Shoulder Battalion slaughtering civilians during the war. Like the ship they are on, it is automatic - and try as he might, Chirico is unable to stop the nightmarish pictures. This drives a new and unexpected wedge between Chirico and Fyana. The shame he feels for his past is matched by her forgiveness and understanding... but neither of them knows how to give voice to their feelings.

Suddenly, an alarm sounds - their ship approaches a Balarant patrol fleet, and a platoon of Balarant ATs rockets toward them from the distance. Chirico rushes to one of the ship's Scopedogs and plunges into battle, desperate for a diversion from his inner turmoil.

"What else could I do? I knew what would happen if the Balarant captured a PS. Besides, I'm a Red Shoulder, a man born to fight. The only place I feel at home is in battle. Fyana and I had escaped the jungle to find a new world. And here I was, forced to confront old wounds. Trapped in an unknown ship, headed God knows where, having to fight the Balarant. And the woman I loved, who I was fighting to protect, seemed to be drifting farther away with each passing second."

Huge vehicles watch the approaching transport truck and prepare to launch an attack. But they are unprepared for a skilled AT pilot in a Scopedog, who swiftly disables one of their vehicles. The struggle is interrupted by a voice from above; a ship passes overhead and calls out to the AT pilot. An astonished Chirico realizes it is Bouleuse Gotho!

In orbit around Sunsa, the Teltain has escaped its battle with the Balarant, and Futtor makes plans to continue the pursuit of Chirico and Proto-One. Meanwhile, Ypsilon examines data from Battleship X. To his disbelief, Chirico seems to have recovered from his earlier injuries three times faster than any normal human...

Gotho's vessel drifts over Sunsa. Inside, Chirico and Fyana are introduced to their attackers: Zophie and her gang, who salvage weapons from the desert for Gotho to sell off world. They travel to Zophie's fortress, within the airtight ruins of a damaged building. Vanilla and Coconna are there, and react to their arrival with mixed emotions. Vanilla is ecstatic, but Coconna is furious when she sees Fyana for the first time. Chirico says nothing.

Later, Zophie approaches a weeping Coconna, who reveals that as a Red Shoulder, Chirico has always been cold and unemotional. Meanwhile, Gotho berates Chirico for acting this way toward Coconna. Fyana argues for Chirico's sake, but stops herself before she can say too much. The scene is broken by the arrival of Ypsilon and a platoon of Tortoises from the Teltain. Setting up a perimeter around the fortress, they demand that Chirico be surrendered. Gotho prepares to answer with gunfire, but Zophie stops him - Chirico, after all, is one of the Red Shoulder devils who destroyed their planet, and she is more than willing to throw him to the wolves.

Chirico prepares to face Ypsilon alone, refusing even Fyana's help. She begins to wonder if he really is as cold and unfeeling as Gotho said.

"I know best how I should fight. Gotho had called me a war machine. A murder machine. And now so had my beloved Fyana. If I really was a machine, I doubt their words would hurt me as much as they did. But I'm just a man, and my battle is this hell continues...as does my crushed existence."

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?"

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..."

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!"