"Has there been any contact with Count Mazuurek since then?" "his Landing Castle is still functional." "that means that Count Mazuurek is alive." "Perhaps he is lying low and waiting for an opening." "Or perhaps..." "Or perhaps he has been taken prisoner by the Terrans." "it would be prudent to assume that Count Mazuurek will not return." "there is but one course of action." "What are you...?" "I cannot allow that Earthborn stray to run loose any longer." "Resupplying and inspection operations are on schedule." "No delays reported. we are working in concert with the base's repair depot to get back on schedule." "Very good." "Carry on." "ma'am." "And our Mars Knight guest?" "Not a word." "He appears to be the silent type." "do you know why men who are the silent type are so attractive?" "Is it because they always seem calm and collected?" "It's because they sit quietly and listen to what you have to say." "And our replacement crew?" "and station shifts have been revised." "A few of them were members of our previous crew." "Warrant Officer Kaizuka and Lt. Marito." "who is now serving as an official medical officer with the rank of ensign." "there has been a request from Ensign Kaizuka to interrogate the Mars Knight." "From Kaizuka Junior?" "He says he wants to use his analytical engine." "Inaho?" "All I did was customize the firmware that it was already running." "too." "How's it feel?" "Not all that different." "okay?" "it'll already be too late." "I won't." "I'm aware of the risks." "this is where you are." "Yuki." "Got a minute?" "why did you decide to serve aboard this ship?" "why?" "right?" "You should have packed up and left once your injuries were healed." "Yuki." "it's not." "I'm a soldier." "so it is the same." "It is not!" "I regret it every day..." "That I made you into a soldier. "Why didn't I stop you?" "I became a soldier because I wanted to protect you and the world you live in." "But you still..." "I'm sorry." "But I can't stand around doing nothing." "then?" "That girl's not the Princess Asseylum you used to know." "She's now an enemy who's trying to conquer the Earth." "That person is a fake." "The real one is still alive somewhere." "How could you possibly know that?" "That's what my left eye determined." "I think she's being held against her will." "So I want to rescue Seylum." "That's impossible!" "she was shot right in front of me." "and she was shot as she was trying to help me." "That's why I have to save her." "Nao..." "It's been a long time." "What is the Kataphrakt's status? they found even the sub-frame had been warped by the gravity waves." "Looks like it basically needs an overhaul." "I hear you quit drinking." "My primary physician is a real nag." "then." "There's always room for toasts." "You're unbelievable." "It was doctor's orders." "Medicinal." "How are you feeling?" "looks like." "I heard you were subjected to a full body search." "I never imagined I would be subjected to such primitive questioning." "We can't have you using a poison tooth." "What an outdated notion..." "That does seem to be your national character." "I suppose Vers' feudal system would seem just as anachronistic." "change it yourselves." "Spoken like someone born into a land of plenty." "You're like pigs who are about to die." "it is too late." "You know quite a bit." "You admit I'm right?" "about pigs." "Even though Princess Asseylum had never seen birds before." "You have spoken to Princess Asseylum?" "She spent time aboard this ship." "then." "It wasn't exploitation." "It was cooperation." "you say?" "Can you tell me one thing?" "Do I look like a man who would sell out his country lightly?" "You don't look that way." "Or sound that way." "Which makes you the perfect man to ask." "Have you sworn loyalty to Princess Asseylum?" "Rayet?" "you won't have any energy when we go into battle." "I'm not hungry." "the weight starts coming off at your boobs." "I've never gone on a diet before." "Rayet?" "That's amazing!" "How do you keep that figure?" "too?" "Commander." "ma'am?" "I thought it would be nice to eat somewhere besides the ship while we're in port." "do we?" "has anyone seen Inaho?" "but I haven't seen him." "Ensign Kaizuka is interrogating the Mars Knight at the moment." "Inaho's interrogating him?" "I'm heading back." "wait..." "Rayet?" "She didn't tell us the secret to her figure." "you are saying that the Princess Asseylum currently at our moon base is an impostor?" "Yes." "where is the real one?" "Is she being held prisoner somewhere?" "Or is there a reason she cannot show herself?" "Possibly both." "as well?" "It's an analytical engine." "Impossible!" "I am not so foolish that I would believe such a preposterous tale!" "We've retrieved your Kataphrakt." "Its Aldnoah Drive was knocked offline by the force of the explosion." "It will never work again." "didn't you?" "Out of fear that Terrans would steal it." "Weren't you listening?" "It stopped working after the explosion." "you shut it down intentionally." "I will say it again." "Princess Asseylum is an impostor." "as well." "Large birds." "Small birds." "And brilliantly-colored birds." "They're beautiful..." "This is how birds fly through Earth's skies." "but there are some species of flightless birds." "Flightless birds?" "I suspect that Princess Asseylum might say that she finds it sad that they cannot fly even though they have wings." "She is a kindhearted person." "But their inability to fly does not trouble them in the least." "perhaps the ones to be pitied are the birds but are kept in a cage." "Why would someone lock them in a cage?" "Because they are so very beautiful." "Princess Asseylum was shot right in front of me." "Shot by Count Saazbaum." "Preposterous!" "Who then left with Slaine Troyard." "with them." "Count Saazbaum was celebrated as the hero who rescued Princess Asseylum!" "He's no hero." "He's the mastermind behind the plot to assassinate her." "Count Saazbaum is?" "Those bastards tricked my father and used him as much as they could and then they killed him like some lowly insect." "You are Vers-born?" "I see... your father would have died sooner or later." "Consider it a blessing that he wasn't branded a traitor and lynched." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Are you saying my father deserved to be killed?" "Let's go." "I'm not done with him!" "Come on." "Let go!" "You must think I'm an idiot." "That I'll always be bound by the past." "Always be a prisoner to it." "You're right." "I'm just like them." "and fight them." "A stupid Martian!" "You're different." " I am not." " You are." " I am not!" " You are." "I'm no different!" "I hate Martians!" "And I hate myself most of all!" "you say?" "insisting that he be put through to Princess Asseylum." "What does Milord Slaine say?" "sir." "What is all this commotion?" "sir." "dear." "You can't have your discussion with me in the room?" "Highness." "even here at the moon base." "I must ask that you avoid public areas." "Shall I speak to him?" "isn't it?" "Highness..." "Is there a problem?" "Patch him through to the throne room." "Her Highness Asseylum is most gracious." "Please forgive this sudden disturbance." "Count Marylcian." "what did you wish to discuss with me?" "It must be urgent indeed for you to contact me without first obtaining Count Troyard's permission." "Ah." "One cannot speak to you in private?" "Count Troyard is being rather overprotective to keep you under guard thus." "Perhaps "under guard" was a poor choice of words." "He is more a knight who seeks to protect his princess imprisoned in her ivory tower." "my apologies if I have given offense." "I compared Your Highness to a bird in a cage." "A bird in a cage?" "that is the expression used on Earth to describe one who has been deprived of her freedom." "Message from base command!" "They report that the prisoner has escaped!" "Put the ship on alert!" "Inform all duty stations!" "ma'am!" "These late-night alarms are killing me... we have to get out there!" "Rayet?" "it's you." "Come with me." "Hurry." "Why are you doing this?" "I want you to go back to your Landing Castle and find out where the real Princess Asseylum is." "Why me?" "Because you want the same thing as Princess Asseylum." "I don't think that you ever had any desire to attack Earth." "Your left eye also told you that?" "I can tell that much even without using my left eye." "You were very familiar with Earth." "Your interest in Earth goes beyond its value as an invasion target." "So you do see everything." "There's one other thing that I want you to find out for me." "What Slaine Troyard's objective is." "Keep going north and you'll reach the Martian Landing Castle." "You'll need to walk from here." "Here." "Food and water." "We can't have you dying of thirst before you get away." "though." "I need you to keep Princess Asseylum safe." "may I ask you one thing?" "What is your name?" "member of the Vers Empire Orbital Knights' 37 Clans." "Mazuurek..." "There's a type of folk music on Earth with a similar name." "I became fascinated with Earth." "And your name?" "Inaho." "Inaho Kaizuka." "Mr. Mazuurek." "Take good care of Princess Asseylum." "Inaho Kaizuka." "why did you ask me to help with this?" "What do you mean?" "Didn't you think that I would kill that Martian?" "Just like that time with Princess Asseylum?" "you didn't actually kill her back then." " I failed to kill her." " You're different." " I am not." " You are." "I am not–." "You are." "You're not the same person you were then." "Mustang Leader to Mustang 11." "What's your status?" "nothing to report." "Stay on alert." "Roger." "Inaho..." "Why?" "What's the meaning of this?" "!" "Who gave those Landing Castles authorization to dock?" "!" "it was..." "I did." "Highness?" "Count Marylcian requested a personal audience with Princess Asseylum." "I gave them permission to dock." "a princess of Vers." "Why would you do such a thing?" "!" "Let's be off." "It would be poor manners to keep our visitors waiting." "We are both humbled and delighted that Your Highness has granted us an audience on such short notice." "I am most grateful to you both for bolstering our orbital defenses." "I expect that you would wish to go down to Earth and expand your domains." "We shall leave the conquest of Earth in the hands of our like-minded brethren." "Your Highness needn't worry." "I see." "That is good to hear." "there is a matter of even greater import to discuss. who is charged with safeguarding the moon base and Your Highness?" "There is no cause for concern." "I have taken over those duties." "I have come to beg you to consider giving me the honor of serving at your side." "I have–" "Terran!" "This is a fortress that flies the flag of the Vers Empire. but would nonetheless approve." "dare to think you can inherit that post using this turmoil as a pretext?" "To have one of low blood set foot inside the castle where a member of the venerable Vers imperial family dwells is a fact that cannot be tolerated!" "One who does not possess a Landing Castle is unfit to call himself count." "not in the least!" "then? my Herschel or your Tharsis." "I hereby challenge you to a duel!" "Dawn of Intrigue"