History Recap / MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercuryEpisode18OurEmptySelves

!!Summary

In a Benerit hangar, Belmeria is overseeing the refurbishing of Aerial following the duel, questioning Godoy about a new development, MS-type GUND-Bits to expand Aerial's data storm, "Gundnodes". In Grassley's wing, Shaddiq requests Prospera's cooperation with his intent to make Gundams a core part of the Benerit Group's business moving forward. Prospera questions why he can't just get what he needs from the Lfriths - despite his claims of them self-destructing following the Open Campus attack, she points out the salvage would be better than nothing, musing on some other reason he can't claim to have recovered them. Before their talks can go any further, they're interrupted by Miorine and Guel. Shaddiq tells them of his own intentions for the presidency, revealing that while they were caught up in dueling still, he'd been garnering support for his bid, mockingly congratulating them on their re-engagement.

* BreakHerHeartToSaveHer: Much like Miorine in the previous episode, Eri reveals both Aerial and Suletta's own origins to her, before coldly casting her out, claiming she has no need for her anymore. And just like Miorine, a conversation with Prospera implies she did this so Suletta could be free, not wishing to involve her in what's to come.

* JerkassFacade: While talking within the data storm, Eri tells Suletta that she was nothing more than the key necessary for Aerial to reach Permet Score 8 and, now that she's reached it, Eri doesn't need Suletta to pilot her anymore. After telling her this Eri coldly tells Suletta to stop clinging to her and Prospera, before ejecting her out into space. However, during a private conversation with Prospera, Eri indicates that, much like Miorine, she wants Suletta to live a normal life free from the pain of Gundams, with Prospera somberly agreeing that Suletta deserves to be free.

In the wake of losing Aerial, the rank of the Holder, and her engagement to Miorine, Suletta has thrown herself into her school life, to the concern of her friends in Earth House.

At Benerit HQ, Guel struggles to adjust to the dealings of a corporate president, being rejected by executives who find his performance lacking, with no proven track record. Meeting with Miorine and Prospera (the latter via video on a Haro-controlled robot monitor), Prospera suggests announcing a newly developed Jeturk mobile suit, the Schwarzette - a Gundam-type, to Miorine's distress. Miorine attempts to call Prospera out for going behind her back, only to be rebuffed as it was a secret project started with Vim Jeturk long before the creation of GUND-ARM Inc.. Prospera reiterates her suggestion of announcing the Schwarzette as a joint venture between Jeturk and GUND-ARM to demonstrate both their acumen and upcoming union; Miorine rejects the idea, steadfast in her intent to only develop the medical side of GUND technology. Miorine then learns that Prospera has been simultaneously meeting with Shaddiq at Grassley.

Still hiding away in Grassley House, Elan#5 attempts to strike up a conversation with Norea, who rebuffs him. Nika then questions if he's really Elan, confused by his change in mannerisms, leading him to reveal he isn't, in fact, the Elan she knew previously. He tells her how Peil Technologies chooses its leadership based on the evaluation of an [=AI=] (the "Peil Grade") and that the real Elan is its top-ranked candidate. Enhanced Persons like him were originally guinea pigs for Peil's Gundam developments, but after the marriage game was announced, they were co-opted into serving as Elan's body doubles, allowing for field testing while compensating for the real Elan's lacking piloting skills. Continuing to antagonize Norea, Elan#5 eventually gets her to attack him again, though he manages to keep her at bay.

Meeting with Grassley executives, Shaddiq uses his new power in the company to discretely sell off assets on Earth, beginning his plan to break up the Benerit Group under the guise of gathering resources to find Sarius. Guel, Miorine and Prospera meet to discuss the lead Shaddiq has over them in the presidential race, with Prospera once again raising a suggestion. Bringing up news reports concerning anti-Spacian riots on Earth, she inspires Miorine to try going to Earth to meet peacefully with the rioters, quelling the dissidence to prove themselves to investors. Learning of their intentions, Sabina reports back to Shaddiq.

Wandering through Jeturk House, Lauda overhears some classmates praising Guel, indirectly insulting him in the process. In the halls of Benerit's hangar facilities, Belmeria is cornered by Jun and Guston as part of their investigation into Shin Sei. In a confessional-styled counseling room, Martin confesses his reporting Nika and the guilt he feels over it; Secelia reveals herself as the counselor, taunting him as a double-crossing rat. Miorine and Guel meet with Rajan to inform him of their plan to leave for Earth, who insists on sending Kenanji with them as security.

Arriving at Benerit HQ, Earth House struggles to secure a meeting with Miorine. Learning of Suletta's arrival, Prospera and Aerial lure her into the hangar where Aerial is kept by faking a request from Miorine. Boarding Aerial, Suletta flies outside the Front with her, expressing her happiness at being reunited, before venting about being unable to enjoy her time at school without Miorine. Aerial then draws Suletta into her data storm, showing her a vision of a deconstructed Lfrith and revealing herself as Eri to her by reminiscing about a childhood memory they share. "Everyone" then appears to her, the "Children of the Coven" who serve as Eri's extended consciousness, explaining that Suletta was the "Key" who served as an external body to control Aerial while they developed her Permet Network. Over Suletta's protests, they proclaim they no longer need her, Eri using her data storm to painfully awaken an infantile memory in Suletta of the day she "died" and became the Gundam, revealing that having reached Score 8, she no longer needs a pilot.

Telling Suletta she can't cling to her or Prospera anymore, Aerial ejects her into space, where she is caught by Prospera, who confirms everything Eri told her. Leaving Suletta with a beacon and telling her to return to school, Prospera boards Aerial, departing to rendezvous with Miorine's shuttle en-route to Earth. Suletta, abandoned and without purpose, cries alone into the void.

** Guel, having long aspired to be an ace of the Dominicus Corps, finally gets to meet former-ace and current commander Kenanji Avery, and is comically taken aback by both the man's opulence and light-heartened mannerisms.

* ClonesArePeopleToo: Suletta learns the purpose of her entire life was to be an accessory to her predecessor Eri's development as the Aerial. What's more, she isn't even the first of Eri's "repli-child" clones -- every single one of Aerial's bit-staves houses the mind of another of her clone-sisters, the Children of the Coven. However, Suletta expresses no angst over ''being a clone'', she purely upset that ''the purpose she was created for is at its end.''

* ClonesArePeople: Suletta learns the purpose of her entire life was to be an accessory to her predecessor Eri's development as the Aerial. What's more, she isn't even the first of Eri's "repli-child" clones -- every single one of Aerial's bit-staves houses the mind of another of her clone-sisters, the Children of the Coven. However, Suletta expresses no angst over ''being a clone'', she purely upset that ''the purpose she was created for is at its end.''

* CloningBlues: Suletta learns the purpose of her entire life was to be an accessory to her predecessor Eri's development as the Aerial. What's more, she isn't even the first of Eri's "repli-child" clones -- every single one of Aerial's bit-staves houses the mind of another of her clone-sisters, the Children of the Coven. Interestingly, Suletta seems less distressed to learn she's a clone than she is that ''the purpose she was created for is at its end.''

* RuleOfSymbolism: At the end of the episode, Suletta is essentially ejected from a body (Aerial), and is last seen crying in a fetal position with the [=SOS=] beacon attached to her like an umbilical cord. In other words, a newborn infant that has left the comfort of her mother’s womb and into the world.

* FreezeFrameBonus: It's only visible in two frames, but after Felsi thanks Chuchu for saving her, she keeps looking back at her and her nervous expression turns into a small smile as turns to leave.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: After adamantly going forward with their plan in the previous episode to reinstate their MarriageOfConvenience to respectively keep Suletta safe and begin rebuilding Jeturk Heavy Machinery, Miorine and Guel almost immediately run up against several walls. To begin with, Jeturk's executives aren't keen on throwing money at an unproven former-pilot turned-CEO, and despite her promise of financial aid, Miorine isn't keen on investing in mobile suit development, severely limiting their options. On top of this, they failed to account for what other presidential candidates might be doing while working out their bargain, and are thus blindsided when Shaddiq informs them that not only is he in the running, he's already secured Peil's support; by the time they even began seriously thinking about the election, he was already polling ''81% of the vote'', meaning they have to completely shift their plan into overdrive and fast or it will be AllForNothing.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Miorine and Guel were adamant in their plan in the previous episode of officiating a MarriageOfConvenience between the two of them to take over Jeturk Heavy Machinery so that Suletta would be safe. Not only did they completely fail to account for Guel's portion of the company being in the red and those in charge not exactly happy with a trigger-happy former playboy of a pilot now the CEO, but apparently didn't even consider that Miorine wouldn't be able to just march right in with a majority vote on her side to take over; Shaddiq beat them to it, meaning they have to completely shift their plan into overdrive and fast or it will be AllForNothing.

* PetTheDog: Despite having emotionally manipulated Suletta throughout the series and shown a willingness to disregard her feelings if they help her achieve her goals, Prospera does show a more caring side during her interactions with Suletta in this episode. When she hears that Suletta has arrived at the station she is shown to be surprised and concerned by her presence. Notably it is Eri who decides to break the news of Suletta's origins to her with Prospera merely gently confirming them before telling Suletta to return to school and live out her life. Finally, Prospera somberly agrees with Eri that, after everything she's gone through, Suletta deserves to live freely.

* CloningBlues: Suletta is learns the purpose of her entire life was to be an accessory to her predecessor Eri's development as the Aerial. What's more, she isn't even the first of Eri's "repli-child" clones -- every single one of Aerial's bit-staves houses the mind of another of her clone-sisters, the Children of the Coven. Interestingly, Suletta seems less distressed to learn she's a clone than she is that ''the purpose she was created for is at its end.''

Meeting with Grassley executives, Shaddiq uses his new power in the company to discretely sell off assets on Earth, beginning his plan to break up the Benerit Group under the guise of gathering resources to find Sarius. Guel, Miorine and Prospera meet to discuss the lead Shaddiq has over them in the presidential race, with Prospera once again raising a suggestion, bringing up news reports concerning anti-Spacian riots on Earth, inspiring Miorine to try going to Earth to meet peacefully with the rioters, quelling the dissidence to prove themselves to investors. Sabina learns of their intentions, and reports on it to Shaddiq.

Arriving at Benerit HQ, Earth House struggles to secure a meeting with Miorine. Learning of Suletta's arrival, Prospera and Aerial lure her into the hangar where Aerial is kept under the guise of a request from Miorine. Boarding Aerial, Suletta flies outside the Front with her, expressing her happiness at being reunited, before venting about being unable to enjoy her time at school without Miorine. Aerial then draws Suletta into her data storm, showing her a vision of a deconstructed Lfrith and revealing herself as Eri to her by reminiscing about a childhood memory they share. "Everyone" then appears to her, the "Children of the Coven" who serve as Eri's extended consciousness, explaining that Suletta was the "Key" who served as an external body to control Aerial while they developed her Permet Network. Over Suletta's protests, they proclaim they no longer need her, Eri using her data storm to painfully awaken an infantile memory in Suletta of the day she "died" and became the Gundam, revealing that having reached Score 8, she no longer needs a pilot.

** Guel's return was met with cheers and seen as RightfulKingReturns by his classmates in House Jeturk... but the actual financial backers behind Jeturk Heavy Machinery do ''not'' share in that opinion. After all, Guel is primarily a pilot and has little to no business experience, meaning they don't exactly have high expectations of him actually being able to run the company. This also means Jeturk's situation hasn't improved at all, as most of their potential financiers aren't exactly willing to do business with a company that's already in the red and is now under the control of a borderline unqualified CEO.
** Miorine's plans to use Jeturk as her main backer for her presidency hits a major snag when she discovers that not only is Shaddiq running as well, but he's already secured the support of Peil while she was setting up the whole situation with Guel. Jeturk may be one of the three major companies of the Benerit Group, but not only are they on the downturn, but Shaddiq now has the backing of the other two and has much more experience than Miorine. It's bad enough the polls show that she's only has 19% of the vote compared to Shaddiq's ''81%'', giving her a severe uphill battle to somehow garner enough support to actually win.

* FreezeFrameBonus: It's only visible in two frames, but after Felsi thanks Chuchu for saving her, her nervous expression turns into a small smile as she turns away, looking back at Chuchu all the while.

* FreezeFrameBonus: It's only visible in two frames, but after Felsi thanks Chuchu for saving her, her nervous expression turns into a small smile as she turns away.