The target audience for these summmaries are those people who haven't seen it all, but are so hooked they have-to-have-it-all-NOW. You know who you are. Don't mind my dry sarcasm, and I'll try to keep my personal comments separate.
Please note that more often than not, all 'quotes' are paraphrases- not exact quotes.
Back up a few minutes from the end of Ep 16.
Sousuke dodges the attack, and returns fire. Zaido sits above all...
*Wind Rising in the Homeland 3*
Gaulun orders his AS's intelligence system to search for the bandwidth the Mithril team is using.
Sousuke's engaged with the helicopters, and slips down the cliff face to a lower level, and finally takes them out.
Gaulun gets the frequency, and opens up communications with Sousuke. Gaulun gives him a short speech about how he hates to have his business deals interrupted and his merchandise stolen, and then orders the Savages ato attack, and Zaido to do as he sees fit.
Gaulun asks Zaido what it will feel like to kill a former friend, and is bored by Zaido's bland reply.
Sousuke's figuring out a strategy, untouched by the enemy fire, and sends to the rest of the team that the plan was blown. Then he drops over the edge, sliding to raise as much dust as possible. Sousuke wonders how anyone knew enough about this place to get up behind him. He wonders who the heck is in charge...
A memory- Sousuke remembers Zaido telling him that once an enemy gets behind you, it's too late.
Zaido fires down on the ARX dispassionatly.
Gray's worried about the message from Sousuke that dropped before it could be completed- they don't know what's going on. Majesto tells them God sometimes deals bad luck...and tells Gray, because of her past, she should have been able to feel the moment their luck soured.
He drags himself up, and mutters about not needing a fancy coffin...
A cross dangles alongside his dogtags...
The Arbalest is at the bottom level now, taking out the Savages that have been blinded by the swirling sand. They shoot wildly, and end up taking out their own man...
Zaido gives them some orders to reorganize them...
Sousuke wants to know where a particular AS is, the one that got behind him. He orders AL to search for the signature of the enemy's gatling cannon.
Another memory- Zaido telling Sousuke that the gatling cannon is a very good weapon in Arm-Slave battles. On only two clues Sousuke's starting to get the idea, but can't yet admit what he is beginning to think...
He swings the ARX around and is face to face with the red Arm-Slave.
Back with the others- they are trying to figure out what do to.
They consider retreating, but Gray insists they can't leave Sousuke behind. Besides, Gaulun, the reason for this mission, is still alive. Appearing right before them- the silver AS. They are surprised- even anything using the ECS system should have shown up on their sensors. 'Baakaaa....' Gaulun sounds so lazy, and self-confident at the same time.
Gray attempts a remote attack on the silver AS, and it simply walks through the blast as if it hadn't happened.
Gray orders them to be defensive, but Andy attacks, and Gaulun simply *rips* the M9 to pieces. This makes Jackson eager to follow Gray's orders, and he moves to defend the truck while Gray shoots...
Majesto climbs from the vehicle...
Everything's quiet for a few moments, as Sousuke and the red AS face each other, surrounded by the surviving Savages. AL reports that the red AS is carrying an unusually large about of ammunition...which triggers another memory...Zaido explains to Sousuke that the last surviving soldier has to be one who plans carefully, and carries reserve ammo.
He suspects now that his enemy may very well be Zaido...
All is still. Sousuke wants AL to communicate with the red AS, but it can't...but communications have been restored with the rest of the team...
Gray tells him they're engaged with Gaulun, and Andy's dead. They still have the nuke, but it looks bad...Sousuke has to listen as the communication is suddenly cut off...
Now he knows he has to get back to them, and very quickly, even though he's alone surrounded by enemies, takes out a few more Savages, evades the red As's fire, and takes off running.
Zaido shoots his own allies, trying to hit the Arbalest.
Although it's highly advanced, the M9 is sluggish compared to Gaulun's AS.
They can't hit him, and he drops Jackson's M9, but before he can destroy it and kill Jackson, Gray comes up behind Gaulun and pins the AS's arms as best she can.
Majesto pulls Jackson out of his AS, and claims it for himself. He tells Jackson to get the truck...
He apologizes for being unable to pay back his debt.
Sousuke is running through the canyon with Zaido in persuit- Sousuke shoots down at a river before Zaido sending up a sheet of water to block the red AS's vision...
Another memory- the two boys splashing and playing in a river...but who's memory?
Zaido is mentally apologizing to Sousuke, but thinks about how it just turns out this way sometimes. He wants to be the victor- that's all there is to it.
Communications with Gray are restored- Sousuke listens to her arguing with Majesto...
Majesto explains he's going after Gaulun. God did deal them a bad card...because humans are stupid. He tells Gray to tell Sousuke to be a great soldier.
Majesto sets up the M9's self-destruction mode...
Sousuke listens silently (horrified)...
Gaulun stands passively, letting Majesto approach him as the M9 counts down...
At the final moment Gaulun grabs the M9, blasts it, and jumps clear...
The machine blows up spectaculary....and Gaulun lands, unharmed, in front of the truck Jackson is driving. The thrusts the AS knife into the cab and tips the truck...Jackson is dead.
Gray is the only one left...
Sousuke upset by the deaths, and has the ARX running as fast as it will go, but he's still hounded by Zaido. He tries charging, but goes down...
Gray shoots uncontrollably at the approaching silver....and draws her knife...
But Gaulun grabs the M9's wrist and forces it to drop the knife in his AS's hand...and slices...
Sousuke's down, with Zaido aiming point-blank. He apologizes to Sousuke, even though he can't be heard...he says he'd understand...
Gray dies as her M9 falls from Gaulun's grip...
The ARX suddenly flips and releases the knife as it comes up- as Zaido shoots into the ground, Sousuke brings it up into the red AS and it slowly falls to the ground...
Sousuke arrives at the scene of the last battle.
All is silent.
The truck is overturned...pieces of M9 litter the ground...the warhead lays at the feet Gray's M9 which is pinned to a cliff wall with a knife.
Sousuke calls for Gaulun to come out, and after a brief exchange, Gaulun jumps off from above him. He finally initates the Lambda Driver, and the conflicting fields slow the silver AS's descent...a powerful blast, and the Arbalest kneels in the center of a ring of blackened debris.
But it's not over just yet...
The damaged red AS has come up behind him, and is, again, aiming point-blank.
Zaido's injured, but doesn't seem to notice the blood covering his face...
Sousuke's out of reserves, energy, possibly will...and braces for the hit...
Zaido's eyes close as the red AS begins to fire....and the recoil from the rapid fire gun forces it upward. It never hits Sousuke- because the pilot died just before, physics saves him.
The Arbalest trudges, alone, through the wild, dragging the warhead behind...
Sousuke's building in Tokyo...leaving the elevator he's greeted with a suprise...
Kaname's sitting outside his door, sleeping, having been waiting for him.
In her hand, a blue dolphin keychain...
He sits next to her, and she falls against him and mutters in her sleep...'must....stay here.... Sousuke'...
'Not a problem' he replies.
End
later...