They go to get a mission while you go to the waiting room where Laia and her assistant are talking about Hyuga. GRM doesn’t know his problem and all the Wright relatives are off management. Laia wants to investigate GRM for “Hard to believe” facts and evidence. The good news from Laia is that they found a Sochee production base. She tells her assistant to go to intel and give them an assignment. The Guardians want an all out attack on Illuminus and Sochee base at this point, so Laia summons a Lou.

The Lou arrives right away…in fact, so quickly that Laia suspects it of eavesdropping. However, the Lou says she has a Sound Isolation Device and then reminds Laia that she already told her that earlier. (What that does is, seems to turn off her ability to hear so you can blather secrets in front of a Lou if you tell her to turn that part off—though why you’d need to is a mystery) Laia goes on that there wasn’t anything the Lou shouldn’t hear anyway. This offends her, and Laia then questions that…as a matter of Guardians integrity. Before they can spin around any more, the assistant busts back in with the news that Lucaim Nav has died.

Down in Research Lab 7
Rush down to the lab to see him where Laia is confused. He was supposed to be nearly fully repaired from his earlier incident so a Lou comes in to explain. He was found shut down in Colony wreck with a distress signal on. (Remember, he was to have died there while trying to kill Dallgun) He was found and being treated in this lab. It looked like it had been going well but he suddenly died. Though he was perverted (for no apparent reason) it’s sad that the instructor is gone.

Laia laments that they’re 1 step away from ending Illuminus but Lou advises caution due to the APhoton collateral damage. Laia knows so she’s sending you and Lou to hack into the Sochee base so that all of the bombs already built can be set off safely. Nav thinks he should go too.

Wait what. As he starts talking everyone is understandably shocked. Nav explains that everyone was too hasty in proclaiming him dead, so Laia promises to yell at Clamp for bringing fake news. He’d been under repair so much that his cranial unit over-heated and shut off resulting in the apparently death-like state He simply cooled off when let alone, and woke up. He explains it was an info snafu that prevented first Clamp and then Laia from knowing what went on. so Clamp is off the hook Nav also admits he’s been updated.

He goes on to congratulate Laia on becoming president and is glad that he was able to watch her go from being a baby to such a success, but says she may become and old woman and die (and if he’s lucky to still be around) As you recall he is well over 100 years old. Still though, he’d like to go disable the Sochee to celebrate the day. Laia warns him not to over-do it, but Nav says he owes it to Dallgun and goes on to explain that when they found him, he was in impact boards and airbags. He can’t remember, but the last he knew, he was with Dallgun while being OOC. What this implies had to have happened is that Nav got hit by his Crash Syndrome again, and Dallgun did his best to protect him by enclosing him in all that stuff while he was effectively unconscious. This shows Nav didn’t personally kill Dallgun (as had been a previous possibility) he may of wounded him in their fight, but it is no doubt that the actual cause of Dallguns’ death was either burning up in the atmosphere or being crushed by who knows how many tons of debris. It also means Dallgun's last act was to save someone else's life. He says he doesn’t want to risk a Lou on the mission and that he can handle the hacking instead. But, are you concerned?

Have Some
Not at All

Not at all – Laia is surprised, but Nav says you understand, and it’s time to go.

Illuminus Base Area C block 1
Nav reminisces that the last time he was with you it was vs. another Illum. Base and that Ethan showed up in an odd outfit. Ethan then remarks that the outfit was not odd. He was eavesdropping, much to everyone’s surprise. He’s looking for his father and confesses that he was an Illuminus sent to spy in the Guardians. Nav knew that, but he kept quiet. Luntz said that Dallgun found out too, and started pushing Orson to betray the Illuminus instead, but no one knew why Luntz had him locked up instead of just killing him. Ethan thinks he’s still Illuminus but pretended to be locked up to manipulate everyone. Nav was afraid of someone coming to that conclusion, so agreed with Dallgun to not give anyone the complete information on the situation. Ethan and Nav both believe in Olson as a Guardian but Ethan has since learned more but just not why did no one ever kill him. Nav says that it’s an important conclusion that Ethan has reached by himself. He’s worried now that Luntz is gone, that secret info is gone as well. So should Ethan come along on your mission?

Consent
Don’t Let Him

Well, you wouldn’t find out a whole lot if he didn’t come. So Ethan thanks everyone and is prepared that if he’s not alive, because for him it is enough to know what happened down at this base. So you fight through Kanohne, Vobis and Assault (illumines android minions in blue, purple and yellow respectively) to reach a command room

In the command room Sochee is the stuff of nightmares, and everyone is pretty discontent. Ethan asks Nav if he can disable it, so Nav says 'don’t underestimate him' and pushes a button and thinks about it. Ethan goes to ask him something else, but Nav just says back off, he’s working. You and Ethan have an unheard conversation while he works until a Lou calls. Nav can’t crack this newest GRM model. Yes indeed, how are they getting the latest greatest GRM stuff? He confesses he’d like the Lous’ help and says he should of brought a Lou anyway. Nav then accuses Ethan of looking at him, but he doesn’t have anything to say to that.
Lou calls back because she’s running the code, she gets it, and then hacks it for GRM information before letting Nav scramble the code for launch. What this will do is let ONLY Lou set it off at any time she wants. Nav wants to do the olson/orson investigation next so it’s time to call Laia. Someone says there’s no need to call her through static on the comm. unit, then Magashi appears! He volunteers to inform her instead, by sending everyone’s remains to her in a bag! Three Magashis appear now, much to Ethans’ surprise. There are two with wings and two without. He claims to exist infinitely (well so long as there’s another body for him) and so it’s time to fight him.

If you can defeat the Magashis one of them calls to Howzer with the data. Howzer will ‘go with team 2’ whatever that means. Nav can’t call back home because they’ve jammed all communications inside the base. This also means that Lou can’t remotely detonate the Sochee. Nav wants to stay behind to run the detonation codes himself, but Ethan argues. However, no missile can strike the area due to the scrambling, plus the Magashis have likely intercepted the code anyway. Nav says all this will have been for nothing if it’s not really disabled while the Guardians escape. Ethan wants to stick around as well but Nav yells that if he does that he’ll never be able to find or face Orson or Dallgun (at least the memory of him) Ethan still wants to stay because he says if Howzer is there it’s likely his father is too. He needs to hear it from him that he wasn’t the traitor. Nav comes back with the fact that his father wouldn’t want him to die here.

Curiously, Nav then changes his own plan again, to trying to scramble the code again. But without the help from Lou, he’ll be defenseless while he’s doing it so Ethan will have to protect him. Then, everyone will all go after Howzer together. So even if the Sochee isn’t destroyed now, Illuminus should still go down without him. Then Orson can be safely rescued and Sochees all destroyed. Nav says you’ve got to try and escape to tell Laia what’s going on (since of course she can’t simply be called) and to also tell her to prepare a remote missile strike if no one hears back from them. Nav promises to take the code to his grave.

Escape?
Stay?

If you try to stay, Nav understands but says that it’s the contingency plan that’s necisary if he and Ethan are wiped out. The missiles would succeed even if they fail. The destruction of Illuminus is the most important thing here.

I’ll Escape
You 2 Be Careful

If you tell them to be careful, Ethan says he’ll see you again and Nav says he’ll have them defeated before you’re even off the base! (ho ho ho)

It doesn’t go as well as Nav hoped, because by the time you’re at the Prez HQ, you find that they’re captured. Curtz, Clamp, Lumia and you are there to plan some more with Laia who tells Lumia if she’s going to cry then she can just get out. Lumia wasn’t crying though, she was thinking. easily confused, much? Laia doesn’t really know what to do about the counter-measure (an AMF missile) like what Nav ordered he wanted done. It’s bad to let Nav and Ethan die but Illuminus must not be allowed to regain control. Which they would, if given all these bombs to hold the entire system hostage with, and a leader who was at least halfway decent Laia doesn’t want to simply throw in the towel on this one so it’s time to come up with a plan to keep everyone alive and she says she’ll KO Clamp if he’s so insensitive to agree with what she said earlier. (Using the missile) Apparently, when sufficiently agitated, she is rather 2-faced.

Before Laia can go into any other rages, Lou messages everyone with word from Howzer. He wants to trade Ethan and Nav for the code for the Sochees. (As Nav was clearly able to scramble before they both got caught) Clamp says this is especially bad because Illuminus wants a rescue attempt so that absolutely no one can be saved. Curtz argues that now we know Nav was a success, so that’s at least partially good. The missile is still the last resort, so Lou will go investigate that. The GRM team is preparing the missile but it’ll wreck the evidence too. Curtz knows Laia’s made up her mind…but just who should she send to rescue them? It’s determined that it has to be you and not Curtz because he’s in charge of the missile strike. Lou can’t go either because she has the secret code. To solve the problem, Leo appears with Tonnio. They’re gung-ho to get ‘em!

Leo
Tonnio
Curtz
Lou

Well you clearly can’t pick Lou or Curtz but when you try to choose Leo, Lumia appears. She wants to go too of course, and Curtz doesn’t want her to, but understands that it’s her only brother.

I Sympathize
Let’s go Save Ethan

No matter what, she’s coming. Leo doesn’t like it either (its clearly a trap) but says to come back safe. Once you get down, if you try to call Laia, it doesn’t work because the illumines blockers are still working. Lumia asks if you think everyone is locked up, but alive. No one knows, so let’s get to them.

Prison Area A:
You sneak in and run. Are there important prisoners inside? It’s basically like a hall with red doors everywhere. (red as in locked, you can still see right through them) So the only thing to do is start yelling for Ethan. A voice shouts out ‘who is that?’ There’s an odd hair man in one of the cells and he wants out. He says he’s being held against his will by the Illuminus.

Release the Man
Don’t Release Him

Well, it makes sense that the Illuminus wouldn’t go around locking up bad guys, and that they must have accumulated prisoners over all this time so why not just let this dude out. If he tries to murder you, you can always kick him in the face. Lumia is able to break the lock and lets him out. He was captured a long time ago but says that there’s another prison (B) ahead where more prisoners could be held. (this place is clearly empty, except this one guy) He says he’ll show you, but do you trust him? Will you lend him a wep? He knows of the Sochee because he was in the Bistonia Mine before being moved to here. Lumia explains the plan and he’s all for it.

Believe Him
Fight Together

Both of these options are the same thing essentially. They both make sense though, on the “enemy of enemy is friend” principal so it seems safe enough. Lumia tosses him a wep and he asks your names. He has an exclamation point at Lumia but says nothing. His name is Obel, but he stutters before he says it. When commented that that’s Dallguns’ first name too, it comes out that this guy doesn’t know that Dallgun has died. It’s also suspicious that he is lying here because really who stutters over their own name.

You move on to fight some galdeens and zasharogans to beat the 12 minute clock and get into the prison B area. Obel wonders at the Guardians being devastated, then asks if you’ve been a Guardian for very long.

Yes
No

At this point saying 'no' would likely be considered by the plot to be a lie. If you say yes, he’ll say few vets do as good as you are here, but Lumia seems to need more experience. She yells at him of course but she knows it and then he apologizes for offending her. He reveals he was once a Guardian too, and it’s explained that she’s still in training but is down here on a special permit from the Prez. He explains he sees in her some good, but she’s training on her own. Now it’s time to go on ahead and yell at the locked doors. All this yelling rousts Ethan and Nav who yell back, and then yell at you for coming into this obvious trap. Ethan argues back at Nav that Laia would never allow the destruction to continue without at least trying to save everyone. This causes Nav to apologize and Lumia to explain how Obel showed the way to this area. Obel goes to see just who you’re here to rescue, and is immediately recognized by Nav as Orson Waber! Everyone has a fit and Nav confirms it.

Look to Ethan
Look to Lumia

Looking to Lumia wouldn’t do a whole lot of good except a reaction shot (remember, she never really met the guy) so Looking to Ethan: Ethan confesses that he resented him once but believes in him now. Can Lumia open the lock? You don’t get to find out because now Howzer is on the scene. He says he’s here to see the reunion, and calls Orson an Arkguard (Remember this term from the animated/flash short that appeared before AOTI online) and then tells him that no one needed him and he abandoned his own family and tried to trick the Illuminus and wasted his life. Howzer likes to lay it on
Orson doesn’t deny any of that, but he was fooled by fundamentalism. The offbeat question here is what kind of a person was Ethans MOM if she fell for a confessed fundamentalist? It is revealed that Luntz was a puppet and the whole Human Fundamentalism thing was a mask. Howzer knows that ‘only a man wants power’ but he wants darkness instead. It’s something that no one can comprehend. Rykros awoke and now no one can stop it. He’s kept Ethan and Orson alive for a reason, but that reason is gone now. Clearly now he is somewhat SEED possessed because he’s rattling on about the darkness and Rykross so here again is an example of SEED influencing someone but having them retain nearly all their higher functions (ie. It did not turn him into a Pannon or some nonsense) such as his ability to plan, reason, scheme and generally be arrogant and evil as well as dress himself (somewhat badly) in the morning. It has however changed his main goal from whatever it was to the basic destruction of all non-seed life.

He thinks today is a good day to show you all the eternity of darkness!

Fight Howzer and his tons and tons of HP. Whatever he’s caught has now given him the ability to stretch out his arms (a’la Dhalism from StreetFighter) as well as teleport, float around like a DBZ person and megid on you without weapons. This is reportedly one of the harder fights in the whole game, and it is true that he’s a challenge with his high damage and all new moves. (as in, he is not a reskin of a boss or monster) However, you’re not tasked with keeping anyone else alive on this fight (unlike the incident with Alfort Tylor where if he whacks Laia you lose) which does remove some of the pressure.

If you can defeat him, Lumia is exhausted. Nav and Ethan start calling for help so go unlock their doors while Lumia remains in the middle. Unfortunately Howzer gets the drop on her and karate chops her right in the head! He’s just mumbling along by that point so Orson charges in to save Lumia, and it’s a double drama punch! They both knock each other down. Lumia is up again (which is remarkable because Howzer really does pack a punch) and she goes to Orson to say it’s her fault. He says it’s not, and that he’s a Guardian and Ethan knows. You need to get him to the Colony though as he’s not doing too well.
He explains that he was indeed Illuminus when he infiltrated the Guardians but he found Dallgun, a real friend. That was when the Illuminus part of him died. He then left the Guardians so that he could persue the Illuminus by himself and not leave until he got to his final goal. He learned that Howzer was more SEED than human. Howzer was then able to turn Luntz and Helga to his own goal. Howzer also learned that Ethan joined the Guardians so he wanted Orson to get Ethan to join the Illuminus. Yes but WHY? Who cares if some kid joins their side? Get ANY kid. Unless Orson has a magical heritage going on that he passed to Ethan (like the divine maiden) which it does not seem that he does, then Howzer is either off his nut or very bored. That DOES seem to answer the question as to why Orson was locked up all these years, but the answer doesn't make SENSE. Ethan is still just some average joe. Ethan laments not rescuing him sooner, but says he’s proud to have Orson as his father and that’s why he and Lumia are Guardians. Nav gets straight to the point though, asking why were they locked up. He gets a coughing fit instead of an answer and says only that Howzer must not be allowed to resurrect “it” and then promptly dies. Everyone is upset now.

Gurhal Channel 5
Hal reports that all Sochees have been destroyed, the GRM leaders have been ousted and Hyuga Wright is now the president of GRM, and is also the largest share holder. A 4th confinement system has been confirmed upon Rykross. You then obtain Nav’s card.

What was Howzers' initial plan before being SEEDed?
This one is likely to NEVER get answered. Why? No one likely cares what it was. It's just a point of curiosity. It's likely he was a fundamentalist for real though, given his remaining contempt for Magashi despite having given him/it his own appearance.

What must not awaken?
Rykross is already out of the bag, the only other thing could be DarkFish (dark falz) or perhaps an even bigger baddie behind a curtain somewhere else.

Who is in charge of spelling Olson Orsons' name?
It appears both ways so who knows. This one won't get answered either.

Why did Lumia live through 'chop to the head' while Orson died?
Was he sickly from being a prisoner? Did Illuminus poison him first? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense because one must assume he's sturdier than a 12 year old girl--Howzer as a variable here is also rather poor, the hits happened one right after the next, so he wouldn't of been stronger/weaker.

Is Howzer 100% dead? Does he have a scape doll?

What is Hyuga going to do with GRM? He's like...17 years old.