Macross Delta Mission 14: Drifting Embrace

Mikumo floats naked in a zero gravity area and wakes up from a dream of singing. In space, Hayate, Mirage and Chuck use their Siegfrieds to repair solar panels on the Island Jackpot. Xaos’ chief mechanic reports to Ernest that the Island Jackpot’s fold reactor could fail at any time, but they don’t have the parts to repair it. The solution: dock the Island Jackpot with the Macross Elysion so that it can draw power from the latter’s reactor. Inside the ship, Kaname and Freyja assist the volunteers. Chuck is reunited with his younger siblings and asks about Marianne, and they explain how she was swept away trying to save them. Mirage, Hayate, Freyja and Chuck ask Arad if there’s any way they can try to rescue people stranded on Ragna, but he explains that the Protoculture-amplified Wing Song prevents them from entering the Globular Cluster. Hayate asks about doing recon, but Arad counters that they can’t divide their forces. Chuck is upset, and Ernest says that he understands how everyone feels, but they have to keep calm. Arad shows them video from an agent they still have on Ragna and notes that the civilians have seemingly been left alone, just like on Voldor. Hayate asks if there’s anything they can do, and Arad answers that they’re out of fuel and ammo, and they don’t have money to buy either. Mirage asks about the Globular Cluster Coalition contracting with Xaos for defense, but Ernest explains that the Coalition is on the brink of collapse. Arad says that for now all they can do is protect the civilians on the Island Jackpot. Elsewhere, Marin conducts a video conference with three other NUNS officers and explains that the entire Globular Cluster has been surrounded by a Fold Sound Field that affects any intelligent life form. Anyone within the field is primed for Var infection and mind control. One of the officials asks about progress on the fold jammers, and Marin answers that their effectiveness hasn’t been determined yet. One of the officials grumbles that if their plan had been successful seven years ago, this wouldn’t have happened. Heinz looks at Grammier’s body in its casket and asks Roid about the funeral. Roid explains that they will return to Windermere for Heinz’s coronation, followed by Grammier’s funeral. Freyja awkwardly leaves Kaname behind to go eat with Mirage and Hayate, who are discussing the potential for the ship’s engines failing. Freyja says that she’s worried about Chuck, and Hayate steals some of her apple slices. She then thanks Mirage for saving her life the other day on Ragna. Freyja hopes they can return to Ragna soon, because she’s come to love it as much as Windermere. Hayate mentions that his parents were both in the military and constantly on the move, so “home” doesn’t mean much to him. Mirage asks what Hayate’s father did in the military, and Hayate answers that his father never talked about it, but always sent him things like a fold quartz necklace from undisclosed locations. Hayate mentions drifting after he left home, until he came to Ragna and became a pilot. Mirage feels that she also changed on Ragna and had a weight lifted from her shoulders.

Power goes out again across the ship as its reactor output drops to 28 percent. Makina picks up an energy surge in one block, which results in an explosion. The nearby area loses gravity as the result of a hull breach, and Freyja is swept away. Hayate jumps after her, but an emergency door separates them. Freyja’s foot catches onto a pipe, which keeps her safe until emergency bulkheads close. Makina and Reina tell Ernest that they should proceed with the docking plan, but a mechanic informs them that they need to route the connection through the block that just exploded. Hayate calls and says that he and Mirage will do it since they’re near that block. Hayate and Mirage start floating up to their destination, and Freyja finds refugees on the street near her. Four lights appear on rooftops as Walkure starts singing, and Freyja runs up to a rooftop to join them. Hayate and Mirage reach the large power cables and strip down to their underwear to be able to move more freely. Outside, Chuck uses his Siegfried to connect a power cable from the Macross Elysion to the Island Jackpot. Hayate works on a console and then starts trying to turn a crank. A second explosion causes another hull breach, but Mikumo keeps singing to distract the civilians. The Macross Elysion begins emergency docking, and everyone in Walkure hears scrambled messages from Hayate and Mirage that sound perverted. Mirage helps keep Hayate grounded so that he can turn the crank. The cables activate and connect as the Macross Elysion transforms and finishes docking. The hull breach self-seals, and power and gravity are restored. Ernest announces that Lady M has contracted with several companies engaged in resource development in the Globular Cluster, so their mission is to liberate it. A drone catches Hayate and Mirage hanging off the side of the power cable in their underwear. On Ragna, Sigur Berrentzs takes off, and Heinz vows to Roid that he will fulfill Grammier’s plan. Roid tells Heinz that he has Grammier’s final will.