Xabungle Ep. 32: My Selfishness is Yours as Well

The cold wind blows outside an Innocent dome. Inside, Billam talks to Timp about Salt, comparing them to moles. Timp isn’t too concerned, but Billam worries about what happens if they get their hand on the Iron Gear. Billam offers him new Walker Machines to defeat them with. Timp heads out on his Gibros landship, ordering the men on board to get their Walker Machines ready. Meanwhile, Elchi continues to be put through brainwashing treatment. Dr. Manet is surprised at the fact that her memories keep trying to come back and says they may need to completely wipe her memory. Billam doesn’t want to go that far, and wants her to fight with her own will. All Elchi is shown is Jiron firing at her with a gun. On the Iron Gear, Blume pokes a sleeping Jiron awake, asking to go outside so they can talk. Jiron accidentally sees Rag topless when he puts a sleepy Chill to bed. Jiron finds it quite cold as he goes outside to talk to Blume, who is wondering about his feelings towards recent events and Elchi. Jiron thinks the Innocent has tricked Elchi. Blume talks of how they have always been free and punches out Jiron. Timp sends out his men in their new Walker Machines, ordering them to take out Salt. Chill runs around the Iron Gear, waking everyone up due to Blume and Jiron’s fighting. Many members of the crew watch them from atop the deck. Chill runs down to stop them and eventually everyone else comes to hold them apart. Jiron, at Blume’s urging says he will go save Elchi. Jiron walks off, sticking out his tongue at him. Katakam says they will meet up with a supply line soon and won’t have to worry about food and supplies. Katakam says he wants a chance to talk with Arthur Rank and thinks they may be able to avoid fighting by talking and praises Jiron and Kotsett to their surprise. Later, some local Salt members speak happily about the Iron Gear teaming up with them. They are spotted by Timp’s forces, who quickly launch an attack. On the Iron Gear, Jiron stresses out over when they will meet up with the suppliers. Rag praises Katakam. Blume asks Rag to depart the Iron Gear with him, wanting to return to the freedom they had as Sand Rats. They come upon Timp’s attack and Jiron, about to head out proposes that Katakam act as captain of the Iron Gear. Katakam happily accepts, but Rag gets angry about it. Timp tells his men that he’ll head out and join in the attack as well. Walker Machines start directly attacking the Iron Gear, causing some of its crew to get in their own Walker Machines.

Katakam is corrected by Rag multiple times about where the enemy is. Katakam appears stressed and spacing out at being captain and in the docking bay Jiron gets upset about his inability to properly direct the ship as he tries to get in the Gallier. Blume asks Rag if she is getting in the Xabungle and she says yes. Blume helps some men start up a Walker Machine then heads to a cannon, using it to stop a Walker Machine. Katakam asks Kotsett if they can transform the Iron Gear into Walker Machine mode, but Kotsett is against it, saying they can’t use their cannons. Katakam pulls rank and Kotsett relents. This causes one of the Walker Machines to almost fall off and Katakam tells them to stop, causing even more confusion. Jiron heads out on the Gallier and defeats one of the enemy Walker Machines, with the rest fleeing. Jiron realizes that the Salt supply members have largely been wiped out. Katakam is surprised to see this as well. They bring the wounded onto the Iron Gear and one of the men, Ramon, tells Katakam of how they were caught by surprise. Jiron knows that Timp was behind this and wants to proactively attack him. Katakam argues with him, asking if that will keep them supplied. Dyke speaks to Chill, carrying his things with him and tells her he is thinking of leaving the Iron Gear, surprising her. Blume asks if she wants to join them. Katakam and Jiron continue to argue and Rag tells them to stop, that there are wounded people to tend to. She has to force them from coming to blows. Chill comes in, crying, telling them of Blume, Dyke, Haiya and Marl departing the ship. Blume and the others fly away on Hovergys. Rag asks why they aren’t going after them but Jiron thinks they will come back. Rag and Chill head to get them back. Katakam taunts Jiron, claiming this is because he is acting like a dictator. Jiron decides to head out after them too. Blume tells Dyke they should get as far away as possible. One of Timp’s Walker Machines spots them and informs him about it. He tells them to keep an eye on them until he arrives. The Gallier and Xabungle head out after them. Coming across some young Salt members, Blume, Dyke and the others stop. Timp and his men watch from the cliff above and launch an attack at them. Blume and the others flee down a cliff and Timp has a hard time heading down on his Walker Machine. Everyone except for Blume hides in a cave while he goes out as a decoy so they can escape. Jiron arrives in the Xabungle, saving Blume from being fired upon. Rag helps him up onto a cliff. The Gallier tosses aside one of the enemy Walker Machines but when it approaches Timp’s Walker Machine he calls reinforcements to help. The Gallier jumps on one of them and at gunpoint forces it to fly him around. Timp realizes that letting the amateur breakers use new Walker Machines just results in them getting trashed. Back on the Iron Gear Jiron tells everyone to get ready to head out but Blume says they are not returning. Katakam talks to them in a kinder fashion, but is doing to in order to have some opposition to Jiron. All but Blume agree to come back. Rag tries to get Blume to stop leaving but he says no and tells her she was the only one he really wanted coming with him. He heads off on his hovergy.