While on patrol, Miki meets and befriends Irma, a Finnish pilot who has joined the American army in hopes of one day liberating her BETA-occupied homeland of Finland. However, this exchange leaves Miki wondering if her father helped start the coup in order to involve American forces. Takeru meets Yuuhi, who instructs him that he will face many more hard decisions in the future and he should not hesitate. When Takeru mentions how all the pilots of the 207th are connected to Japan's leadership in some way, Yuuhi has them all summoned together and gives them a reassuring speech on how she plans to reform and take a greater role in the government once the coup is stopped...