After Akiha and Itsuki prevent Honoka from strangling him, Friedrich is revealed to be the creator of all the brain colonies, but tells them he has no means of returning to space. Kirkwood is under the control of the Nervalists, and Aleida continues to persuade Nami to join the Nervalists, while Bou and Min join up with the Kirkwood refugees and are hired by Nina. Back on Earth, Itsuki learns that the structure behind that Terra Abduction incidents is an orbital elevator called the Pied Paper, and later everyone learns that Friedrich is responsible for taking Leopard's components, since he worried that Leopard would betray humanity...