This continues Gonzo’s steampunk epic with our hero Claus Valca. Here we start to find out what is going on with this series. 

Claus and Lavi are officially part of the crew, and
the Vice admiral Sophia presents them the chance to enter an 8 hour endurance race at Horizon cave. Tatiana and Alistia join the race as well, but they have a mission during it. Dio and Luciora show up and enter the race as well, playing with Claus. Alex goes for an auction to try to get an item called the Exile, but Delphine gets it. Claus and Lavi win the race due to her smart use of fuel, but the silver ship has left afterwards and they run out of fuel, so must except Dio and Luciora’s help to get back to the Silver ship, where they are taken hostage, with Claus set to watch them. Lavi becomes only a mechanic because she doesn’t want to go to war. Alex goes to meet with commander Vincent from Urbanus, and asks Claus to guad, and Alistia volunteers as his navigator. Alex refuses to turn over Alvis to the emperor, so it is war. Dio and Luciora discover the ship is powered by unregistered guild technology, and run by a Guild member Ressius. Dio whispers a fraze to Alvis who freezes and glows and the pressure inside Sylvana increases. Alex announces it is time for battle against Urbanus. Tatiana choses Claus to be her Navi, and in the battle they are shot down, but not before they watch the Silver Ship Sylvana going down after destroying all but one of the enemy ships. Tatiana is devastated and useless, but Claus manages to fix the ship and show his kindness to her, even though he realizes she is a noble. The discover Dusis rockets that have crashed everywhere, with the people of Dusis.

Finally we see the past as Hamilcal Valca and George Head get lost in the Grand Stream, and their father’s friend returned his airship (actually this is Alex and it is his airship he leaves them). Claus’s mother dies shortly theirafter, and Claus and Lavi learn to fly and sell their home, leading to where they are in the beginning. Alistia and Dio team up to fins Claus and Tatiana and find them, but Lavi notices Tatiana is wearing Claus’s work clothes and is distraut, then Claus tells her their hometown has been destroyed by Dusis. The Silvana is being repaired. Lavi is totally jealous now, and ignores Claus. Sophia receives a message by carrier pigeon and takes her hair down, saying that is has been a long time since she has seen the princess. Sophia leaves the Silvana and goes back to the imperial city, and Alex doesn’t stop her despite the fact that they both love each other. The emperor ends up locking up Sophia, but Dusis attacks Anatore, and the Emperor is killed by Marius, so Sophia is now the Empress, she escapes with Vincent, and the help of Duke Madaossein. Morran is unhappy as a mechanic and wants to be a marksman again. Alex takes the Silvana to Horizon cave, where we find out the other vanship pilots he knows are now all learning to fight large ships thanks to the idea of Duke Madaossein who got the idea from watching Claus deliver his message.

This is an excellent series. I am really enjoying it.