Saber Marionette J

The Maiden's Voyage (1x24)

Air date: Mar 18, 1997

For reasons that Faust cannot fathom, Panter and Luche saved him from being killed by one of the Mesopotamia's projectiles, and they, Otaru, the Marionettes, Ieyasu and Hikozaemon are now underground, safe for the moment. Wasting no time, Ieyasu lays out the plan: Japones is prepared to use JaponesGar to attack the Mesopotamia, but since the current incarnation of JaponesGar is stationary, Japones needs Geltland's plasma diffuser (see episode 21) and rocket-booster technology to escape Terratoo's somewhat hostile atmosphere and get to the offending spacecraft. At this point, Otaru interjects that he was under the impression that the Mesopotamia was completed destroyed 300 years ago - that's why the six survivors were sent to the surface with little or no hope of survival, right? As it turns out, the admittedly harder-to-take truth is that the Mez is, in fact, still there. Its artificial-intelligence computer, the one Lorelei designed, went insane, took over the ship, killed most of the crew and took Lorelei hostage. Actually, it took Lorelei for a mate, and she's been in suspended animation ever since. Faust was going to save her himself, but then Otaru SCREWED EVERYTHING UP! However, he is interrupted in mid-blame by a spookily familiar voice. Out of the darkness of the cavern lurches Tiegel, supported by a tangle of RCA cables and missing a few parts. One such part is her memory - the only thing left is her knowledge of the pre-brainwashing Faust she used to love and pamper. She mutters something about the lorelei being in bloom, then collapses into Faust's arms. Greatly disquieted, Faust orders everyone but Otaru into the next chamber. If Otaru thought the Mesopotamia thing was a shock, he doesn't know from being shocked. Faust, once he and Otaru are alone with the inert Tiegel, finishes the story of the Mesopotamia. It seems that the purpose of Faust I and Ieyasu I in creating the otome kairo was a desperate plan to free Lorelei. Using Lorelei's same paradigm of