Darkness Visible

Darkness Visible (追憶装置) is the ninth episode of ALDNOAH.ZERO, it first aired in Japan on August 30, 2014.

Synopsis
Slaine wakes up in the Landing Castle of Count Saazbaum and learns the true intentions of the Count. Rayet and Lt. Marito must deal with their individual memories of those they have lost to the Martians.

Plot
Act One

Slaine wakes up in a bed in Castle Saazbaum, according to Count Saazbaum, Count Cruhteo is dead. Count Saazbaum says he is indebted to Slaine's father. Hence, he is obligated to repay that debt. When the war first broke out 15 years ago, he came down to Earth as a scout, but he was caught in Heaven's Fall. His life was saved by Dr. Troyard. Count Saazbaum has seen clearly, the depths of Slaine's loyalty to the Princess. He considers Slaine's devotion to concealing her survival so as not to alert the assassins as admirable. Count Saazbaum reveals that he is the ringleader of the assassins.

On the Deucalion, Inko practices piloting in a modified KG-7 Areion. Yuki tells her to pay attention to her surroundings and infrared. She engages three Martian Katahrakts successfully. Calm enters, commenting on how Inko is good at piloting. Yuki says Inko has good instincts and wonders if Calm has come to practice too. Calm says we got assigned to the maintenance crew. Yuki says, "for now," leading Calm to believe there is a new opening for piloting. Still, Yuki was actually referring to the unpredictability of war.

Rayet Areash (or "Sniper Girl" as Calm calls her) wants to give the simulator a try. Despite being a civilian, she claims she can pilot it because she plays a lot of video games. Calm assumes she means SIm-Kat 10. Calm boasts that despite being only so-so in drills, he "kicks ass" at that game and is amazed that Rayet managed to learn to pilot the real thing from a game. Rayet sees

Inaho showing the Princess Asseylum and Eddelrittuo a KG-6. Calm says Martians look precisely the same as the Terran. One would never know unless one was told and believes that Inaho is a jerk for not disclosing his friends about the Princess. Yuki says it's because her brother is grown up and met a girl he likes. Inko overhears this and panics. Warrant Officer Yuki then jokingly suggests that her brother would be marrying into serious money if he marries a princess.

Inko pops out of the cockpit, worried that Inaho might do that. Calm has his doubts because Inaho rarely smiles, but his sister says she can tell it's totally different, she says he's got his "I'm on cloud nine" face on as she glances at her brother. She points out that her brother is listening intently to the Princess, for him, that's the ultimate form of expression. Inko requests a break, Calm joins her.

Rayet takes her turn on the simulator before she climbs up the cable to the cockpit. Rayet asks Yuki if she can tell when someone's lying when she says Rayet is lying and mentions Martians causing Rayet to suspect she has been found out. But, it turns out Yuki was talking about the Princess and Inaho.

XO Mizusaki shows the Captain a map of the 26 landing castle drop points confirmed before they lost contact with their main force. However, the Mars' Knights consist of 37 clans. There is a possibility that other Landing Castles have come down. Given what they've seen, there is a possibility that their invasion has extended to urban areas. Therefore, they can minimize the likelihood of enemy encounters by plotting a route through low population density areas, avoiding radar and flying at low altitude. The Captain gives XO Mizusaki dating advice. Rayet turns out to be very good at the simulator and demands the difficulty level to be raised. Yuki decides to let her fight the Nilokeras. The memories of the Nilokeras killing her father motivate her to shoot the KG-7's gun rapidly. No damage is done because of the Nilokeras's barrier.

Dr. Yagarai asks Yuki if she can let him borrow the simulation program, he requires it for treatment. Lt. Marito drinks while sitting on flights of stairs, holding Humeray's dog tags.

Act Two Rayet is in the mess hall and views a photo of her and her father on her phone, remembering the Nilokeras' attack. Eddelrittuo and the Princess join the Rayet at her table. The Princess is wearing a Shinawara High School uniform. Rayet asks if it is optical camouflage, like how she had disguised herself before. But in fact, it is Nina's who was kind enough to swap clothes with the Princess, believing it would be difficult to walk around the ship in the dress. Nina has fun twirling around in the Princess's dress.

Two young girls come over to the Princess and offer the offers two origami cranes, which she gratefully accepts. Rayet asks the Princess why she would reveal her identity when Martians are the enemy. She calls the Princess crazy for being so calm and composed, which frustrates the overly defensive Eddelrittuo. Rayet leaves the mess hall.

Dr. Yagarai tries to help his friend overcome PTSD by giving him a virtual reality headset to recreate the incident. Seeing the blocky tank, soldier, and flipped streets, Lt. Marito comments that even games are more realistic. But once the Martian Kataphrakt Deucalion appears in the simulation, visions of the incident kick in. It is revealed that the Kataphrakt he and his comrade, Humeray, faced could control gravity. It lifted and dropped Lt. Marito's tank causing damage. Lt. Marito escaped from the turret hatch he was stuck in, but Humeray's leg was pinned while the inside of their tank caught fire.

Humeray wasn't pulled out before he ignited. Burning to death, he begged Lt. Marito to shoot him, which he did. The horror Lt. Marito faced and the decision he had to make haunts him to this day. Lt. Marito screams as he re-experiences his trauma. Dr. Yagarai removes the headset and assures his friend that he is safe now in Tanegashima. The Captain, too, stands on the deck while remembering his brother, Humeray. Rayet stands in the shower, wondering how the Princess can be so calm and why the events so far have occurred, she falls to her knees.

Meanwhile, Count Saazbaum shares a meal with Slaine, but Slaine is not hungry. He assures Slaine that it is not poisoned because if he wanted to kill Slaine, he would have done it so long ago. Slaine wants to know why Count Saazbaum so determined to conquer Earth. Count Saazbaum replies that it is a lord's duty to his vassals to fight to expand his territory. Count Saazbaum changes the subject to the food they are eating. He appears to covet the Earth's resources and culture despite Mars possessing the advanced Aldnoah technology. He believes they should seize the Earth's resources. Even so, Slaine considers that there is no need to exploit Princess Asseylum. Count Saazbaum reveals that he blames the royal family for dragging the knights into the First-Earth Mars war in which his wife was killed by Heavens Fall. Slaine suddenly draws a knife towards Count Saazbaum's throat.

Eddelrittuo and Princess Asseylum arrive in the showers. Eddelrittuo thought the people of Earth would be more hostile to them, and Princess Asseylum was relieved that they are so kind. Eddelritto believes that they must understand that she is not their enemy but rather a victim. Rayet listens to their conversation. Eddelrittuo forgot to bring the Princess' new clothes. Hence, she runs to get them, leaving the Princess in the showers alone. Rayet slowly walks out of her cubicle to the Princess'. She pulls the curtain. The Princess thinks its Eddelrittuo with the clothes. Rayet suddenly grabs the Princess' necklace and wraps it around the Princess' neck, pulling tightly while pressing her body against Princess'. The Princess suffocates, and she falls to the falls to the floor. Rayet looks upon what she has done. Inaho sees Eddelrittuo with the Princess' clothes as they both walk past one another through the ships' corridors. As she tells Inaho that the Princess's name is not "Seylum" but Her Royal Highness Asseylum, the ship experiences turbulence.

Nina reports that the Aldnoah drive is failing, and XO Mizusaki orders her to switch to auxiliary power. Shigo reports that the rate of descent is increasing. The Aldnoah drive shuts down, and the crew brace for impact under XO Mizusaki's command. The Deucalion lands in the Siberian snow.

Quotes
"Princesss Asseylum Vers Allusia"

- Deep down, we are all fellow human beings. Though our places of birth may differ, we are capable of mutual understanding