When we last left the world of The Third, the world's alien overseers had revived the long deserted weapon, The Worm Hole Driver, in order to destroy another ancient weapon. Vol. 5 Shadows of the Past starts off with some external force taking control of the WHD and firing it. The four episodes on this DVD have The Third hiring Honoka and having her go after their rogue member and rescue their missing councilmember and reoccurring character, Joganki.

The first episode, "Rona Fauna" introduces this problem and has Honoka summoned to a government facility where a member of The Third that she hadn't met before (though we have) starts to ask for her help before some rogue enforcers attack them. Once the dust settles, Fila Marique tells Honoka about Rona Fauna and the fact that she has captured Joganki and has control over the WHD. Honoka and Piafe accept the mission and begin to prepare their assault on the overrun facility.

"Launch", the second episode, starts off with Fila asking for one more party member; The Third's most brutal robotic enforcer, Blue Breaker. Fans of the series will remember that Honoka has already run into this character early in the series when he killed a friend of hers. Being the professional she is, Honoka puts her feelings aside and recognizes the usefulness of the robot's firepower. This episode provides a lot of buildup for the intense fighting that occurs in the last half of this DVD. Here the group collect in Boogie, fly to their destination and land in enemy territory.

Episode 19, "Breaking Through Enemy Lines," groups the attacking party into Honoka and Blue Breaker and Bogie, Iks and Piafe. While the trio run interference and try to keep the defenses busy, Honoka and Blue Breaker will make their way into the complex and try to stop Rona Fauna. Meanwhile, Joganki, imprisoned in the building, talks with his captor and tries to figure out her motives. As Rona learns more about her assailants, Joganki realizes that Fila has hired Honoka to save him.

The last episode, "Facing Down Death", is not only the battle to save Joganki, but also a fight between Bogie and a tank killer air ship. Bogie will have to use all of his battle experience to take out an A.I. and vessel designed specifically for taking him out. To make matters worse, Honoka's trek through the enemy area gets a bit of a snag when Blue Breaker pulls a gun on Honoka. Will Blue Breaker and Honoka have to fight before the Sword Dancer faces Rona Fauna? How will Rona's own identity issues affect the outcome of this job? You'll have to watch the episode to find out exactly how it ends.

Vol. 5 Shadows of the Past gives us just a little more insight into the race known as The Third, as well as an even better view of Honoka's ability to put her feelings aside in order to get the job done in the most professional manner.