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Phase
6: The Vanishing Gundam
Review by Chris November 27, 2002 Armed soldiers surround the Archangel after it docks inside Artemis. Natarle asks what is going on, and Biddulph tells her they are taking precautions because the ship has no military identification code. The crew is herded into the cafeteria while Murrue, Natarle and Mu are shuttled to the commander's office. Gerard Garcia, the commander of Artemis, can't believe that the Alliance's secret military project has fallen into his hands. Murrue, Natarle and Mu are brought in to Garcia, and he confirms their identities. Garcia knows Mu by his nickname, the "Hawk of Endymion." He remembers fighting at the Grimaldi Front, where Mu earned his nickname. He asks Mu why he is on the Archangel, and Mu says it's top secret. Murrue says they have to reach the Atlantic Federation's Moon headquarters as soon as possible, and Mu says that ZAFT is after them. Garcia shows them an image of the Gamow and says there is nothing to worry about because they can't breach the Umbrella lightwave shield. He has them taken away to another room to rest. On the ship, Kira and the others wonder how long the situation will continue. In a guarded room, Mu worries about how Garcia is so arrogantly confident about the Umbrella's protection. On the Gamow, Yzak, Dearka and Nicol plan their next move with Captain Zelman. The Umbrella goes down when there are no enemies around, and Nicol thinks his Blitz Gundam will be able to do the job with its Mirage Colloid. The Gamow reverses course, and Garcia is informed that the Strike Gundam's OS is locked. Nicol prepares to launch in the Blitz Gundam, and Dearka tells Yzak that the suit is perfect for a coward like Nicol. Garcia comes into the ship's cafeteria and asks who is the pilot of the Strike Gundam. Neumann asks what he wants with it, and Garcia says he wants to look at it. Murdoch says that Mu is the pilot, and Garcia answers that he knows Mu pilots the Moebius Zero. He grabs Miriallia, and Kira confesses he is the pilot of the Strike Gundam. Garcia calls Kira a liar and tries to punch him, but Kira grabs him and throws him to the floor. Soldiers grab him, and Flay shouts out that Kira really is the pilot and is also a Coordinator. Garcia takes Kira to the ship's hangar and tells him to remove the lock on the OS. He also says he wants Kira to show him how to make a copy of the Strike Gundam, and Kira says he's just a civilian and doesn't have to help him. Garcia says that since Kira is a Coordinator it is clear that he has betrayed his people. He tells Kira that the Eurasian Federation will protect him well if he cooperates. Kira is then held at gunpoint and forced to work on the OS. The Umbrella is lowered, and Nicol launches and activates the Mirage Colloid, making the Blitz Gundam invisible. He penetrates the defense line and starts blowing up the Umbrella's power generators. As Artemis rocks from the explosions, Neumann and the others take control of the ship back from the Artemis soldiers. Mu and Murrue start screaming for air to lure soldiers into their room. They knock out the soldiers and escape with Natarle. Kira kicks a soldier out of the cockpit and tells Garcia there's no time to argue during an attack. Nicol enters the harbor and blows away several Moebiuses, and Kira launches with the Sword pack. Nicol attacks Kira with his Gleipnir anchor, and Kira fires back with his Panzer Eisen rocket anchor. The Gamow turns around, and Yzak and Dearka launch and join the attack. Nicol fires lancer darts from his Trikeros shield at Kira, and Kira tries to attack Nicol with his sword. Murrue and the others return to the ship, and she orders it to launch. An exploding Moebius crashes into the control room where Garcia is. The Archangel leaves as Artemis explodes. After returning to the ship, Kira goes directly to his room and cries alone with Birdy sitting on his shoulder. To quote Yogi Berra, it's deja vu all over again. I've seen this episode before, but under the title "Escape From Luna II" and featuring characters such as Amuro Ray. The concept here is identical: ship with Gundam enters friendly base that takes them captive. The base commander thinks his base is impervious, but the enemy attacks and deals a crippling blow. At least in the case of Wakkein he didn't end up like his counterpart in this episode. I find myself wondering here if Flay is a total moron or what. Just blurting out that Kira is a Coordinator was an incredibly stupid thing to do, and it could have gotten him into a lot of trouble. Why Kira would like a girl who is apparently this stupid baffles me. Now that the Archangel has left Luna II... err... Artemis, I imagine they'll head for Earth and be attacked by Char... err, Rau. Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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