Review by Chris

May 21, 2002

The year is AC 196, and peace has settled in after the conclusion of the Eve Wars. In Texas, Relena and Noin visit O-Star Industries to investigate whether or not they are still producing mobile suits. The company's representative insists they make agricultural products now, and Relena wants to speak to the former mobile suit researchers. Suddenly, the factory is rocked by explosions caused by a Leo. Unseen, Heero destroys the Leo and escapes with Duo. Relena announces that O-Star has been suspended, and the representative accuses her of planting the Leo. As Heero and Duo drive away, Duo tells him that he needs to keep in touch with Relena or she'll forget him. They grab a bite to eat and discuss what the other pilots are doing. Heero says their new objective is not to investigate people who used to make mobile suits, but instead newcomers. Heero asks Duo if he's heard the rumors about Vulkanus, a secret unmanned OZ mobile suit production factory. Duo says that Quatre is looking into it because colonists are starting to organize against the Earth Sphere United Nation. He says they call themselves the Perfect Peace People and that they have a strange idea of what peace is. In space, Quatre tells Trowa that he is going to look for Vulkanus, but he isn't taking Sandrock with him. A crowd of Perfect Peace People protest and say that the Gundam pilots need to disarm their suits. Back on Earth, Duo decides to stay in Texas while Heero visits the old Romefeller territories in Europe.

Elsewhere, Wufei sits tied up in a chair and is interrogated by several men. They try to ask him what he knows, but he asks them about Vulkanus. He breaks out of the chair and tells them he'll help them if Vulkanus is real. As Quatre's shuttle approaches the resource satellite SAW2, he is attacked by Virgos. On another colony, a reporter interviews Victor Gaintz, the leader of the Perfect Peace People. He says that the disarmament after the Eve Wars was a momentous occasion, but more is needed. He says the Gundams must be destroyed and asks why no one has made an issue of it. Trowa tries to call Quatre but gets no answer. Quatre wakes up in a hospital bed and is approached by several men who inject him with a needle. Trowa calls Hilde and asks her to deliver a coded message to Duo about Quatre. Duo calls Relena and tells her she might want to go to Europe since Heero is there. In a graveyard, Heero talks with Dorothy. He asks if she knows of any OZ remnants, and she tells him they are all after Vulkanus. Elsewhere, Quatre is interrogated by several men and tells them he came to look for Vulkanus. Back in Europe, Dorothy tells him that Tubarov had planned to make Vulkanus an unmanned mobile doll production factory. She tells him that an OZ fleet was sent out into deep space for resources and didn't make it back in time to fight White Fang. After the Eve Wars the fleet was mostly disbanded, but one group under the command of a man named Broden stuck together and is looking for Vulkanus.

Wufei meets with Broden, and Broden asks him what he wants to do with Vulkanus. Wufei says he just wants to watch Earth's reaction to see if Treize was right. Broden doesn't understand, and Lt. Klementz objects to Wufei's presence. Broden replies that they will need Wufei's help because Vulkanus has a watchdog. Klementz reports to Gaintz that Wufei is helping Broden. Gaintz tells his men to continue with the plan for their sublime mission. Trowa goes to the moon to pick up Heavyarms from Howard. A mobile suit carrier drops off several Virgos, and Trowa goes out in Heavyarms to fight them off. Quatre leaves the carrier and heads for Howard's base. Duo arrives to take Deathscythe Hell, and Quatre attacks Trowa with Sandrock. Quatre says he must destroy them for his sublime mission, and Duo grapples him and takes him away. Gaintz is informed that they lost three Virgos and failed to capture a Gundam. However, they have the battle on video, and Gaintz thinks that could be used to his advantage. Relena joins Heero and Dorothy, and he wants to leave. Dorothy gives him a paper that was her grandfather's and has a coded message on it. He asks if he can use her database. Wufei meets with Lady Une and asks her what happened to the Alliance space base she destroyed. She tells him it floated out to Mars and that Tubarov wanted to build a factory there, including a new Scorpio mobile doll. Wufei tells her to keep fighting for peace and leaves.

On a ship, Sally, Trowa and Duo see that Quatre was infected with hallucinogens. As Broden's fleet passes through the wreckage of Barge, they are attacked by Virgos. Wufei goes out with Altron and destroys them. Working together, Heero and Relena see that the coded message is the coordinates for Vulkanus. On the news, Gaintz shows the video of the battle and says the Gundams are dangerous and could attack at any time. He says they must be destroyed immediately for the sake of peace or they will have to fight for their sublime mission. Quatre wakes up and sees that it was the Perfect Peace People who brainwashed him. Broden tells Wufei that war brings great progress to humanity. He says he wants to take Vulkanus out to Mars or Venus, which would force people to create new technologies to fight him and thus bring progress. Heero leaves Europe, and Gaintz's fleet begins to move out. Heero calls the other pilots and gives them the coordinates to Vulkanus. He tells them to leave Wing Zero behind for him and to hurry to Vulkanus. Heero meets with Sally to pick up Wing Zero, and she tells him that Broden's group is approaching Vulkanus as well. Wufei goes out into battle to fight the Virgos, and the transformable mobile armor Scorpio attacks. Broden and his men go out in Leos to help, and Gaintz transmits the code to give him control of the Scorpio. He demands that everyone surrender to him, and Quatre says they can't feel safe under him.

Gaintz says they are no different from him and that as children are even more likely to abuse their power than him. Heero arrives in Wing Zero and destroys mobile dolls with his twin buster rifle. He tells Gaintz that he is confusing peace with power and says that isn't what Treize or Zechs wanted. Gaintz says that Zechs was made a martyr just because of his Peacecraft heritage. Inside Vulkanus, Broden is shot by Klementz, who revels he is one of the Perfect Peace People. Broden says their peace is an illusion, and Klementz kills him. He tells Gaintz that they now have control of Vulkanus. Wufei fights the Scorpio, and Duo and Quatre go inside Vulkanus to stop Klementz. Heero fights with Gaintz and reveals that Gaintz used to be in White Fang and left when Quinze made Zechs their leader. Duo and Quatre gain control of Vulkanus and stop the Virgos. Heero tells Gaintz to surrender, but he refuses. Heero says they are different from him because they can give up their Gundams if the people want that. He fires the twin buster rifle and destroys the Scorpio and Gaintz. The battle is over, and Wufei quickly leaves. Duo wonders how they can destroy Vulkanus and the Virgos, and Quatre says they should throw it into the sun, along with their Gundams. He says the problem with the Perfect Peace people was that they couldn't envision a peace they weren't enforcing. He believes that the world is ready to embrace peace and that they don't need the Gundams. Duo doesn't think that Wufei will go along with this. As Wufei flies through space, he vows he will become Broden's threat to humanity.

So there ends another one of these stories set between the series and Endless Waltz. This one was written by Katsuhiko Chiba and drawn by Koichi Tokita. Like Blind Target and Ground Zero, this manga attempts to fill in the gaps and set up Endless Waltz. However, none of these three series fit very well with each other, so it's hard to tell which one is 'official'. As for the story, it's very much a rehash of Endless Waltz in that a group refuses to accept peace and begins a battle, and the boys come out of retirement to fight them off. Gaintz isn't very compelling as a villain and can't compare to people like Treize or Zechs. On the other hand, this manga does have a few tidbits relating to Endless Waltz. Vulkanus is indeed the satellite seen at the beginning of the OVA. Also, we see the setup for Wufei's strange actions and his eventual alliance with the Mariemaia Army. Still, there's not much going for this manga aside from that.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

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