Gundam Wing Ep. 21: Grief Stricken Quatre

Two space colony workers find the drifting Leo with Quatre inside. Quatre later wakes up in an infirmary where a female doctor asks him what he was doing in a mobile suit. He tries to sit up and asks where he can get a shuttle, but the doctor tells him he’s in no position to go anywhere. She tells him that she’ll make shuttle arrangements if he promises to get some rest first. At Barge, Nichol and Une track an object that is moving in the Bay Area too quickly for the Leos to keep up. Nichol thinks that it might be the Tallgeese and Trowa suggests chasing after it with the new Vayeate and Mercurius. Nichol instantly disagrees, but Une is intrigued and allows Trowa to take command of the mission. Trowa has a handcuffed Heero removed from the brig. Doctor J asks Une what she thinks of the completed new suits, and she tells him it reflects on their skills as Gundam designers. Nichol expresses his disapproval at allowing Heero to pilot the Mercurius, but Trowa explains that a Gundam pilot’s skills are needed. As a failsafe, Une gives Trowa permission to activate the Mercurius’ self-destruct if Heero acts suspiciously. Trowa doesn’t think that will happen because Heero has fought Zechs previously and would view this as a continuation of that battle. In space Heero tests out the Mercurius and tells Trowa that it operates just like a Gundam. Trowa asks Heero how he’d take on a mobile doll, and Heero demonstrates by sneaking up behind two Tauruses and destroying them with his beam saber. He says the mobile dolls’ weakness is that they have the same abilities as manned suits, down to reaction times. The Tauruses then pick up the Tallgeese and commence their attack. Zechs ejects his space booster and destroys a Taurus, but he notices his reaction time is slower. Heero then attacks at close range with his saber, followed by a beam attack from Trowa. Zechs then returns fire, but his attacks are deflected by the Mercurius’ planet defensers. He dodges another attack from Trowa, which destroys several mobile dolls. Zechs locks into close-range combat with Heero and dodges another attack that destroys more mobile dolls. Heero then destroys the final mobile doll, and Zechs surrenders. He’s surprised to see Trowa part of OZ, but Trowa acts as though they’ve never met. Heero then pulls a gun on Zechs, and Zechs introduces himself as Milliardo Peacecraft, a goodwill ambassador from Earth.

At the Winner family colony, Zayeed Winner is informed that Quatre has returned home. Quatre thanks the doctor for bringing him home, and his father arrives and calls Quatre disobedient. He says that living in space is hard enough without having gone to war. Quatre says he has to fight for the war to end, and Zayeed asks him if fighting has ended anything. He thinks Quatre should listen to him, and the doctor, Irea, says she thinks Quatre will be a good heir to the family business. Later Irea tells Quatre that Zayeed understands having a dialog with OZ won’t work. Quatre asks why she didn’t tell him she was his sister, and she tells him the whole family is cheering for him, even their father. Zayeed recalls how he gave refuge to Instructor H and how Quatre worked with him. Quatre and Irea visit the factory where the Gundam Sandrock was built because he needs a new Gundam. Irea tells him there’s no point because another Gundam pilot was captured and the colonists cheered when his Gundam was destroyed to set an example. Quatre says he doesn’t fight for people’s recognition, and he believes that someday people will see the truth. Quatre says he feels sentimental without the Gundam Sandrock around, and Irea hugs him so he won’t be sad. Zayeed argues with colony delegates because they want to build weapons, and an OZ officer accuses him of being a dictator. The delegates rule against Zayeed, and citizens protest against the Winner family. Irea and Quatre are forced to hide from protestors in the streets, who claim that the Winner family is monopolizing natural resources. Irea tells Quatre that public opinion has changed regarding the Gundams and the Winners. The delegates vote unanimously to place the natural resources satellite under OZ’s jurisdiction. Zayeed then locks himself inside the satellite and manually disconnects it from the colony. The OZ officer claims that Zayeed is being greedy, and with the delegates’ approval, offers to take care of it. Quatre and Irea launch in a shuttle and try to convince their father to stop what he’s doing. Zayeed asks Quatre to not fight in mobile suits again. He tells them to pull away from him because the beam cannons are aimed at him. He says he’s running away because he’d rather die than compromise himself. The colony’s beam cannons then open fire on the satellite, killing Zayeed. Irea is injured and tells Quatre that their father fought bravely. She says he was a nice person and didn’t do anything to deserve death. Quatre wonders if people are satisfied. Laughing maniacally, he vows that he won’t let people forget the day’s events. Elsewhere, the Tallgeese is towed into a colony.