By Eiji is shocked by the destruction of the American base, and Gostello laughs about the Earthlings killing each other on their own. The Bullgrenn opens fire on Layzner, and Gostello orders Lobelia to kill the remaining Earthlings. Lobelia thinks it’d be better if he attacked Layzner, but Gostello yells at him for questioning orders and promises to get Gasten’s revenge. Eiji tries to chase after Lobelia’s Braver and is hit by Gostello. Rei gives Eiji an information message about remaining operational time. Gostello keeps shooting at Eiji, and Rei is tasked with finding the buggy’s communication frequency. The buggy becomes temporarily trapped in the dirt as Lobelia approaches. He opens fire and blows off one of the tires, so everyone starts putting on backpacks. Everyone gets out of the buggy just before Lobelia destroys it. He sees Anna and is shocked that a kid is there. Bill, the last UN survivor, opens fire with a machine gun, so Lobelia slaps him away and kills him. Gostello keeps dodging Eiji’s attacks, and Eiji asks Rei for an update on life signs. Rei reports only eight life signs with one deteriorating, so Eiji pleads with Gostello and Lobelia to not kill the defenseless. Lobelia watches as the survivors run between two cliffs, and he opens fire from above, causing Arthur to scream out that he’s going to die. Eiji asks if Gradosians are so heartless as to kill defenseless civilians, but Gostello dismisses the Earthlings as useless trash. Gostello sees no problem with killing pests, so Eiji asks Gostello if he has any pride in killing a subordinate. Lobelia overhears and takes off, flying back to where Eiji and Gostello are fighting. Eiji flies away and is chased by both Gostello and Lobelia. Lobelia calls Gostello and asks if what Eiji said was true, but Gostello ignores him and turns off the radio. Eiji reaches space, and Gostello realizes he must be low on energy and opens fire. Lobelia decides to confirm the truth and haul Gostello before a military court. Elizabeth and the students bury Bill and wonder what they should do next. David thinks they should head for the American base because it would have fallout shelters. Elizabeth agrees, so they set out on foot for the base.
The group reaches the base and find nothing but devastation, with no signs of survivors. Simone wonders if this will be Earth’s fate, should Grados trick the Americans and Soviets into nuking each other. The group heads underground to find a shelter, and David drops down with a flashlight to have a look. He finds a dead body and warns everyone to stay back. Elizabeth finds a door that leads to the fallout shelter and uses the radio, but no one answers. Rohan opens the door, revealing a room full of corpses piled in front of the shelter’s entrance. Flying over an asteroid, Lobelia calls Eiji and asks if what he said earlier was true. Eiji answers that Lobelia should ask Gostello because he never touched Gasten. Gostello then opens fire on Lobelia and laughs it off as a misfire. Eiji flies over his tripod carrier and knows that he can’t recharge with Gostello on his tail. Rei warns Eiji that Layzner is almost out of energy. Gostello finds Eiji’s hiding place and opens fire, but Lobelia rams into him. He accuses Gostello of killing Gasten and trying to kill him, but Gostello knocks him aside. Eiji emerges and damages the Bullgrenn before Lobelia grabs it from behind. Gostello breaks free and starts squeezing Layzner’s cockpit, saying that he can’t wait to see Julia’s face. Eiji breaks free and flies away, but Lobelia kicks Gostello and knocks him down. Lobelia declares that he’s going to take Gostello to a court-martial and will arrest Eiji himself. Eiji reaches the tripod carrier and docks for energy recharge. With Layzner unavailable, Eiji switches to the SPT Buldy before being shot at by the Braver. Lobelia tells Eiji he’s going to take him to military court, but his cockpit is sniped from behind by Gostello. He laughs at Lobelia’s idea of a court-martial, and Eiji fires the Buldy’s shoulder gun multiple times, damaging the Bullgrenn. Eiji fires his rifle and causes critical damage, forcing Gostello to eject. As his seat flies away, Gostello curses Eiji and vows to return and rip him to shreds. On the surface of Mars, David says that their last hope has faded away. Simone wonders if Eiji will return, but David again blames him for everything. Rohan notes that Eiji said he was trying to warn them of the danger, so he wants to believe that. Elizabeth tells them they have to decide what to do next. Eiji’s tripod carrier lands nearby, which sparks new hope inside Anna.
The American base was wiped out by a Soviet nuclear attack, which basically furthers the cause of Grados without them having to lift a finger. That could work out well for them if both bases contacted Earth to report the attacks, which would also ratchet up tensions back home. The students hope to find some survivors at the base, but all that’s waiting for them is death, which further dashes their hopes. This comes after the deaths of all the UN personnel, leaving only Elizabeth and the students alive. Eiji’s battle with Gostello ends for now, but not without some costs. Lobelia seemed like a stand up soldier trying to do the right thing, but he unfortunately misjudged the extent of Gostello’s bloodlust and paid the ultimate price. We see that Eiji also hijacked a tripod carrier with more SPTs, and the Buldy’s firepower helps him to destroy the Bullgrenn. It’s interesting to see that most of the group is starting to warm up to Eiji, with David remaining the sole holdout who is consumed by anger.
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