Macross II Ep. 4: Mardook Disorder

On the Mardook mothership, Lord Emperor Ingues looks at Earth with disgust. He worries about the prophecy of Dinus which states that the Alus will come from a blue planet to save the Mardook from themselves. Elsewhere, Hibiki is tortured via electric shock aboard Feff’s scout ship. He is asked about the meaning of SNN, and he explains that it’s just a news agency. Feff asks him if he operated on Ishtar to pollute her mind and control her, but he says he didn’t do anything. Feff tells him that soon Ishtar will be purified and reborn. Feff takes Ishtar to a shuttle which will transport her to the ship Sarride to meet with a woman named Elensh. Ishtar asks Feff what he did with Hibiki, and he lies to her and says he sent Hibiki back to Earth. Nearby, Sylvie’s Valkyrie II is strapped to the hull of Feff’s ship. She worries when Ishtar’s shuttle leaves, but she looks at Hibiki’s homing beacon and realizes he isn’t on it. Feff orders his men to prepare the mind alteration device so that he can brainwash Hibiki to be his agent on Earth. Hibiki sits in his cell and wonders what he will do when Sylvie suddenly arrives and breaks him free. As they run through a corridor they stumble onto a chamber where all the Zentradi are locked in chambers for mind control. Hibiki videotapes the scene before running away. Ishtar’s shuttle arrives at the Sarride and she is taken to meet with Elensh in the area of the Alus Nova. Sylvie and Hibiki hide to plan their next move, and Hibiki reveals that he has a homing signal for Ishtar. They return to Sylvie’s Valkyrie and head for the Sarride. Elensh examines Ishtar’s unstable brainwaves and asks her to calm down. Ishtar tells Elensh that Earth is the home of the Alus and is full of songs of love, joy and sorrow. Elensh insists that Ishtar is being deceived, but Ishtar stands by what she says. Several Battle Pods chase Sylvie, but she blows a hole into the side of the Sarride and flies inside the ship. Feff launches in his Gigamesh and heads for the Sarride. Sylvie tells Hibiki she can’t guarantee he’ll live now, but he’s okay with that. They avoid the weapons fire from Zentradi soldiers as they head deeper into the ship.

Elensh tells Ishtar that for the Mardook peace means crushing all who oppose them. Otherwise, she says, the universe will be filled with chaos and confusion. Volf’s men block Feff from entering the Sarride. Feff asks Volf for permission to proceed, but Volf denies the request and tells Feff that the ship has been contaminated. Feff threatens to use violence and fires missiles to blow his way past the Powered Suits. Sylvie approaches an open room and fires flash missiles to blind the Zentradi soldiers. She flies up to an empty area and lands the Valkyrie. She tells Hibiki that they can thank her Meltrandi grandmother for her recklessness. She says that she can’t forgive the Mardook for robbing the Zentradi of their free will, which is why she hopes Ishtar can succeed. Sylvie asks Hibiki to shoot some video of her. She makes a grim report about their situation and jokes that they are trapped like rats. Suddenly, Ishtar’s voice can be heard across the ship as she hums a song from Earth. The Zentradi soldiers all stop to listen to her sing. Elsewhere, Ingues is informed that the Sarride has been contaminated with alien songs, so he orders that they be punished with death. A grave battleship breaks away from Ingues’ mothership and performs a space fold. Sylvie and Hibiki fly up to the chamber of the Alus Nova and find Ishtar there with Elensh. Elensh continues to maintain the belief that peace comes only through destruction of the opposition. Feff smashes into the room with his Gigamesh and uses his extendable claws to grab Ishtar. Sylvie and Hibiki return to the Valkyrie and are chased by Feff. He unleashes several missile barrages that damage the Valkyrie. The other Mardook battleship de-folds over the Sarride and opens fire. Sylvie and Hibiki escape from the ship before it explodes, as does Feff. Ishtar mourns the death of Elensh, and Feff tells her that is the result of her actions. The damaged Valkyrie floats helplessly in space until Nastasha, Amy and Saori arrive in a rescue ship.