Macross Frontier Ep. 12: Fastest Delivery

On a Queadol-Magdomilla class ship, NUNS 33rd Marine Force commander Ogotai is informed by his second-in-command that the soldiers are demanding that they yield and also provide them with the Protoculture song. With the rebellious soldiers stationed outside the ship, the second-in-command tells Ogotai that they may have to bombard the base with the ship’s weapons. In space, Sheryl’s shuttle and Alto’s Super Messiah de-fold near Gallia 4. Alto looks at Gallia 4 from space and thinks about how it has a sky. At school, Luca eats lunch and points out that tomorrow is Ranka’s first concert. Michael notes that Nanase seems to be feeling down, and she explains that it’s a shame Sheryl and Alto are absent. Ranka joins them because she got the day off before her concert, and Nanase knocks Ranka over while hugging her. The green creature jumps out of Ranka’s clothes, and Ranka asks Nanase to keep it a secret. Elsewhere, the shuttle and the Messiah begin atmospheric re-entry and land at the Zentradi base. Alto reports to Ogotai, who thanks him for coming out. The second-in-command orders soldiers to line up and roll out the red carpet to welcome Sheryl. The Zentradi cheer as Sheryl comes out of the shuttle, but she suddenly collapses and falls down the stairs. A soldier named Temzin comes forward and says that Sheryl obviously doesn’t want to sing for them. He says that negotiations are canceled, and both sides draw their rifles and open fire. Alto takes off in his Messiah, but he’s blocked by a Queadluun-Rhea, and Temzin states that they’ll be valuable hostages now. At school, Nanase tells Ranka she’ll be in trouble for violating the Ecosystem Protection Act, but Ranka explains that the green creature comforted her earlier. Nanase decides to be her accomplice and keep the secret. Luca gets a message and calls over Michael immediately. Leon informs Howard that the Zentradi on Gallia 4 have staged a revolt. Because of the fold dislocation, there’s a time lag of 127 minutes on each message sent. On the bridge of the Macross Quarter 25, Monica tells Jeffrey that even if they launched immediately, it would still take them seven days to reach Gallia 4, by which time everything would be over. Ozma runs onto the bridge and asks for a situation update, which Mena gives him. He says it was a mistake to send Alto alone, and Cathy concludes that the Zentradi must’ve been planning the revolt since before requesting the concert. Jeffrey thinks the whole thing seems too well orchestrated. Ranka asks Michael if he’s going to save Alto, but Michael says they’d never make it in time. Luca then tells them there might be a way. On Gallia 4, Temzin’s forces surround the ship with their Queadluun-Rheas. Grace tells Alto that Sheryl had been sick for several days. Sheryl tries to apologize, but Alto wants her to stay in bed. Luca tells Michael that LAI has been developing a new fold booster unaffected by fold dislocations. Elsewhere, Temzin enters the warehouse where reaction weapons are stored.

Temzin tells his soldiers that using reaction weapons will help them gain their freedom. He says that the Zentradi ruled the universe before the miclones appeared, and it’s now time for them to rise up and retake their glory. Temzin gets a call, and Alto slips out of the window by tying several sheets together. He spots his Messiah and runs over to it. Just as he turns it on, Temzin opens fire on him and orders him to stop. Ogotai’s forces open fire to help Alto, and Temzin’s return fire. Temzin points his gun at Alto and smarmily asks him to sing, saying that his song might stop them. The second-in-command tells Ogotai they have to start a bombardment, and Ogotai is about to give the order when he hears music in the sky. Michael’s Super Messiah descends from the sky with large speakers, and Ranka starts singing “Interstellar Flight.” The Zentradi on the ground stop fighting and listen to the song. Ogotai wonders who she is, and his second-in-command explains that Ranka is the super dimensional Cinderella. The Zentradi soldiers are amazed that Ranka is there, and Michael lands so that she can sing on the ground. Ranka continues to sing, and most of the Zentradi are completely smitten and drop their weapons. Alto uses the opportunity to take off, and Temzin fires at him. Alto flies over to Ranka and watches her sing. The Zentradi cheer for Ranka, but Temzin takes off in his Queadluun-Rhea and targets her. Alto slams into Temzin and tells him he’s lost. Temzin fires a barrage of missiles at Alto, but Alto dodges and destroys them. Temzin tells Alto that culture is a joke and that fighting is in the blood of the Zentradi, which reminds Alto of what Yasaburo said. Ranka sings “Aimo,” and Temzin says that the Zentradi can’t exist as a race without fighting. Alto pulls under Temzin and fires his gun pod. He then uses his knife to stab the Queadluun-Rhea. As Temzin’s crippled Queadluun-Rhea falls into the ocean, he tells Alto that the universe isn’t big enough for both species. Grace comments that Ranka is amazing, and something awakens deep in the sea. Alto comes back to the base and asks Ranka why she did something so dangerous. Her legs give out, and when he asks why she did so much, she tells him it was so she could say happy birthday. They take off in his Messiah, and she says she wants to keep flying. Alto recalls Michael telling him to get Ranka back in time for her concert while he takes Sheryl home. Alto thanks Ranka for coming and saving him, which he thinks is the best present. Ranka sings “Cat’s Diary,” but the Messiah suddenly loses power and crashes into the ground. Ranka gets out of the cockpit and has strange flashbacks. She’s shocked by what she sees, and when Alto joins her, he spots a super dimension fortress resembling the original Macross.