Gundam Ep. 5: Re-entry to Earth

The White Base approaches Earth and everyone prepares for re-entry. Amuro and Fraw hand out supplies to citizens, and Amuro fixes a toy car for a boy named Pelo. His grandfather, Smith, says that Pelo’s parents were killed during the One Week War. Smith plans to return to South America and stay on Earth no matter what happens. A Salamis class battleship captained by Lt. Reed pulls up alongside the White Base to lead it to Earth. Reed is to pilot a Salamis capsule that will guide the ship through the atmosphere to the EFF headquarters at Jaburo. Bright is informed that the Falmer is being resupplied, so he thinks Char might not attack. Char receives three new Zakus, and he intends to attack because the White Base will be most vulnerable during re-entry. He reminds the pilots that their Zakus will burn up in the atmosphere if they are careless. Char launches with the three Zakus, and Bright sends Amuro out in the Gundam. Amuro thinks that he’s in over his head against four Zakus, and Sayla assures him he will do well. Amuro tries to fire his hyper bazooka, but the Zakus maneuver too quickly. Dren launches in a Komusai capsule and fires missiles at the White Base. Reed wants to return to his ship, but his pilot tells him it’s too risky. Ryu, Kai and Hayato man the gun turrets to help Amuro with the Zakus. Amuro damages a Zaku, but he runs out of bazooka ammo. He attacks another with his vulcans and destroys it. He asks Sayla to send the beam rifle, but she tells him that only the Gundam hammer is available. Amuro barely manages to grab the hammer in time to fight Char’s Zaku. He uses the hammer to deflect a missile from Char’s bazooka.

Amuro is distracted by Char, giving the Zakus the opportunity to attack Reed’s capsule. The capsule is damaged, and Reed tells Bright that the capsule will be destroyed if they try to enter the atmosphere. Bright tells Reed to dock with the White Base, and Reed agrees. While fighting with Char, Amuro manages to destroy a Zaku with the hammer. Char uses his heat hawk to slice into Amuro’s shield and tells his two remaining men to destroy the Gundam. Amuro destroys one of them, but the other attacks the White Base. Reed’s shuttle docks, and the ship is damaged from the attacks. Reed is mad that Bright hasn’t ordered Amuro inside and threatens to court-martial Bright for insubordination. Bright orders Amuro to return to the ship, and Amuro decides to go after the last Zaku. Char enters Dren’s Komusai shuttle when the heat level becomes too high for his Zaku to handle. The other Zaku isn’t so lucky, and Char tells its pilot, Clamp, that his sacrifice will also destroy the Gundam. Amuro can’t get to the White Base in time, but he discovers that the Gundam has a re-entry system. He pulls out a protective film that covers the Gundam and lowers its temperature. After tense moments from the re-entry blackout, everyone is amazed that Amuro has survived. Dren realizes that Char’s strategy was to deflect the White Base to Zeon airspace and trap it there. Char calls Earth occupational force commander Garma Zabi and informs him that the Gundam is on its way. As the citizens look at Earth, the old man tells Pelo how beautiful it is. Garma goes out in a Gaw carrier plane with an escort of Dopp fighters and approaches the White Base. Garma sees that the White Base isn’t the average EFF ship, and Char’s Komusai docks.