Zeta Gundam Ep. 3: Inside the Capsule

Because of its location, the EFF asteroid base Luna II is being used to support Green Oasis. Galbaldy Beta pilot Lila Milla Rira lands on the battleship Bosnia and heads to the bridge to ask Capt. Chan Yar what he has trouble understanding, and he answers that Minovsky particles have increased in density. Lilla comments that the troops chasing them have challenged Gryps to a fight, and Chan tells her to watch what she says. In response, she tells Chan that he should give her a chance to vent her frustration, and he says she’ll have that chance because the troops coming after them are undoubtedly AEUG. At Green Noa 2, now renamed Gryps, a bandaged Bright is summoned by Bask, who gives him a letter to deliver to Adm. Jamitov Hymem, the commander of the Titans. Bask doesn’t immediately hand the letter over, forcing injured Bright to stretch to reach it. Jamaican asks Bright when he’s leaving and deliberately gives him a heavy slap on the back as he leaves Bask’s office. Jamaican reports that Luna II troops have possibly discovered the ship that dispatched the mobile suits. Bask asks if they’re certain that Franklin’s son stole the Gundam Mk-II. Elsewhere, Kamille boards the AEUG flagship Argama and is debriefed by Quattro and the ship’s captain, Henken Bekkener. Kamille mentions that he’s heard Amuro Ray’s name multiple times in underground press. Henken is surprised to hear about underground press on Green Oasis, and Kamille notes that the colony cluster wasn’t originally a military base. Henken wonders what Kamille would’ve done if his air kept leaking, and AEUG leader Blex Forer notes that they were able to capture two mobile suits with Kamille’s help. Blex thinks that would normally be impossible to do, but Kamille dismisses it as a coincidence. Quattro gets a call that prompts everyone to leave the room, and Ensign Reccoa Londe is placed in charge of watching over Kamille. He asks if it’s the enemy, and Reccoa answers that since they’re the only AEUG unit in the area, they can assume anyone else is an enemy. Chan reminds Lila that her mission is to stop the unknown ships and conduct an inspection, not destroy them. Lila asks if she looks like she enjoys war that much, and Chan answers that she does. Riding in an elevator, Blex asks Henken and Quattro if he’s hoping for too much. He wants to believe that Kamille is a Newtype, and Quattro comments that Newtypes aren’t espers, so nothing looks out of the ordinary with Kamille on the outside. He does sense some qualities in Kamille, so Blex asks Quattro to take good care of him. Quattro exits the elevator and meets with chief mechanic Astonaige Medoz to talk about the data from Gryps, and Astonaige explains that the Titans are building a battleship at the drydock. Quattro tells Astonaige to make multiple copies of the data since they’re likely heading into battle soon. Quattro runs into Kamille in the corridor and asks if he knew that a battleship was under construction at Gryps. Kamille answers that he does, but he doesn’t know the details. Quattro mentions that their analysis of the data indicates the armor on the Gundam Mk-II is the same as previous models and asks if that’s true. Kamille answers that he heard his mother talking about it since she specializes in material engineering. He also says she told him that new armor would be implemented in the next suit after the Gundam Mk-II, and that his father planned to incorporate more Zeon technology. Bridge crewmember Torres reports to Henken that their allied ship Mont Blanc has detected incoming mobile suits. Henken wants to change course and double back to Green Oasis to head to Earth. Henken tells Blex that they’ll take a new course and avoid Luna II and its garrison of troops covering Green Oasis. At Gryps, Franklin and Hilda are told by a Titans officer to board the battleship Alexandria to observe enemy mobile suits. After they’re aboard, Capt. Gady Kinsey orders the ship to launch, and Bask snickers that he’ll outwit Blex. Lila fires a signal flare to communicate to the Bosnia that they’ve found the Argama and Mont Blanc. Lila scans the Argama’s exterior and doesn’t recognize it as an EFF ship, so she wonders if the AEUG built it themselves. Henken orders the mobile suits to prepare to launch, and Lila flashes a halt signal. Henken presumes that they must not think the AEUG is fielding its own forces, and Blex notes that these aren’t Titans from Gryps. With four Galbaldys incoming, Henken tells Quattro to be on standby for launching at any moment. Lila buzzes the Argama’s bridge and then flies by the Mont Blanc. She then flies up to the Argama and places her Galbaldy’s hand on the ship for direct contact communication. She demands that they identify themselves and threatens to open fire if they ignore her orders. Henken responds that they’re the AEUG and her orders are meaningless, so Lila says she’ll open fire on them. Quattro launches and immediately attacks, but Lila is able to dodge. Hilda asks Franklin if it’s true that Kamille stole a Gundam Mk-II, and he asks in turn how should he know. Hilda comments that he’s the same as always, only thinking about himself. Franklin angrily says that given the current circumstances he’s thinking about Bask, and when Hilda asks if he’s instead thinking about his mistress, Margarita, he slaps her. Reccoa has Kamille put on a pilot suit because they’re all out of normal suits. Kamille comments that he could be an extra pilot, but Reccoa thinks that’s ridiculous and says having a pilot suit doesn’t mean he’s ready for combat. Quattro and Lila continue to trade fire without landing hits, and she wonders, given the red Rick Dias, if he’s the Red Comet.

A GM II gets in Quattro’s way, and he scans for the enemy as they attack the Argama. Reccoa asks Henken to put on a normal suit, but he doesn’t expect to get hit and have a need to wear one. Blex insists on it and takes temporary command while Henken changes. Quattro comments that these soldiers are used to real combat, and he lands a shot that destroys one of the Galbaldys. The Bosnia fires signal flares for a retreat, and Lila sees that they were lured away from their plan by the red Rick Dias. As the team retreats, one of the pilots mentions that they lost Eddy, and Lila angrily asks if he thought she hadn’t noticed that. Lila hopes they really were fighting the Red Comet, because otherwise the outcome was embarrassing. Quattro returns to the ship, and Kamille is impressed that he shot down a mobile suit. Blex wants to prioritize engine repairs and notes that the EFF retreat was awfully abrupt. He asks for Henken’s opinion, and Henken answers that Bask came out to stop them and will be sending a second wave. On the Alexandria, Jamaican briefs the pilots on the mission and says they can’t open their orders until the capsule following them becomes visible. He tells Emma that she has 15 minutes to negotiate with the AEUG, and she asks if the capsule is a bomb or other weapon. Emma addresses the pilots and says she knows the Hi-Zack is new for some of them, but they should think of it as advanced training with the goal of recovering the two Gundam Mk-II units. Emma launches in Gundam Mk-II Unit 1, followed by a Hi-Zack team that includes Jerid.  The Argama picks up the incoming mobile suits, and Emma displays a white flag and signals for a cease-fire. Blex asks Henken what he thinks, and Henken says they should accept to buy time. Emma lands on the Argama’s catapult deck and tells Quattro that she’s come to deliver a hand-written letter from Bask. She warns that if anyone approaches Unit 1, a nearby Hi-Zack will open fire. Quattro and Emma pass Kamille on their way to meet with Blex and Henken. Emma tells Blex that she needs an immediate response to the letter, and Blex reads it and asks Emma if she knows what it says. She doesn’t, so Blex hands her the letter, in which Bask threatens to kill Franklin and Hilda if the AEUG doesn’t hand over Kamille and the two Gundams. Emma can’t believe it, and Blex comments that this is the behavior of a mafia, not a proper military unit. Emma can’t believe that Bask would do this, but Henken notes that she’s holding a letter he wrote himself. Emma says this isn’t something the military should do, and Blex comments that the Titans aren’t the military, but rather more like mercenaries or a private army. Emma says that she hasn’t agreed to be Bask’s private soldier, and Blex explains this is all bigger than Bask. Henken says that even the Zeon wouldn’t do something as pathetic as this, and Quattro wonders if it’s all a bluff. Blex thinks Bask would do it and says he knows him better than anyone. Torres overhears the conversation from outside the room, and word quickly spreads about the hostages and reaches Kamille. Blex wants to respond by destroying the Hi-Zacks closest to the ship. Torres reports that they’ve spotted an unidentified capsule, and Henken orders the deployment of an observation camera. Jerid spots the capsule and opens his orders, which state that he should destroy the capsule if the enemy attempts to recover it. Jerid presumes that the capsule must be a bomb powerful enough to destroy the enemy. The feed from the camera shows that a person is inside the capsule, and while Emma thinks it has to be a hologram, Blex says that Bask doesn’t use such tricks. Henken wants Kamille to identify the hostage in the capsule, but Kamille goes down to the hangar and steals Gundam Mk-II Unit 3. Kamille warns everyone not to get in his way because he’s going to rescue his mother. Henken is informed that Kamille is launching, and Emma suspects that he knows who’s in the capsule. Kamille launches and heads for the capsule, and Jerid initially mistakes his unit for Emma’s. Jerid opens fire, and Kamille dodges and moves closer to Hilda and the capsule. Hilda shouts something, but Kamille can’t hear her as he approaches the capsule. Jerid snipes the capsule from his position and destroys it, killing Hilda. Jerid is confused why nothing happened, and he feels an intense sensation of uneasiness. Overcome with grief, Kamille cries uncontrollably.