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Episode 2
Kou pants as he faces off with Gato. He is brought back to reality when Gato says ‘hey kid’. Gato yells to get out of his way, draws his beam saber and attacks Kou. Kou reacts quickly enough to parry Gato with his own beam saber. They enter a deadlock and Gato sends Kou reeling backwards. Gato kicks the off balance GP01 over. Captain Synapse orders his crew to put out the fires from the missiles as Nina enters the bridge. Nina sees the Gundam fight on screen and cries for her poor Gundams. Captain Synapse orders Kou to let the other units handle recovering GP02 but Kou says he has already engaged and still has a chance to win. Gato complements Kou’s spirit but not his skills and sidesteps Kou’s attack, causing the GP01 to stumble around get again. Gato body checks the GP01 but Kou recovers and draws his beam saber again. Gato pins Kou down with Vulcan fire, causing him to back into a warehouse. Gato talks to Kou and asks him who he thinks he is. He calls Kou an amateur and flies off. Kou gets angry at the word amateur and tries to pursue but freezes when he sees another hail of missiles.
From a distance, the Xamel tank sets its cannon and fires on the base. The shells rattle the command building as the officers inside wonder where the artillery came from. Another shot hits the building, killing everyone inside. A Dom Tropen moves around where the Xamel fired and complements Gato. A trainer GM begins firing at him. Captain Synapse gets word that the base commander has been killed as Mora does her best to comfort the hyperventilating Nina. In the GP01, Kou hyperventilates as Lt Burning calls for him. Burning brings his trainer GM next to the GP01 and stops the Gundam when it jerks forward. He tells Kou not to go to pieces over a missile shower. Kou snaps back to reality again Burning says they’re going after the GP02 and Keith hands Kou a machine gun. Burning says that he is now in command of the recovery team consisting of Burning’s trainer GM, Allen’s powered GM, Kou’s GP01 and Keith’s Zaku F type. Nina sprints out of the Albion to chase after the Gundams as Mora follows her. Captain Synapse’s operator detects an unidentifiable heat source which isn’t a missile. The operator says that minovsky particles prevent a positive ID and Synapse realizes it has to be the Zeon recovery ship. He orders the operator to inform Burning’s team.
From the atmosphere, a Komusai reenters. They contact Gato who is running the GP02 in pace with a Dom Tropen and the Xamel. He tells them that the Komusai is reentering and they increase their pace. At the base, medics and mechanics are scrambling to tend to their respective patients while Nina and Mora make the speed of light out of there in a jeep. Mora says that you would think the war wasn’t over just by seeing the base. Nina calls Mora a busybody and Mora says she is just looking after someone who is in over their head. Nina asks if Mora is referring to her. Mora says she means Kou in the Gundam. Nina says she is nervous and must be crazy to be going after the Gundams. Mora tells her to look ahead when she drives and Nina swerves and barely misses a collision with a downed Powered GM.
On the Walfisch Jukon submarine, a sailor tells Captain Drieser that save the loss of one Dom Tropen, everything went according to plan and asks if they should set sail. Drieser says that they are Gato’s backup plan in case the Komusai is destroyed. The Burning team carries on their search when Keith asks why the Zeons would want a nuclear warhead. Allen says that the Zeeks are just sore losers and tells Keith to watch his ass because there are many places to hide where they are. Burning tells Allen to quit scaring them and tells Keith and Kou that so long as they fight like they did in training, they’ll live. Burning orders the team to split up and has Kou come with him. The GP02 sits on top of the Komusai as Anavel tells the pilot to have a Lt Commander’s uniform for him next time. The pilot says that Gato looks better in a Zeon uniform anyway. Allen and Keith spot the Komusai and inform Burning. Burning tells Kou to charge the Komusai and leave all other enemies to him and Allen. Kou apologizes to Burning for freaking out before and Burning reminds Kou that it’s his job to lead him. Allen locks onto the Komusai and tells Keith not to get careless. A Dom Tropen rushes in front of Keith, scaring the hell out of him. Allen turns to shoot the Dom Tropen but the Dom Tropen pushes his Bazooka’s barrel away and fires its own Bazooka at Allen’s cockpit, point blank. Kou hears the blast and yells for Keith. Burning tells Kou to head for the Komusai. Kou begins to protest but Burning reiterates that he means now. An explosion knocks Burning and Kou down as the Xamel slides in. It flies over Kou and runs into Burning. Burning wrestles with the Xamel and tells Kou only to worry about the Komusai. Kou flies toward the Komusai and lands in front of it, scaring the hell out of Nina and Mora who pulled up to a crag near the fight. The Komusai sees the GP01 in front of it and the pilot orders the gunners to ‘toast that sucker’. Kou points his gun and yells at them to stop. As the turret tears up the ground in front of Kou, he finally summons the will to fire. He unloads the magazine, hitting the bridge of the Komusai as it lifts off. The Komusai takes off but an engine explosion causes it to crash-land.
Kou calls for Keith and Lt Burning when out of the smoke flies the GP02. Gato yells at Kou, referring to himself in the 3rd person and saying that he hasn’t waited 3 years for the ‘greedy infidels’ to ruin his ideal. Kou asks what he means by ideal. Gato says true freedom for spacenoids. Keith asks if he means Gato, from their academy’s textbook on modern warfare. Burning confirms that it is Anavel Gato, the nightmare of Solomon. Nina tells Mora that she thinks she heard Gato and Mora says it isn’t good. The next line is so funny and memorable; I am going to quote it directly-
Gato: You’re an officer aren’t you?! If you want to be more than a grunt, learn to see the big picture!
Kou: Y-Yes Sir!
Gato: I’m the ENEMY you idiot!
Gato draws his saber at the same time Kou does. A Dom Tropen moves in and fires at Kou who sidesteps every shot. The Dom Tropen stops in front of Gato and says that the Walfisch is moving in to pick him up. Gato says he understands and as he leaves he says to Kou that he is useless without the Federation behind him and is useless as a soldier. Kou is about to retort when Burning tells him to watch his 12. Kou dodges some machine gun fire from the Xamel and wants to pursue but Burning tells him to cool off. Nina asks Mora the name of the Ensign who took the GP01. Mora tells her Kou Uraki did it. Captain Synapse asks if they’ve located the Jukon yet. The operator says that the Kalent team is on it and orders the crew to go on half watch. Keith and Kou knuckle their machines and Keith says that Allen is dead. Burning reminds them that they still have a mission and tells Keith to inventory their remaining ammo. Kou asks what to do about Allen’s body. Burning says to leave it. When they protest, Burning asks if there is any chance Allen is alive and then if they want to see what is left of Allen.
The Kalent team advances in the fog, believing that the enemy has depleted their ammo. The leader says he will not let that ‘Pervert Burning’ hog the glory and says they can handle it on their own. After he walks by, a hidden GP02 draws its beam saber. On the Jukon, the sailor points out that a battle broke out on shore and Drieser wonders if Gato will set a new kill record. He orders them to prepare the recovery vessel and they begin to move it out of the hull. Burning tries to contact the Kalent team but can’t get a response. Kou asks if they are the only ones left and Burning says yes. Keith says that the fog is too thick to spot Gato and if they do spot him, they’ll have to fight Gato, the man who was on their academy finals. Burning has heard enough and tells Keith to get out his maneuver stick. He has Keith point out where he thinks Gato would wait for the recovery ship. Keith thinks Gato would go on a small peninsula and put his back to the ocean so he would only have to defend in one direction. Burning asks Kou that in the event Keith is right, who would have the advantage? Kou says that due to the fog, nature of the terrain and possibility of an ambush, the enemy would have the advantage. Burning asks Keith if a seasoned professional like Gato would retreat to the place a rookie Feddie Ensign would think of first. Burning says that though Gato has the advantage in firepower, his objective is to escape with the GP02. If Gato were to be lying in wait, he would have to know when the fog would clear. Burning points out on their map that he believes Gato would wait southwest of Keith’s point. Moreover, Burning’s main concern is that weather or not Kou and Keith step up or continue to behave like screaming amateurs will make or break the mission. Burning tells Kou to remember what Gato said to him, ‘see the whole picture’. Kou repeats what Gato said and Burning says that he couldn’t put it better. Nina contacts Kou on the radio and asks him to take care of GP01 and bring back GP02. Kou promises he will and Mora salutes the mobile suits as they walk by.
Soon, Nina and Mora notice flashes. Burning’s team is being fired upon but Burning tells them that nobody can hit anything in the fog. Keith fires on a rock which he thought was a Dom Tropen when the real Dom Tropen shoots at him. He is lucky to avoid getting shot and Kou charges the Dom Tropen, cutting off the barrel of its bazooka. The Dom Tropen throws the remainder of the bazooka at Kou and takes off. Kou tries to pursue but after a jump, some ground gives way, causing him to fall in the water. Keith runs forward, looking for the Dom Tropen and gets ambushed from behind a rock. The Dom Tropen cuts the Zaku’s head off. Kou tries to help Keith but the Xamel fires on him. The headless Zaku backs into a rock. The Dom Tropen tries to stab the Zaku but Keith sidesteps and the Dom Tropen gets nothing but rock. The Dom Tropen tries to pull its heat saber free and while it is distracted, Keith takes his heat hawk to the Dom’s collar, causing it to blow. Gato wants to help the Dom Tropen but hears that the recovery vessel is on its way. The Xamel pilot tells Gato that he’ll cover Gato’s exit. Gato says that he can’t hold the Feds back with only one Xamel. The pilot says that his pig of a mobile suit can’t fit on the recovery ship anyway. Gato thanks him and turns to leave.
Kou flies in, ready to attack Gato. He steps on the Xamel’s head and goes for Gato on the recovery ship. Burning ambushes the Xamel and punches its head. Kou comes down on Gato and enters a saber deadlock. They exchange words and blows until Gato bashes Kou with his shield. Gato raises his saber to finish Kou when Nina tells Kou to aim for the shield’s cooling system. Kou runs his saber into the lower part of the shield. Gato wonders how he got caught off guard but hops onto the passing recovery ship. As he soars away, Gato tells Kou that he will destroy anyone who gets in the way of the resurrection of Zeon. Keith gets out of his Zaku and runs over to Lt Burning’s GM. The Xamel has the GM pinned to a rock but has Burning’s beam saber run through its torso. (A little Easter egg is shown here, there is an outline of a woman and “Zieck Zion” written beneath her on the Xamel’s back.) Burning opens his cockpit and asks if Keith is okay. Burning says his leg is broken and Keith says he’ll get Burning down. Mora and Nina come running to see the GP01 standing proudly while Kou is standing on its hand, looking out at the sea.
Paul Jr’s Thoughts:
To start, the thing where Gato tells Kou to see the bigger picture and Kou says ‘yes sir’ and Gato reminds him that he is the enemy was just amazingly funny and shows how much of a rookie Kou really is. Though Kou and Keith showed they can fight under pressure, they lack greatly in skill. Gato also got away and the base is crippled. Without a doubt, they’ll be assigned to the Albion to chase Gato across the Earth Sphere but can Gato really accept Kou as his rival? Kou is a lot like Shiro, minus the piloting skill. Anyway, this show still has a lot to fill as the medium between MSG and Zeta Gundam.
