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Episode 4
Finally after Uraki earns the right to sit in the pilot seat of the Gundam, the order to recover GP02 is given to the Albion. It is October 23, 0083 when the Albion has arrived in Africa. In the Albion’s bridge, an alarm goes off. Captain Synapse orders the helmsman, Ivan, to prepare for evasive maneuvers. The Operators say it isn’t the enemy but a problem in the portside mobile suit deck. Burning asks her to let him guess and suggests Monsha. The operator adds and Mora and tells Burning to expect casualties. Mora has Monsha by the collar yet again and clocks him, yelling cut it out. Monsha stumbles into Bate’s arms. Bate complement’s Mora’s punch but says it isn’t right to let her beat on his pal for having fun. Mora asks if pinching women’s is part of their fun or their duties. Bate walks toward Mora and asks who’s fault it is that they’re on African safari. Bate puts a hand on Mora’s shoulder and promises to talk with Monsha. He promises her that next time, Monsha will pinch her ass first. Mora isn’t amused and she shows Bate her disapproval by giving him a picture perfect arm drag. Adel asks if Mora calls herself a woman and she says that a real man is a gentleman like the Captain. While the bridge watches with mixed emotions of shock and disgust, Burning leaves to regain discipline. He asks if they understand that he wants to cut loose just as much as them. An operator says she is sick of pilot’s egos and Synapse scolds her. He says that everyone is sick to death of the African scenery. A message from Jaburo comes in. While Synapse talks to the man, Nina goes off on a soliloquy saying that if they don’t find something soon, she’ll go on edge too. She is brought back to reality by Synapse asking if she agrees with what the man says. The man reiterates that if recovering the GP02 is too much trouble, destroy it, then adds, ‘to hell with what that lunarian onboard thinks’. Nina recoils like she was struck and asks the man to repeat himself. Synapse, hoping to avoid an unpleasant scene, tells the man he will do his best and hangs up. He asks Nina to forgive the man’s rudeness and then an operator goes off, saying that the brass doesn’t know how it really works. The helmsman says that all other ships that are with them are under Admiral Kowen. Then a third operator chimes in, saying that the folks at Jaburo are so afraid of having their own nuke fired at them that they are racing all over just to avoid it. Synapse stands up and tells everyone to stop the absurd behavior. The hostile moment is broken when they get a message from Kou in the Core Fighter, saying he cannot find anything. He requests landing clearance.
In the Hangar, the 3 veteran pilots play poker while Monsha blows up over the crappy hand he was dealt. Bate reminds him that the game was his idea. Monsha says they don’t act like friends, more like bankers or ex wives. They hear that the core fighter is going to land and Monsha gets an idea. Monsha bets Bate exactly what he owes Bate that Uraki can’t make the landing. Monsha puts a playing card into the circuit board, causing the landing guides to go out. Uraki loses control and the core fighter spins into a crash, luckily its not severely damaged. While Monsha celebrates, Mora realizes that he sabotaged it. Monsha says he was just giving Uraki a little training. She grabs him by the collar (yet again) and tells him that they only have that one spare core fighter. While struggling to breathe, Monsha says that Kou can’t land without someone holding his hand and points at Nina. Nina says him that it has already been decided that Uraki will pilot the GP01. Monsha insists that he was drinking and in a rematch, he wouldn’t screw up again. Nina says she hates people with no self control. Monsha tells her not to say hate because it is the opposite of love. Nina tells Kou to come with her. Kou salutes an angry Monsha before following her. Chap tells Monsha that if he doesn’t cool it, he’ll just piss off Nina even more. Monsha tells him to shut up and says he hates being on standby. He asks where ‘those Zeek bastards’ are hiding.
In an abandoned diamond mine, ‘those Zeek bastards’ climb on Zakus and Doms, just to get a look at Anavel Gato’s arrival with the GP02. They cheer as he exits the GP02 and says “Victory For Zeon!” The Albion continues to search as Keith comes running out of the bridge, obviously needing to take a leak. He runs into Burning, who asks his problem and tells him to calm down and stay on the left side of the hallway. He continues running and hits Orville, our asshole Anaheim worker. He helps Orville pick up the papers he dropped and then takes off again. Orville walks away and Burning sees a paper that Orville left behind. In the Diamond mines, Gato and base commander, Neuen Bitter, toast to the rebirth of Zeon and the success of Operation Stardust. Gato says Neuen is an inspiration to all soldiers for keeping an underground base for 3 years. Neuen laments the loss of men and says that now; at least maintaining the HLV was worth it. Gato asks why Neuen is doing so much for him. Neuen says he doesn’t know Gato’s plan, nor does he want to but he’ll do anything that he can to bring about the rebirth of Zeon.
The Albion is scrambling as an alarm goes off. Armed men chase Orville, who’s left behind paper indicates that he was a Zeon spy (who knew). Orville flies away in the core fighter and the soldiers are too late to stop him. The Albion tries to shoot him down but the core fighter is too fast and small. Nina apologizes to Synapse but Synapse tells her that Orville could lead them right to the enemy base. Orville tries to contact the base but Neuen orders them not to answer it at all. Burning has the pilots’ launch, Monsha as leader of Alpha team with Kou and Keith while Bate and Adel are on standby as the Bravo team. Monsha says he doesn’t need any bed wetting babies. Kou says that he’ll follow Monsha with diapers at the ready. As Monsha goes to the end of the runway, he looks up Nina’s skirt on the sub camera. Mora sees it and tells Nina that there is a pervert at starboard. Nina freaks out and Synapse orders them to launch.
Orville notices the flashing of scopes and figures that the 2 Zakus he sees are there to escort him. The Zakus shoot his core fighter down and ejects safely. Monsha appears to be enjoying himself and asks where the spacemen are at. Kou tells him that they prefer to be called spacenoids. Monsha says that is great because it sounds even stupider. Kou asks Monsha if he always commands in such a manner. Monsha tells him that he is a very stubborn son of a bitch and tells him not to get cocky. Kou understands and then spots 2 Zakus. Monsha tells them to hit the enemy. Uraki says they’re not close enough to be accurate but Monsha says it is his order. Kou and Keith fire but miss and the Zakus run away. Monsha’s team gives chase, thinking that the Zakus will lead them to the Zeon hideout. Commander Neuen heads up to his own Zaku and tells Lt Val that after he launches, Val will be in charge of the base and tells him to surrender once the HLV is in space. Val continues to protest but an ice cold stare from Gato shuts him up.
Monsha’s team continues to chase the Zakus when Kou picks up something to their left. Monsha turns left, only to have his shield taken out by a rocket. While Monsha’s team falls back to a trench, Monsha gets pissed when he finds out he walked into an ambush. Monsha gets a message from the Albion, saying that Burning is royally pissed at him. Gato sits silently in the HLV while the hangar opens and the launch counts down. The Albion completes its turn toward the diamond mine and Burning asks why they’re taking the Albion straight in. Synapse says that the feint was clearly designed to buy time and orders everyone to man their battle stations. An explosion rocks the Albion and Burning asks what is going on. Neuen’s team of 3 Zakus and 2 Doms has arrived to fight the Albion. When he sees that only 2 mobile suits are guarding it, he feels luck is on his side and orders his men to charge. Monsha sees that the Zakus are kicking up too much dust and orders Kou to breach the enemy’s line. Monsha says that if Kou is scared, he should get out and let him take his place. Uraki takes to the sky and shoots down 2 Doms. Keith and Monsha pop up and kill the 3 Zakus. Monsha complements Uraki as well as he can and orders them to follow him to rescue the Albion. Burning asks Synapse if they can gain any altitude and Synapse says that he will not abandon Bate and Adel. Adel tries to target a Dom and says he can’t use the cannons while he is running. Bate shoots a Dom and gives it the finger, calling it a ‘ground pounder’. Fire from behind knocks him down but the Zakus continue toward the Albion rather than finishing him. They see smoke coming out of the base and Synapse orders Lt Paserov to shoot the HLV down. Neuen orders his men to charge again but 2 Zakus are cut down by Keith’s cannons. Paserov fires but both shots go around the HLV. Neuen says ‘Glory to Operation Stardust’ and boosts onto the Albion’s deck with another Zaku. The Albion’s turrets take down his partner but he lands and prepares to knock out the bridge. Just before he would’ve killed everyone on the Albion, he is picked off by a beam, courtesy of Kou.
Neuen’s Zaku reaches toward the sky as the Albion flies over. Gato’s HLV breaks free of the atmosphere as he clutches the last diamond that came from the mine. While everyone with the Albion sobers up to the fact that the GP02 escaped right through their hands, the see the surrendering Zeon remnants. As Kou looks up into the sky, he asks if spacenoids are really the enemy.
Paul Jr’s Thoughts:
Kou and Keith seem to have really improved. Monsha is still a dick but at least he appears to be nicer to Kou at the end of the episode. You really have to hand it to the Zeon remnants, they kept that base for 3 years without detection and it finally paid off for them. With Gato now in space, will the Albion have no choice but to follow him? How will they track the GP02?
