Mobile Suit Gundam

Plot Summary

The Federation captain is not doing well

The episode opens with the crew of the White Base en route to the Earth Federation base of Luna II where they will regroup with the Federation forces. In the sickbay of White Base, the captain is close to death, and gives the acting captain, Bright Noa, his authorization codes to approach Luna II. Elsewhere on the ship, Fraw Bow, Sayla Mass, and the children help take care of the innocent civilians aboard, while Amuro Ray eschews eating and personal hygiene to work on the Gundam.

Amuro uses the sun as cover for his attack

Char Aznable and his Musai cruiser, however, doggedly pursue the White Base through space, but do not attack. Bright and Mirai Yashima discuss the possible reasons for Char's tentative tactics. Mirai believes that Char is low on supplies and awaiting reinforcements, while Bright thinks that it might be a trap. Bright, not wanting to make the decision on his own, calls the entire crew to White Base's bridge and holds a vote to decide whether or not to attack Char's ship. The overwhelming majority of the personnel vote in favor of launching an attack on Char.

Amuro and Ryu Jose head to the White Base's hangar to prepare to launch in their vehicles, the Gundam and Core Fighter, respectively. As they launch, Char's ship meets with the Zeon supply ship and begins transferring the mobile suits and ammo over. Amuro and Ryu circle around behind the ships and, putting the sun at their back, begin assaulting the two unsuspecting ships. Amuro's initial missile barrage destroys the dock connecting the vessels, rendering the supply transfer impossible. The supply craft manually deploys it's stock of Zaku IIs to provide cover as they drop the remaining supplies on Luna II for Char to pick up after the battle. Char also deploys in his custom Zaku II in an attempt to destroy the Gundam and Core Fighter.

Ryu destroys the link between Char's Musai and the supply ship

While Ryu continues his bombardment of the Zeon ships, Amuro and Char are locking in a heated battle in the bright sunlight. Amuro initially appears to be able to hold his own against the Red Comet, but his bazooka runs out of ammo, allowing Char to catch him off-guard. Before Char can finish him off, White Base moves in and joins the battle, forcing Char to defend his ship. As White Base approaches the battlefield, Hayato Kobayashi and Kai Shiden attempt to man the turrets, but are unable to get a clear shot off due to Ryu's Core Fighter being in the way. They try to hail him, but his comm system is shut off. Kai mentions that he's licensed to operate heavy land vehicles, so in order to stay in the fight and have a better firing angle, Hayato and Kai deploy in the Guntank.

Hayato and Kai prepare to deploy in the Guntank

Due to the intense fire coming from the Federation forces, the captain of the Zeon supply ship, Commandant Gadem, deploys in his Zaku I to protect the soldiers transporting the supplies. He rushes into battle, unarmed, against Amuro, ignoring Char's warnings about the Gundam's power. Gadem sees this battle as his last opportunity to prove himself in combat. Although he is a decorated Zeon officer, his age is starting to get the better of him and he is bitter about being relegated to commanding an outdated supply vessel. Gadem, in his fury, charges directly into Amuro, headbutting the Gundam and almost cracking its hull. Amuro, however, manages to drive his beam saber into Gadem's Zaku I's side, causing it to explode.

Char and Amuro in close-quarters combat

Char is once again disturbed by the raw power of the Gundam and White Base, but recognizes from their simplistic battle tactics that the pilots are quite inexperienced. Char orders the remaining Zaku IIs to cover the loading of supplies rather than risk pursuing the Gundam, giving his forces time to regroup and plan their next attack on Amuro and his friends. Meanwhile, on board White Base, Bright cuts the crew's celebration short by reprimanding Amuro for his recklessness in battle. Amuro is clearly upset by Bright's comments, but promises to do better in the next battle.

Amuro squares off against Commandant Gadem