Zeta Gundam Ep. 15: Katz’s Sortie

Buran returns to the Sudori and orders his mechanics to work quickly because he intends to launch again as soon as the Asshimar is repaired. He never expected a transport plane to ram into him, and his thought is interrupted when Rosamia comes down from the Gaplant’s cockpit to thank him for the repairs. Buran wonders to himself if all Cyber Newtypes have a habit of repeating themselves, and Rosamia asks to join his team. She forcefully says that she wants to beat “those people” no matter what, and Buran responds that he doesn’t like the way she said that. Rosamia becomes emotional and says that the AEUG will eradicate all life on Earth by dropping a colony, like the sky was falling. Buran explains that the AEUG hate Earth being polluted and wouldn’t go that far. Rosamia says that she dreams every night of the sky falling, and Buran tells her to do as she wishes. On the Audhumla’s bridge, Amuro explains to Hayato that Fraw and the kids went to Japan, and he asks if it was his idea to have Fraw come visit. Hayato asks if it annoyed him, and Amuro answers that it didn’t. Hayato says that he’s glad he sent them, and that Amuro brought Katz as expected. Hayato explains that Katz was desperate to get away from life on Earth, but Fraw was against the idea. Amuro responds that he doesn’t blame her because no mother in the world would want to send her child to war. Hayato says that it’s no different for a foster mother, but a child will do what they want, regardless of the parents’ feelings. Amuro comments that he feels aged when he sees Katz, and Hayato responds that he wasn’t expecting to hear such pessimism. Hayato hopes that Amuro will help train Katz, but Amuro suspects that it’s the other way around and that Hayato wants him to get retrained. Hayato laughs in response and then answers a call from Quattro about coming below decks. Amuro asks if it was Char, but Hayato answers that it’s Quattro. Amuro says that he’ll only ever be Char to him, and Hayato says not to be such a stickler about it. Katz enters the cockpit of the Gundam Mk-II and gets yelled at by Kamille for touching the controls. Kamille apologizes and explains he was making adjustments and that touching the controls would’ve caused an electric jolt. Katz says he was impressed that Kamille piloted the Gundam Mk-II, and Quattro tells Kamille to take care of Katz. Kamille asks about his experience with mobile suits, and Katz answers that since Hayato runs the war museum, he’s tried all the older models. Kamille comments that Hayato seems very young to be his father, and Katz explains that he’s a foster father. Kamille comments that it’s better than having no father at all and asks Katz if he knows Amuro well. Katz explains that they were on the White Base together during the One Year War, and that Amuro was like an idol to them then but seems different now. Kamille mentions that ramming a plane into a mobile suit was quite a feat, but Katz isn’t sure yet because he feels that Amuro doesn’t have the same spirit. Quattro tells Hayato that the new Dodai Customs will prove useful, and Hayato is convinced that Buran will be back to prove the Asshimar’s superiority. Amuro wonders why Char returned to Earth, and Quattro asks Hayato if they’ll get any information from Kai at Hickory. Hayato isn’t sure and comments that finding the Titans base won’t be easy. Quattro says that people tend to underrate the abilities of those close to them, but he has faith in Kai as a former member of the White Base’s crew. Quattro walks over to Amuro and comments that ramming a plane with no mobility into a mobile suit is impressive, but Amuro doesn’t answer. He asks Char why he returned to the Earth Sphere, and Char answers that he came to laugh at him. Amuro gets up to walk away, and Char says that’s the answer he wanted to hear. Amuro comments that he didn’t want to end up this way, and Char notes that he doesn’t seem to want sympathy. In that case, Char wants to see him become the Amuro who can live up to Katz’s expectations. Amuro repeats his question about returning to the Earth Sphere, and Char answers that Lalah Sune’s spirit is drifting around here and that he couldn’t feel her beyond Mars. Char tells Amuro that shutting himself within his shell will help the Earth Federation and the Titans. Amuro counters that there’s nothing he can do if he can’t get to space, and Char recites a quote about how a bird in a cage is nothing but a tool for one’s enjoyment. Kamille gives Amuro a food pack and says he’s been hoping for a chance to meet. Kamille mentions that he hears Amuro’s name a lot from people and that it feels like a pain to be compared to him. Kamille wants to know how he can live up to people’s expectations, and Amuro comments that he was about Kamille’s age when he first fought in the Gundam, and at that time he was desperate. He asks what Katz has been saying about him, and Kamille angrily says that Amuro should ask Katz that directly. Kamille abruptly leaves, and Amuro wonders what he’s doing. Rosamia asks Buran what will happen if the Audhumla escapes to the Pacific Ocean, and Buran responds that they can’t escape because the EFF has a base in New Guinea. Katz mans an observation pod atop the Audhumla and spots an old D17 Comet biplane approaching them. Katz reports the news to the bridge, and Hayato has the Audhumla descend so that the Comet can land from the rear. The Comet flies around the Audhumla and lands inside its hangar. The Comet’s pilot, Beltorchika Irma, introduces herself to Hayato and Katz as a member of Karaba. Kamille is impressed by the Comet and comments that it’s a beautiful replica. Katz goes to wake Amuro up and pesters him with comments about Beltorchika and questions about why he’s not interested in the Gundam Mk-II. Amuro ignores Katz by taking a shower, and he thinks to himself that it’s spiteful on Char and Hayato’s part to ignore him and let Kamille pilot a Gundam.

Amuro shows up to a small meeting room where Beltorchika explains that the HLV at Hickory can take three mobile suits up to space. Katz gets up to leave, and Amuro introduces himself to Beltorchika. She offers him one of the apples that she brought and comments that even though he’s a Newtype, he looks like a normal person. Beltorchika comments that she’s relieved because she’d always imagined that Amuro would be more war-like. She was worried that the AEUG and Karaba would be unbothered by killing people in the just cause of opposing the Titans. Quattro walks by on his way to the bridge, and Amuro wonders why he senses fear in Beltorchika. Quattro asks Katz why he isn’t with the others, and Katz answers that he doesn’t want to be around Amuro. Quattro notices on the map that they’re approaching the site of what used to be San Francisco. Beltorchika tells the others that she doesn’t like Quattro and has the feeling that he’s someone who can’t live without war. Kamille notes that she’s a member of Karaba, so she can’t be totally opposed to fighting, but her response is that she doesn’t feel any peaceful intelligence coming from Quattro. Amuro says that Quattro isn’t the kind of man she thinks he is, and that deep inside he’s kind. Amuro then leaves, and Beltorchika wonders if she said something she shouldn’t have. Hayato tells her not to worry about it, but she says that’s a lie. The Audhumla flies over the wreckage of the Golden Gate Bridge and picks up the Sudori on sensors. Rosamia, intent on repaying Buran for his help, launches in the Gaplant with a Base Jabber. While Kamille puts on his pilot suit, Katz jumps into the cockpit of the Gundam Mk-II and launches with a Dodai Custom. Quattro tells Kamille to sortie in the Rick Dias, and he takes off in the Hyaku-Shiki. Amuro wants to launch in one of the Nemos, but Hayato stops him and notes that he hasn’t piloted anything in seven years. Beltorchika thinks to herself that Amuro is just another person who fights, but then she senses fear in him and wonders if he’s the same person that people call a Newtype. Beltorchika thinks that just as she’s afraid of the sky falling, Amuro is afraid of fighting. The Audhumla lowers its altitude and Beltorchika mans one of the machinegun turrets. Rosamia jumps off the Base Jabber and then blows it up near Katz, who doesn’t know how to activate the enemy search monitor. Rosamia gives chase, and Katz hits the water due to trouble controlling the Dodai Custom. Rosamia wonders if there’s a different pilot from before, or if this is part of some strategy. Katz continues to struggle and crashes into the Golden Gate Bridge, which convinces Rosamia that she’s fighting a different pilot. Rosamia comes under fire from Quattro and turns her attention to him and Kamille. Rosamia decides to use Katz as a shield and flies down to knock the Gundam Mk-II off the Dodai Custom. Katz panics and fires blindly, with stray shots nearly hitting Quattro and Kamille. Rosamia seizes control of the Dodai Custom but then lets go of it midair, allowing Quattro to grab onto it. Kamille pulls the Gundam Mk-II onto his Dodai Custom and yells at Katz when he insists that he can still fight. Kamille yells at Katz that his actions have caused trouble for others and that it’s too late if the Gundam Mk-II gets destroyed. Katz spots Rosamia behind Kamille and fires his rifle, which blows off one of her legs. Quattro then lands a shot that destroys the other leg, and Rosamia tries to brace her fall by grabbing onto the Golden Gate Bridge’s cables. Kamille fires at the Gaplant, and Rosamia ejects just before it explodes. Kamille asks about Rosamia, and Quattro comments that energy has been released from a misguided mind. When the Sudori loses the Gaplant’s signal, Buran comments that Rosamia’s over-aggressiveness led to her defeat, and he wonders if Cyber Newtypes are really of any use. Hayato punches Katz and knocks him down, and when Katz insists that he saw an enemy that wasn’t visible, Hayato hits him again. Hayato yells at Katz not to mistake a coincidence for some special new ability, and Kamille agrees. However, he also agrees with what Katz said, but Hayato states that he can’t easily forgive this because one person’s selfish actions could endanger everyone. Quattro watches Amuro walk away and wonders why he doesn’t feel any sensation like before after seeing young people fighting. The Audhumla continues on course for Hickory.