Welcome to Gundam Plus II, the successor to the original Gundam Plus site.
Episode 3
The Federation base is now busy tending the wounded and repairing the Albion. Kou returns in the GP01 and is contacted by Captain Synapse. Kou immediately apologizes for taking the GP01 without permission and says it is his entire fault. Synapse doesn’t seem to hear him and asks what his impression of the prototype is. Kou says the power and maneuverability make it an excellent mobile suit. Synapse says good work and tells him to get some sleep. Kou breathes a sigh of relief and Captain Synapse gets a message from Jaburo. Admiral Kowen is put on screen and asks how the repairs on the Albion are going. Synapse says it will be another 8 hours and asks if the spy satellites have picked anything up. Kowen says no and then asks if preventing the escape to space was a bad idea because the Zeons might use that nuke on Jaburo. He says that now he is in charge of getting the nuke and Gundam back and tells Synapse to get the Albion repaired ASAP.
In the hangar, a dramatic fanfare plays as Kou exits the GP01 and takes the elevator down. He sees Mora and Nina and goes to them. Mora says good job but he doesn’t listen and begins apologizing to Nina. He thanks her and leaves and Mora says he is forthright for a soldier. Synapse announces to the ship that they are now charged with recovering the GP02 and the stolen nuke. Mora tells Nina she should leave the ship because she is a civilian but Nina says that checking out GP01 is her top priority. Kou walks along a fence and sees 3 Medea class carriers land. Keith pulls alongside him in a jeep and asks why he looks so sad. Keith tells him that some veteran pilots and new mobile suits were sent. He tries to cheer Kou up by reminding him that he went toe to toe with Anavel Gato and came back alive. Kou gets in the jeep and says he’s only alive because Lt Burning saved him. They drive off to visit Burning.
The Medeas unload some GM Cannon IIs and GM Customs. Along with that, they brought 3 veteran pilots, Lt Bernard Monsha, Ltjg Alpha Bate and Ensign Chap Adel. Monsha is already complaining about leaving his ‘hot date’ while swigging a 40oz. He looks down and notices 3 female mechanics and his eyes light up. He runs up to them and asks if they’re free for a date while Alpha says he is hopeless. The shrieks heard off screen probably mean they’re not too thrilled either. In the hangar, Nina checks the combat data of Kou Uraki’s run and appears surprised at what she sees. Enter our veteran pilots. Monsha looks at the GP01 and asks the other 2 what they think of the name ‘Monsha prototype special’. Alpha reminds him that the pilots aren’t chosen and Nina yells at them. She tells them to keep away from the Gundam while it is being serviced. Monsha only caught the fact that she was blonde and hops into the elevator to move in for the kill. He calls her a rose in fullest bloom and introduces himself. He asks her name. She tells him and asks if they are pilots and here to see the Gundam. Monsha tells Nina that he only has eyes for her. Nina says if he doesn’t have any business, he’ll have to leave. He says he cannot help it because Nina is his ideal lady. Mora comes in and yells to Nina to watch out because apparently Mr. Monsha has felt up all the girls and is now on Nina and Mora. Monsha calls her a ‘nosy Amazon’ and rolls up his sleeve to show her what for. Mora gladly responds to the challenge but Alpha asks them to skip the fights on account they’ll be working together indefinitely. Chap asks Mora if there is a LTJG Burning on the base. Mora tells him that there is a full Lt South Burning in the med tent. Chap asks if something happened to him and Mora says he was hospitalized after being injured.
At the med tent, a doctor tends to a line of soldiers while Keith and Kou visit Lt Burning. Keith asks if Burning is sure his injuries aren’t serious. Burning says that the doctors are overreacting and it’s hardly worth calling a real injury. Keith asks that now that they have the new veteran pilots, will him and Kou be needed anymore. Burning says that it appears that way. In pops Monsha, Bate and Adel, all happy to see their old buddy Burning. Burning jumps up to his elbows when he realizes who it is. Monsha says that they heard someone got him but couldn’t find him in the morgue. Burning says he can’t believe they’re still alive. Alpha reminds him that they’re the ‘Immortal 4th Team’. Monsha gives Burning the half drunk bottle of booze as a ‘get well present’ and Burning realizes that they’re the reserves that were called in for the mission. Alpha says he can’t believe that the GP02 was stolen so easily and Monsha says he heard that someone stole GP01 to go after it. Monsha goes on to unknowingly bash Kou, who is right behind him, by saying that the GP01's pilot must’ve been a real screw off to fail to recapture the GP02. Burning says that his team went after it and claims full responsibility. Burning introduces Kou Uraki and Chuck Keith and sends them off to collect Allen’s personal effects. Chap asks if they are still green. Monsha negatively says they must be ensigns straight out of the academy. Burning tells them that those ensigns have a lot of potential and that they fought against the Nightmare of Solomon. Monsha says he doesn’t believe that those ensigns went against that ‘son of a bitch Zeek bastard, Gato’.
Nina drives in a jeep with a book in the passenger seat. She sees Keith and Kou heading into the barracks and grabs her book to follow them. Inside, Keith wants to tackle the rooms together but Kou won’t hear it. Kou forces the door open and salutes, announcing his entrance as he would if Allen were there. Nina follows Kou upstairs while Kou looks around at Allen’s stuff. Kou picks up an NFL football and then notices a picture of Allen and a blonde girl on the wall. He curses himself for not being a better pilot and repeatedly strikes the wall while Nina watches from the doorway. On Gato’s Jukon, he enters the bridge and asks how long it will be to reach Africa. He is told that the trip will be about a week and that everyone in Kimbareid is eager to see him. Back at the Fed base’s mess hall, Keith follows Kou and asks him why he volunteered for Allen’s recovery mission. Kou says he can’t just sit around with his thumb up his ass. Keith asks Kou why he wants to intentionally risk his life again. Kou stops and Keith runs into him. Kou sees Monsha, Adel and Bate. Monsha welcomes the ‘brave ensign’. Kou and Keith salute and keep walking. Monsha stops him and asks if it is true that he tangled with Gato. Kou avoids the question and Monsha pokes at the idea that Kou just hid until Gato got away. Kou says he is safe because of Burning and Nina and that on his own, he would’ve been killed. Nina comes storming down the hall and says that it was Kou’s own skill that saved his life. She hands him her book which contains the data of his combat run and Kou apparently pushed the GP01 to its full potential. Monsha asks Kou if he is an amateur pilot but an expert with women. Nina yells at him but Monsha continues by saying that the GP01's pilot will be one of the veterans anyway. Monsha says he will take good care of the GP01 and Nina and makes comments comparing Kou to a Mama’s boy. Nina has had enough and tells Monsha that a pilot with an ounce of skill wouldn’t go around judging other pilots without knowing what the fuck he is talking about. Nina says she wouldn’t be surprised if Kou is a better pilot and Monsha asks if she wants to find out. Monsha puts out a challenge that if Kou wins the fight, he’ll be recommended for the Gundam but should Monsha win, Kou won’t show his face around Monsha again. Kou accepts despite Keith’s protests.
While the Albion’s bridge is on lunch break, the operator gets word from Lt Monsha that they might have spotted the enemy and need to take the Gundam. They go to the ruins where Kou and Keith trained before. The challenge is simple, whoever gets a paint round on the other man’s suit first, wins. Monsha puts a picture of Nina up in the cockpit of his GM Custom over a nude picture of another girl. Bate fires the start gun and the match are on. Keith is driving Burning to the site while Burning insists Keith goes faster. Keith reminds him that if they rock too much, Burning’s wounds will open. Burning says he doesn’t care and tells him to drive quicker. While Kou looks for Monsha, he checks out the specs for the GM Custom, remarkable for being totally unremarkable. Monsha flies past him and takes cover behind a large piece of debris. Monsha fires as Kou hides behind another. Kou pops out to fire and doesn’t see Monsha until he looks up. Monsha says he is too slow and fires at Kou. Kou dodges and Monsha asks if Kou is just going to run away. Kou hides again and changes his magazine. Monsha goes into a ruined building and Kou follows him. Adel asks Bate if Monsha is playing a little reckless. Bate says that is typical Monsha and he is more concerned with Kou’s performance. Monsha hides on a higher level while Kou looks around for him. As he tries to snipe Kou, the floor caves beneath him and he falls, alerting Kou. Monsha recovers in mid flight and returns fire. Kou boosts back to avoid falling rubble. Monsha chases Kou into a corner where rubble falls on the Gundam. Monsha avoids some rubble and thinks he has Kou beaten. Kou thrusts out of the debris and tackles Monsha. They break through the wall and land outside where Monsha opens his eyes to see down the barrel of the GP01's gun. Here to break Kou’s high spirits is Lt Burning who is quite apparently pissed. Keith told him everything. Burning tells them to only worry about getting their asses back to the base.
Back at the base, Kou and Monsha receive one week of solitary confinement each. Kou sits on his bunk while Monsha lays on his. Monsha kicks the wall, startling Kou. In the bridge, Synapse is informed that both Nina and Orville wish to stay aboard the Albion. Chap helps Burning to the bridge where Synapse has requested his presence. Synapse asks if he is all right and Burning says he isn’t hurt badly. Synapse says that since Burning’s men are difficult for him to control, he wishes for Burning to be the company commander and be in charge of all things involving mobile suits. He asks if he could assign a rookie to the Gundam and Synapse says that would be Burning’s decision. Burning thanks Synapse and Synapse orders the ship to take off for Africa immediately. The Albion lifts off and flies into the sunset.
Paul Jr’s Thoughts:
Dear God! Monsha has got to be one of the most annoying characters I’ve met. You think by now someone would take his alcohol away. Bate and Adel seem like nice people and at least Burning seems to like him. Kou really made Monsha eat his own words and the week of isolation isn’t much a price for his personal victory. One more thing, Keith needs to quit saying ‘for Christ’s sake’ he’s said it twice in one sentence already. And Synapse really doesn’t seem to compare to Bright but I guess we’ll have to find out.
