Zgd Volume 3 - Blog Posts
Welcome to the third post in the "jakka-ningen reads Zeta Gundam Define" series, in which I learn that it takes many, many words to describe a battle action. Many more words than it takes to summarize dialogue, alas. Settle in for a long journey, as Raira's arc comes to a close and Kamille says goodbye to his parents.
We open up on the Titans beginning their next assault. Raira Raira tells Jerid that he should check, in all directions, for the enemy's killing intent. He understands what she means in theory, but thinks that fully comprehending it might be more difficult. "At any rate, let's try it."
Meanwhile, back on the Argama, Bright, Char, and Blex are discussing battle tactics. Blex is a little hesitant to keep sending a 17 year old out with their newest, shiniest weapon. Char says that it'll be fine; they have two Mk-IIs, anyway, and Kamille isn't a bad pilot.
That being said, Blex wonders if it wouldn't be better to hold off on using him as a pilot. After all, Char thinks he's a natural talent, so it might be better not to put him in harm's way until they start fighting more important battles later on.
Char: Sorry to contradict you, Junshou, but the AEUG would be in a bind if we put off using Kamille as a core pilot until we reach a decisive battle against the Titans. And if he were to be defeated during one of these early battles, that would just mean he wasn't as talented as we thought.
Blex: You're a ruthless man, Quattro-taii.
Char: I'd do anything within my power to win a battle.
Bright: You're exceedingly practical, aren't you, Taii.
I mean, I guess that's one word for it.
Char: Training is, in the end, just training. The truly excellent soldiers are the ones who come back from actual battles alive. That's just my pet theory, though.
Bright: I mean, back then, knowing that Zeon's Red Comet was laying in wait, I sent Amuro, who was a complete novice, out to fight. From that perspective, I can't find fault in what Taii is saying.
Bright, just because you have PTSD, doesn't mean you can wash your hands of responsibility and pass it forward to the next generation, lol.
As Blex reluctantly gives in to the combined opinions of his staff, the comms call Bright to the bridge. The Titans' MS squadron is on its way.
We get a series of panels showing the revolving segments of the Argama pulling into its hull as it enters "battle mode." I don't know if the anime ever went into this, but those revolve-y bits are the living quarters, and their revolution is what allows for inertial gravity in those areas.
We cut to the locker room, where Kamille is putting on the pilot suit he's borrowing from Reccoa. Fa bursts in and begs him to stop doing such dangerous things. Kamille explains that he's fighting to protect the Argama itself, and that if it sinks, they'll all die anyway. "I'm doing this to protect you, too Yuiri."
Sometimes I feel like Kitazume is directly criticizing Amuro through these Kamille lines... (lol)
We cut to the bridge, where we're told that the enemy MS should arrive in about seven minutes. Blex suggests that they might be able to run, but Bright informs him that trying to navigate around obstacles while enemy MS are incoming is basically a suicide mission.
After asking how many units are on their way, we find out that the Argama is outgunned six to four, even if they include Kamille in that count. Bright asks Quattro if they'll be able to protect the ship, and he says, "There's nothing to be done except to do it."
Char: Except... there is one unit amongst them that shouldn't be underestimated.
Blex: Then aim to shoot down the other five, not the one strong unit. If we do that, they'll pull out.
Bright: 😕
Char: Yeah, probably.
Master tacticians, these guys.
We get another proud older brother Char moment when he sends a comm to Kamille to get ready for combat, only to find that the kid is already suited up and sitting in the cockpit, ready to go.
Raira Raira tells her team that the AEUG only has one member who can pilot the Mk-II, and three other suits with unknown specifications. She tells the rest of her squadron to pull the AEUG's pilots away from the Argama so that she and Jerid can get in close and attack the ship directly.
Before they proceed, she warns Jerid that, whatever he does, he mustn't engage the red machine by himself. He agrees, saying, "This time, I'll follow your orders to the letter, Taii. I promise."
Jerid seems a bit like a kid himself here, and I almost think he's a little cute.
When we return to the Argama, Kamille excitedly asks for battle instructions from Char, which astonishes and amuses Apolly and Roberto. I suppose, from their perspective, Kamille looks more like a kid who's getting ready for a field trip than a soldier about to go into battle.
Char goes over their objectives, but Kamille gets distracted halfway through. "That woman is coming...!"
But when Char asks him what he's talking about, Kamille says that it's nothing, then confirms that his job is to keep the enemy MS away from the ship. Char looks at him suspiciously, but confirms his orders and doesn't pry further into Kamille's earlier behavior.
Back on the bridge, Saegusa is in the unfavorable position of telling Bright that they've lost sight of two of the enemy MS. Bright relays the information on to Char, who tells Roberto and Apolly that the remaining four are likely a diversion, so they should be careful not to fall into a trap.
Noting that the Galbaldy with their ace isn't among the four visible machines, Char wonders where the remaining two plan to attack from, and thinks to himself that he mustn't underestimate them.
Meanwhile, Raira and Jerid discuss their plans to sink the Argama from behind nearby (dummy?) asteroids. Raira intends to cut into the ongoing battle between the other suits and disperse them so that Jerid can target the Argama's engines. Jerid thinks this is reckless, but remembers that he's promised to go along with Raira's orders for now.
Char contacts Bright and tells him that he intends to make it look like they've fallen for the enemy's plan and put some distance between themselves and the ship. Bright asks if he should target them with the ship's machine guns once they've been rounded up, and Char responds that Bright is living up to his reputation as the former captain of the White Base. (lol)
They manage to take out one machine with this plan, and Roberto cutely asks Apolly if he wouldn't mind bagging another while they're at it. (lol) Apolly pulls that request off immediately, bringing the total count down to 4v4.
Just then, Raira engages Kamille, who recognizes her instantly. What's more interesting is that Raira also recognizes Kamille. I guess her earlier comments about sensing the killing intent of her enemies wasn't for nothing; she's got some Newtype stuff going on, herself!
Apparently this is a new thing for her, and at first she chalks it up to never having faced an enemy she had previously met outside of battle before. But she quickly realizes that there's more to it than that.
Kamille brings his machine into contact with hers, confirming through skin-talk that it really is her, asking her why she's come to fight him, even though she spared his life last time. Meanwhile, Jerid is confused as to why she hasn't shot the Mk-II down yet.
Char notices the Mk-II and Galbaldy are in close contact, and realizes that he can't shoot down the Galbaldy without also hitting Kamille. He asks Roberto and Apolly to support Kamille while he takes on the two remaining visible units.
Meanwhile, Kamille is being naive.
Raira: It is you, after all! Why are you piloting the Mk-II?!
Kamille: I'm Kamille Bidan, a member of the AEUG. You understand that the ones who are really in the wrong aren't the AEUG, but the Titans, don't you? That's why you let me go last time, isn't it?
Raira: That's nonsense! The AEUG are criminals. There's no way I'd acknowledge (the legitimacy of) a group like that!
Kamille: The AEUG had no choice other than to stage an armed uprising against the Titans, who were using their military might to oppress the Spacenoids! You should be more than capable of understanding which of the two forces must be defeated!
Raira: Shut up! I don't have time for the babbling of a child!
I guess Raira still has her comms line open to Jerid, because not only does Kamille hear her; Jerid does, too. He realizes she's talking to the Mk-II's pilot, and asks her why she isn't attacking him. He specifically asks if Raira is holding back because she's trying to capture the Mk-II unscathed for his sake. "If that's the case, it's fine; just attack it!"
Raira responds that this is a personal matter and doesn't concern him. She tells him to continue on with the previously planned attack without her and cuts the line.
Kamille, having heard her say Jerid's name, figures out that he must be nearby. As Jerid runs off to complete his mission, Kamille relays his hunch about Jerid's whereabouts to a concerned Char.
Char: I'll leave (the Galbaldy) to you, but make sure you shoot it down! Got it?!
Of course, he doesn't "got it." Kamille continues to try to bargain with Raira.
Kamille: Please! Look into your heart!
(No, like, seriously. This kid is one sentence away from "Search your feelings; you know it to be true.")
Raira, whose sunvisor is blacked out, obscuring her face: I'm an officer in the regular Earth Federation armed forces! I have a duty I must fulfill, and I'm fighting in order to execute my mission!!
Kamille: Don't lie to yourself! Please! Join me and fight for actual justice!
Raira: I'm not about to listen to some know-it-all kid!!
While they're having this heart-to-heart, Char has caught up to Jerid. Remembering that Raira told him to, on no account, fight that red MS one-on-one, Jerid retreats, as Char gives pursuit.
Going back to Kamille and Raira, she's raised her visor for the sole purpose of massaging away a headache. I'm guessing Kamille's pressure is a bit difficult for a first-timer to deal with.
Kamille: Why won't you try to understand? If we can't understand one another, I've got no choice but to open fire on you!!
Raira: Then shoot! You and I are enemies. From the beginning, there was no way we could have understood one another!!
She then kicks the Mk-II right in the crotch. (lol)
As she's disengaging, Raira yells at herself that, as a member of the EFF, she can't allow herself to be swayed by the sentiments of some kid. But, thinking back on his words about "which of the two forces must be defeated," she has a sudden realization.
Raira, thinking: If we were both Newtypes, would we have been able to understand one another? I see... It's because I'm an Oldtype... Was I too slow in realizing it? Was that... what it was...?
Raira, yelling at herself: Still... Right here, right now, I have comrades and subordinates that I can't betray. There's nothing else I can do right now!
She then records a message for Jerid, although we don't get to see what she says.
While Kamille looks on, horrified, Raira targets the Argama's bridge, knowing that the AEUG's officers should be assembled there. Something stops her from firing, and she ends up shooting the ship's side, instead.
Screaming, "How could you do this, even though you do understand?!" Kamille shoots her down. Jerid sees the whole thing, and is understandably distraught. As he gets the order to retreat, we see on his MS dashboard display that he's received Raira' message, although he doesn't pay it any attention at the moment.
Back on the Bosnia, Jamaican tells Jerid that, considering the number of casualties versus the actual results, Jerid should have led the MS squadron instead of Raira. Jerid disagrees, stating that they were only able to succeed in taking out one of the Argama's main engines because of Raira's guidance.
Jamaican then orders Jerid to meet up with the Alexandria for further orders. After the call is cut, Jerid frustratedly flings his helmet across the room, seething that Jamaican could be so cold when, "he doesn't even know (what happened out there)!"
Over on the Argama, Kamille is getting his first "correction," at the hands of disappointed big brother Char.
Char: Your orders were to protect the Argama! Why didn't you shoot down the Galbaldy that was openly targeting the Argama before your very eyes? If you look down on your enemies like that, you'll be the one to lose your life!!
Kamille: I wasn't looking down on her. She was an excellent pilot.
Char: Are you saying you were overwhelmed?
Kamille: No! You had said that the AEUG is short on pilots, so I thought that I could persuade her to join our side. She also distrusted the Titans, so...
Char: You were certain about that?
Kamille: Yes. I just felt it...
Char: One wrong move, and the Argama could have been sunk! Next time, you must obey your orders! Do you understand, Kamille?!
Kamille: ...Yes, Taii.
We cut from Kamille's bruised face to Char and Reccoa sitting on either side of a bed in one of their quarters. I'm guessing it's Char's, since I don't see a bunch of houseplants.
Reccoa: You went a little hard on him. If you treat Kamille like that he'll...
Char: Are you feeling sorry for him? I'm very much aware that he's in a rough state. During that short battle, he was able to sense his opponent to that extent... His Newtype potential may be far beyond what I'd imagined.
Reccoa: Then, why...?
Char: He's too sensitive. Thankfully, this time his opponent really was able to be reasoned with, like Kamille said. That's why the situation was salvageable.
Reccoa: Then shouldn't you acknowledge that the way he went about things was correct?
Char: If his opponent had been someone else, we might have faced the worst possible outcome. Kamille's ability with the mobile suits is excellent. What he's lacking is cool-headedness. I can't be the bad cop here...
Reccoa: So you want me to be the good cop?
Char: Would you do that for me?
Reccoa: I can do that. But I have one condition. You've gotta be the good cop for me, Taii.
And then they kiss!
So, I used good cop/bad cop here, but the actual words are candy and whip, which is apparently the ideom closest to "carrot and stick" in Japanese. She actually asks him to give her some candy, too, which I think is a bit sexier and less "weird-roleplay," lol.
Over on the Alexandria, Jerid is turning his Hizack over to the mechanics, when one of them notices that he's received a message. Jerid goes to listen to it, and we finally find out what Raira wanted to tell him before she got herself blown up.
Raira: Jerid, listen. It was too late by the time I realized it. I don't want you to repeat the same mistakes I've made. Listen to your own heart, Jerid. I'm sorry I can't keep my promise to share that drink with you.
Jerid doesn't understand what she meant. "I didn't even have the chance to learn from you in the first place...!" He folds in on himself as if he's about to cry, but Kakricorn interrupts his introspection and asks him over to his room for a drink.
Back in Kakricorn's room, they have that age old argument over whether alcohol tastes better in a glass bottle or a can space-safe juice box. Kakricorn apparently brought out the good stuff for their reunion, unlike "that cheap swill you (Jerid) drink."
After Kakricorn asks what's got Jerid so depressed, he admits that he just lost someone important to him, so he's not feeling the party spirit. Kakricorn asks him if they were dating, and Jerid temporarily enters "dere mode," denying it with a flustered expression.
New light novel just dropped: My Most Disliked Gundam Villain Can't Possibly be this Cute.
Anyway, Jerid explains that Raira was going to teach him more about piloting MS in space, as she was incredibly talented. "Even you wouldn't stand a chance against her, Kakricorn."
(As an aside, characters who are sympathetic to Spacenoids use a different word for "space" than those who are not. This difference wasn't transferred over to any official English version of Gundam, so it's not noticeable unless you're watching/reading in Japanese. Our main cast calls space "the sky," whereas most Earthlings call it the normal word for "space." Jerid uses the normal word.)
Kakricorn notes that the AEUG must be impressive, if they were able to take down such a good pilot. Jerid swears that, now that he'll be in charge of some MS squadrons, he'll fight his battles in honor of Raira.
Kakricorn: Hate to burst your bubble, Jerid, but the next mission is gonna be led by that honor student, the Princess.
Jerid: Princess?!
It seems that Jerid is completely out of the loop on the gossip scene within the Titans, and has no idea they're talking about Emma. I hope he momentarily thinks a real royal has joined Titans and is temporarily excited.
After a brief explanation, Jerid questions the reasoning behind this nickname.
Jerid: Why is Emma-chuui called "the Princess," anyway?
Kakricorn: You don't know? Tell me, how did end up joining Titans?
Jerid: I got a letter of recommendation from my unit commander and took the enlistment test, like we were told to do when Jamitov Hymem put out the notification saying he was going to select new entrants... How was it for you guys?
Kakricorn: The commanding officer who was supposed to write my letter of recommendation was killed while fighting some Zeon remnants, so I was left without the papers I needed. I also failed the entrance test three times. On my fourth time I finally got my hands on this here emblem.
During my third attempt, I wasn't convinced that the guys I saw getting accepted weren't actually inferior to me...
Jerid: So what did you do? Don't tell me you asked Mauricio-shousa's secretary for...
Kakricorn: Well, to put it bluntly, yeah, I did. I asked Amelia to show me some top secret information.
Jerid: If somebody found out about it, the consequences wouldn't have ended with you failing the test, you know.
Kakricorn: Forget about that part. It's all in the past. Anyway, it was then that I saw it. Emma-chuui was recommended into the Titans by the higher ups.
Jerid: So she didn't volunteer? She was specially selected...
Kakricorn: You get it? Unlike us, she's special! I also found out about a real idiot who was specially selected and then turned down the position...
So that's his damage with both Emma and Bright! Also, Kakricorn may not be good at written exams, but he makes an excellent Mean Girl. He must've spread rumors amongst the other Titans himself as a smokescreen so he could talk smack openly without everyone knowing it was him who obtained and leaked the information in the first place.
Anyway, speaking of the guy who was specially selected and then turned down the position, we cut back to Bright who's discussing the enemy's whereabouts. It looks like both the Alexandria and the Bosnia, as well as the fleet from Luna II, are all on the horizon.
Henken, who is actually still on the Argama (I guess they haven't met up with the Radish yet?) points out that, with their engine damage, they can't very well run away. After some back and forth amongst the bridge crew, Char notes that there's not much they can do except wait to see what Bask has planned.
Over on the Alexandria, Emma and crew are getting their orders from Jamaican. This scene is more or less identical to its counterpart in the anime; it's the lead up to the mission that gets Kamille's mom killed. They think the capsule is a bomb; the details of their individual mission objectives are written on papers they're ordered to open up once the operation is actually underway.
We return to the Argama, where, after picking up movements from the Titans' MS squadron, Bright gives the order for all hands to don their normal suits and stand ready at level two battle stations.
Fa runs over to Kamille, and he scolds her for not yet having changed into a suit. He tells her to get changed and head back to her room, but she says she's scared to be alone, knowing that Bask has come.
Kamille says he'd like to stay with her, but obviously can't do that. She replies that just seeing his face has calmed her down a bit and sees him off with a smile.
...I miss the "recreation" scenes where they bicker, not being honest at all about their feelings. I told a friend that I think Kitazume probably had too happy of a childhood to write teens in crisis and she laughed at me. But I don't think I'm wrong, lol.
Emma comes over in a Mk-II, carrying a white flag. Char notes that, whatever Bask may be planning, at least this should buy them some time. He then orders Apolly and Roberto to stand by in their Rick Dias-es and tells Astionage to make sure his machine is ready at a moment's notice.
As Emma lands aboard the Argama, we see that she's brought Kakricorn with her. He's staying inside the cockpit of his Hizack without disembarking.
Opening his own written orders, he reacts with astonishment. Looking upset, but resigned, he says to himself, "No! It doesn't matter what I'm ordered; I've got to see it through. There's no other path for me."
Emma informs her welcome team that she's got a handwritten note from Bask himself that she needs to deliver. She warns that anyone who approaches her Mk-II will have to deal with the Hizack who's come along with her.
We get the same scene as the anime, where Emma walks through the halls with Char as the ship's crew discuss whether or not she's a fanatic. Kamille feels an awful sensation, but doesn't think it's coming from Emma.
As they pass Kamille, Char turns and tells him to go wait in his room. I guess they aren't planning on having him sortie this time.
Emma hands the note over to Blex, who is significantly more emotive about how disgusting its contents are than I remember him being in the anime. The dialogue seems identical, however.
The note tells them that, should they not hand over the two Mk-II units and Kamille Bidan, they'll kill Kamille's parents. Emma didn't know about the note's contents and doesn't believe Bask would do such a thing, but the proof is in the pudding.
Blex: Titans is a private militia!
Emma: I may be a member of Titans, but I have no recollection of joining Bask's private militia!
Blex: It's not Bask's; it goes higher up than that. It's the private army of those whose souls are weighed down by Earth's gravity!
He said the thing! (lol)
Char proposes that this might be nothing more than a threat, but Bright argues that Bask is the sort of man to actually follow through on something like that.
Blex gets a little hotheaded for a moment and suggests they blow up the Hizack that escorted Emma, and let that be their answer. Char disagrees, although Bright also seems ready to throw down.
A comm from the bridge interrupts their discussion to tell them that they've picked up on a capsule floating in space.
As we get a look at the capsule, the manga changes focus to Jerid, whose job is to shoot the thing down if the AEUG try to capture it. As in the anime, he's under the impression that it's a bomb, from details in an earlier conversation.
Back in Kamille's room, our boy hero is trying to allay his feelings of foreboding by obsessively checking every external ship camera he can access.
He notices something light-colored and irregular attached below the backpack on Emma's Mk-II and, since he can't get a better look with the camera, decides to bring it to the bridge crew's attention. I guess he doesn't have access to comms, because he runs off rather than calling them.
Blex, Bright, Char, and Emma have already moved from their conference room to the bridge, where they're observing the capsule on a large monitor. Unlike the one in anime, this capsule has two chambers, and each chamber contains one of Kamille's parents. I suppose "worst dad ever, Franklin Bidan" won't get a chance to show his true colors in this adaptation, lol.
Emma's immediate reaction is to claim that it's a "holography," which is different from the word in the anime's Japanese script ("holoscope") and is still not the word that's used in every translation ("hologram").
Why do I know this detail? It's a mystery. (Mystery solved; I'm a nerd with a weirdly specific memory for conversations.)
After they confirm that those are, in fact, real people in there, Kamille bursts in to explain about the suspicious thing stuck to the back of the Hizack. They confirm that it is, indeed, suspicious.
Char: So that's the source of this uncomfortable sensation I've been feeling all this time.
You know, Kamille actually checks on his Newtype hunches, Lieutenant. You could try at least alerting someone that your spider senses are tingling instead of just shrugging it off, lol.
Char and Kamille suppose that it's probably a bomb. Emma, again, presses X to doubt. Everyone gets a bit up in arms about the situation, and then Kamille notices the monitor that's still showing his parents floating in a glass case in the empty void of space.
This, predicably, sends Kamille running off to the MS hanger. Char runs after him, yelling back to Bright to take care of things for him.
We cut to Kakricorn steeling his resolve for this mission. His orders specify that, should Emma not return within 10 minutes, he is to arm a remote detonator for the bomb that's connected to the body of her Mk-II, then steal one of the AEUG's suits and use it to escape. "I do feel bad using Emma as a human sacrifice, but... Well, next time it could be me on the line! I'll do it!"
What great logic. "I might also be betrayed by my organization someday, so today I'll be the betrayer!"
Noticing confusion amongst the AEUG's crew within the hangar, Kakricorn activates the timer on the bomb and flies in towards Char's Rick Dias, which has been on standby orders, and is therefore ready to go. A mechanic spots him and gets shot in the arm for his efforts.
Apolly and Roberto realize what's going on, but are too slow in reacting, and end up getting sprayed with vulcan fire as Kakricorn exits the hangar.
Bright reacts as one might expect to the news.
Kakricorn kicks his discarded Hizack into the void of space to prevent the AEUG from being able to use it immediately, then runs off towards his allies. I suppose it's very easy to change frequency modulation on the comms, because he's able to tell one of his comrades not to fire on him as he flies past.
Bright radios over to Char's normal suit helmet, letting him know that his MS has been stolen. Char realizes that the Hizack pilot must have intended this all along. He's fallen into a trap! In response, he falls into another one by radioing Astionage to ready the Mk-II within earshot of Kamille.
Bright tells Apolly to back up the AEUG's Mk-II in its pursuit of the stolen Rick Dias. He also tells Roberto to help the mechanics do something about the other Mk-II, which is still set to blow up.
Apolly comes across the same Titans grunt Kakricorn communicated with earlier, who mistakenly thinks Apolly's Rick Dias might be piloted by Emma. Apolly shoots him down while he's confused.
While this is going on, the mechanics disconnect the bomb from Emma's Mk-II and Roberto flings it away from the ship just in the nick of time. It explodes harmlessly some distance from the Argama.
Seeing this, Kakricorn is at the same time aggravated that the bomb didn't damage the Argama and relieved that he didn't cause Emma to die. He's also incredibly impressed with the Rick Dias' maneuverability, saying that it feels like an extension of his own body.
He's quick to note that, as someone who isn't yet used to the Rick Dias, any of the AEUG's pilots are bound to have an advantage over him if they fight, so he's got to focus completely on retreating with the machine and just getting it back to the Titans in one piece.
Back on the Argama, Kamille determinedly steals the Mk-II, even as Char is yelling at him to cut it out. When Char calls the bridge to alert them of what's going on, Emma suggests that she could take her Mk-II out immediately to try and retrieve Kamille. Bright wants to agree outright, but first asks Blex's opinion, and Blex tells him that, as captain, it's his call to make, effectively washing his hands of the situation.
Henken tries to argue that they really can't trust Emma, but Bright says that he's seen the kind of person she is, even back when they were both on Green Oasis, and he's prepared to take responsibility if she does betray them.
Emma is cleared to go after Kamille, but just as she runs off, there's another pressing matter for Bright to attend to: the Argama is surrounded on all sides by enemy warships. "Are you telling me that all of this was just to buy them the time to set this up?!"
They've apparently got 15 minutes before the enemy ships get within firing range.
Henken: If we have to take shots from four directions at once, we're basically helpless!
Blex: Damn that Blex! He's prepared to overpower us two or three times over, just to have the last laugh.
Bright checks on the status of the engine repairs, and tells them that, even if it's not completely repaired yet, they need to get the steering system back online "as soon as yesterday!" The mechanics ask for a little time to get it working off of auxiliary power, and Bright tells them to do whatever they need to do, just get it done!
Out in space, Kakricorn reunites with Jerid, and Kamille closes in on the capsule with his parents inside. Jerid makes the same mistake the other Titans member did, initially confusing Kamille's Mk-II with Emma's. Upon a closer inspection of the number painted on its body, he confirms that it's not Emma, then fires on the capsule, which he thinks will trigger an explosion to destroy the stolen Mk-II.
However, of course, that's not what happens. Unlike the anime, we have a mini-montage of Kamille's happy memories with his parents as he takes in the fact that they've just been needlessly killed.
Jerid feels a sense of foreboding after shooting the capsule that goes beyond the fact that it didn't explode as he thought it would. Feeling Kamille's rage, he wonders if this is the power that took down Raira.
Kakricorn gets behind Kamille and restrains him. Kamille hears him radio Jerid through skin-talk and confirms it's not Char who's piloting the red Rick Dias.
Remembering his previous conversation with Char about the Rick Dias' specs, Kamille figures that he's got to attack while his opponent isn't moving, because he'll easily escape otherwise.
He somehow manages to stab the Rick Dias in the left shoulder joint while being restrained, which causes Kakricorn to back off. "If I can't take (the Rick Dias) back (to the Alexandria) with me, I'll fight to the point of destroying it!!"
Kakricorn manages to locate his own beam saber and engages Kamille.
Jerid yells at Kakricorn to disengage; warning him that there's no way he can back him up in close-quarters fighting. Meanwhile, Kamille, tears still clinging to his eyelashes, thinks to himself that he must shoot down this opponent this time. Kakricorn is too strong; Kamille will fall himself if he doesn't take him out.
As Kamille's beam saber pierces the Rick Dias' cockpit, Kakricorn's last thoughts are of Amelia, the secretary who had been very nice to him so far. (lol)
Jerid is enraged at having lost both Raira and Kakricorn to the same pilot, and swears vengeance. However, before things can heat up any further, Emma shows up and tries to reason with him. "No matter what you do now, you can't bring your parents back."
Kamille finally lets the tears fall from his eyes as Emma tells Jerid to disengage; the fight is over. However, unlike the anime version of this scene, she means "I'm leaving with this kid," rather than "let's take this kid back to the Alexandria."
Emma: There are no longer any MS within this airspace that you could consider your allies.
Jerid: You can't possibly mean that you're changing sides?!
Emma: It's not as simple as that, but... I've come to realize that I can't follow Bask-taisa any longer.
Jerid: You're saying you're betraying us?! You're betraying Titans?!
Emma: It would suit me fine if you go back and report exactly that.
As Apolly joins Emma and Kamille, Jerid realizes he has no chance in a 3v1 skirmish and retreats.
Back on the Argama, Bright gets word that the temporary engine repairs have been completed, and gives the order to retreat as soon as the pilots return from battle.
Meanwhile, Bask and Jamaican are discussing the failed mission. Bask tells Jamaican that he needs to impress upon Jamitov the sheer strength of the AEUG, or risk losing Jamitov's trust. For the moment, he's headed back to Gryps on the Brunei. He leaves Jamaican in charge of the Alexandria and tells him to sink the Argama.
Jamaican tries to argue that the Argama is already retreating, but Bask angrily demands he figure something out. "They're limited in where they can go!"
Back on team AEUG, the three pilots arrive back at the MS hangar, and Reccoa immediately goes to comfort the freshly-orphaned Kamille.
Char pulls Emma aside and tells her that, for the moment they'll need to do an inspection on her, and later have a much longer discussion. She says she's prepared for that, and a crewman escorts her away.
From the hangar's upper levels, Fa looks down helplessly at Kamille and Reccoa, probably feeling like, compared to an adult with more life experience, there's not much she can do to comfort him. Big brother Char glances over at him as well, and the third volume comes to a close.
This volume was full of MS fights! Kitazume did a good job of keeping the action interesting in a still medium. I don't know if my summary did a good job of capturing how breathless the action got in that second battle; every time they started to solve one problem, another one popped up immediately.
On an unrelated note, I had done very minimal research before starting this manga series. I knew that it had begun in 2011 and there were 18 volumes, but I did not know that it is currently ongoing in Monthly Gundam Ace. They're only about halfway through the anime's plot as of the February edition, which means there may end up being about 40 volumes, and it might not finish for another ten years. What have I signed myself up for??
I suppose I will consider this a mistake made due to youth. (lol)