Episode 15
The episode begins with Heero and Trowa in a small Mediterranean coastal village, having just met with the last family of the pacifists that Heero accidentally killed back in a raid on what was supposed to be a meeting of Oz top officials (it turned out that Oz had actually sent out false information to the colonies, intending the militants who gave orders to the Gundams to come across it and mistake it as a valuable target - the ruse worked), but was in reality a meeting of top Alliance generals, many of whom were pacifists, to discuss peace and goodwill rather than animosity towards the colonies. The death of the generals in that tragic accident caused by Heero was blamed on the colonies, and was an excuse for Oz to seize the Alliance military, take control, and prepare to overtake the colonies.
Apparently Heero was asking for forgiveness from the families of the many pacifists whom he killed in visiting them. Trowa, who accompanied Heero, says he can sympathize with his guilt for doing such a thing, but believes Heero should let it go now that he has admitted his shame to the victim's families.
Walking into the nearby coastal village from the hillside mansion, Trowa and Heero are walking through a crowded outdoor market when a black sedan that had been following them pulls up to try to capture the two - apparently it is from the Oz organization, or the shadowy Romafeller Foundation. Because of the wound (received in the Siberia Battle) which is still healing on Heero's right arm, Trowa instructs Heero to take cover while he dispatches the vehicle. The cover of a passing fruit truck is all the time that Heero needs to hide in the back of the truck, and for Trowa to get a motorcycle from a nearby location. To attempt to gain the upper hand in this duel, Trowa guns the motorcycle and weirs sharply down a narrow alleyway on the side of the street. With the alley leading to a small flight of steps on the left that parallel the seashore, and straight ahead being a cliff that overlooks the bay, Trowa leaps off the motorcycle, grabs hold of a clothesline strung across the alleyway between two apartments, and pulls himself up. The car, going too fast to stop, careens into a light post at the edge of the cliff, while the motorcycle flies off the cliff, landing with a large splash in the harbor.
Later, at a warehouse on the ocean, the duo meet, where Heero gives Trowa an apple expressing that he "owes him one". As they discuss how to transport the Gundam to their next destination, Lieutenant Lucrecia Noin of Oz appears in the entry to the warehouse! She offers to let the pair use an Oz transport. Trowa's initial reaction is to turn a gun on her, however, as she explains about her superior, Colonel Zechs, and his desire to meet with them to duel, to finish the battle started in Siberia, he lets his guard ease. Deciding the man [Zechs] is honorable and, judging from the demeanor that Lieutenant Noin say he possesses, they decide he is not one to plant a trap. They also decide to take Heavyarms and return to Zech's personal, hidden Antarctic base with Noin and her transport, leaving the petty squabbles of the war behind for a few days to take in some gentlemanly Mobile Suit combat.
Meanwhile, back at Relena's home, attempts to discern whether Heero perished in the self-detonation of his Gundam are fruitless, despite how hard they [Relena and her butler] try. Her butler even goes so far as trying to contact Colonel Zechs, the man who was battling Heero when he self-detonated, but it appears that Zechs is already gone from his usual home at the Oz Lake Victoria compound.
However, in looking for Zechs, he came upon an unusual bit of news. After the battle in Siberia, Zechs sent for a very large order of Gundanium shipped to him from outer space. This is not out of the ordinary, really, as he probably would want to reconstruct the Gundam after retrieving the wreckage from the battlesite. It is the quantity of Gundanium that he ordered that is the strange thing, though - there was enough not only to repair the Wing Gundam, but also to construct an entirely new Gundam! He believes that Zechs is doing this to settle the score with Heero - by reconstructing his and Heero's Gundams, they can evenly duel to prove who the better man really is. This is the way Zechs is.
The butler then goes on to recount how one day, 13 years ago, when Zechs was around 6 years old, they faced off in a fencing match. As they fought on, Zechs broke the man's saber blade. Rather than win easily, the young Zechs fetched a new saber for his opponent - and the match continued on. "Zechs hates more than anything for his opponent to have a handicap," recalls the man.
Relena is fascinated by this story, and suprised that he knew Zechs. Apparently Zechs was a hero to Relena's family, the Peacecrafts. He was raised a very courageous, noble, and chivalrous man, with many legends emanating from his past escapades. Relena wishes she could contact Zechs to ask him of Heero's fate. Apparently, she isn't the only one who would like to know of Heero's whereabouts, as he finds that Mrs. Noveinta, wife of Marshall Noveinta, one of the pacifists killed by Heero, is also secretly looking for Heero without Oz's knowing. Relena instructs her butler to contact her right away, to which he complies.
Meanwhile, at the Antarctic Base, Zech's loyal squad of mechanics and soldiers are working round-the-clock to restore the two Gundams, as he awaits Heero Yui's arrival. Lieutenant Noin confirms his status as alive, and reports she is escorting him to the Antarctic Base. Zechs thanks her, apologises to her for getting her involved, and then tells her to be careful and on the lookout for Oz Patrols searching for the whereabouts of Zechs.
At his estate, Treize Kushrenada, leader of the Oz organization, ponders the truth to the rumors that the Gundam destroyed in Siberia was a dummy. He wonders if he should allow Zechs to continue his truant actions, as it is obvious he is in communication with the Gundam pilots, who are supposed to be jailed or executed on site, yet he toys with them. He ponders the repercussions of allowing his good friend Zechs to continue his activities in the Romafeller Foundation, and whether or not it will cause him trouble. His son takes his first steps as he thinks. He finally decides everyone is worrying about the Zechs issue too much, as it is Zechs' nature to be chivalrous and he isn't a traitor.
Back on the Mediterranean Coast, a group of investigators for the Romafeller Foundation are on to Zech's business with the Gundam pilots. They have traced Lieutenant Noin, the pilots, and the Gundam Heavyarms to this Oz Carrier in the bay. The plan of tracking the flight of the carrier to determine the location of Zechs.
On the carrier, now airborne, the Oz officers look on as Heero and Trowa check out the status of Heavyarms. Noin's subordinate suggests turning the Gundam pilots in before getting Colonel Zechs in trouble, and she dismisses the idea as foolish, as Zechs would never forgive them for such an action. Heero decides he needs to get a hang of Heavyarms soon so that he can defeat Zechs this time.
Back at the Peacecraft estate, Relena's butler has made contact with Mrs. Noveinta and she forwards them a letter she would like Relena to give to Heero Yui when she sees him again. She opens it, reading frantically.
"Your sudden visit caught me off-guard, and I felt that I was unable to express to you the true feelings in my heart. That's why I decided I should write this letter. You made a mistake because your plan went awry in battle. You shouldn't suffer over that any longer then you already have. My husband Novienta died trying to build a world for the near-future, where genuine young men like yourselves could live happily. I have no regrets. That's what happens in war - a wrong turn in the past can be painful for everyone, but you people are still young! I hope you'll think about building a new future! Our family is honored to have had the opportunity to meet with you. I pray the day will soon arrive when all battles will cease. -To My Dear Friend,
Mr. Heero Yui"
Relena is thrilled that Heero is still alive, and wishes to meet with him again. To find out where his whereabouts might be, she decides to fly to Sicily to meet with Mrs. Noveinta and ask about Heero. Preparations are made right away.
As the Oz Carrier enters Antarctic airspace, Heero and Trowa don Oz jackets, and Heero has some trouble getting in it because of the wound on his arm. Trowa then inquires where they are headed. He is surprised when Noin replies the South Pole, as it is covered entirely in ice, but it makes more sense when she explains it is the only place to fight without interference from the Romafeller Foundation or Oz.
At Zech's Hidden Base, the Gundams are nearing complete restoration. The mechanics don't want to restore it all the way, however Zechs demands it to see the performance capabilities of the Gundam and to provide an even fight. However, the mechanics explain it impossible to have it ready before they arrive, as the time it wound take to restore the beam cannon system itself is the same as building a new Gundam from scratch. Zechs realizes they are right, and instructs them to simply replace the beam saber system from the Tallgeese with the damaged one of the Wing Gundam. Zechs explains it is the least he can do for an enemy who is going to lose.
As the Oz carrier nears the base, a fleet of carriers from the Romafeller Foundation transporting inspectors is spotted trailing them. Noin decides to dump 2 Aires and outrun them to Zech's base, where they can attack the group. Trowa calls her bluff, though, claiming she'd never do anything to hinder Zechs. Trowa offers to pilot one of the Aires, but Noin refuses, explaining the mission would be for naught if he perished. She herself and the resident Mobile Suit pilot on the carrier are dispatched to battle the carriers.
Seeing the Mobile Suits taking off from the Oz carrier, the Romafeller carriers dispatch Mobile Suits as well to combat them. Noin and her wingman shoots out of the cloudbank they had been hiding in and down 1 carrier immediately. However, the multitudes of Mobile Suits that had already been dispatched from Carrier 1 slow down their progress. Noin knocks out one of the engines on the carrier, leaving it wounded to be destroyed with one more well-placed shot. As her wingman climbs to destroy it, however, his engine is shot, and he is forced to crash-land on the snowy tundra below.
Not one to leave her men behind, Noin follows him, asking if help is needed. As she is about to leave towing the wrecken Mobile Suit, backup Romafeller Mobile Suits arrive, surrounding the pair. As the troops fire upon them, the man demands Noin leave as he lays down cover fire, but she refuses, staying with him.
The news reaches the pilots of the Oz Carrier, who turn around to help Noin out, despite Trowa calling them weak for not leaving her to perish. The carrier accelerates toward the battle.
Noin and her fellow pilot are being chewed up when she surrenders, rather than perish. The chief Romafeller investigator, however, demands that the only way a traitor to Romafeller such as herself can survive is to turn over Heavyarms to prove Zech's betrayal. She would never let the men near Zechs, however, and a little word play gets Noin to reveal the truth that Zechs is near.
After receiving this information, the Romafeller investigator commands his men to attack, as they got the evidence they needed out of her. As they start to fire the carrier appears, taking out many Mobile Suits with it's powerful lasers. As they rain destruction upon the Romafeller forces, however, they are shot down. Blaming the pilot's ignorance as the reason for their current predicament, Trowa mans the Heavyarms to "correct.. mistakes".
As the transport lands nearby, Heavyarms annihilates the Romafeller troops with it's deadly chain gun. Eventually, Noin and her subordinate are safe and the only one left is the chief investigator. Astonished he would stumble upon the Gundam in this fashion, he struggles to get out the words to HQ. Before he can, however, Trowa destroys him with his patented triple-spin strike. He can't let any military organization know of the presence of the Gundams, after all, lest the news be used as an excuse to attack the colonies.
Trowa questions why he has to fight this way, killing all before the existence of the Gundams can be known. He tells Noin she should reload the explosives for the new pilot, Heero Yui. She tells him to forget about something like that at a time like this, and rather think about his next move....