Zeon's Secret Mine

Infobox Gundam Episode (MSG)


Title=Zeon's Secret Mine
episode_no= 18
prod_code=
airdateJ

airdateUS= August 14, 2001
Episode -2=Sayla's Agony
Episode -1=Amuro Deserts
Current Episode="'Zeon's Secret Mine
Episode +1= Ramba Ral's Attack
Episode +2= Hand-to-Hand Combat

"Zeon's Secret Mine" is the eighteenth episode [ [http://www.mahq.net/animation/gundam/msgundam/msgep18.htm Gundam: Zeon's Secret Mine ] ] of Mobile Suit Gundam.

Plot summary

Kycilia, head of Zeon's space forces, leaves Zeon's Grenada base on the moon.

Gundam lies covered in the ruins of a desert city. Amuro is eating a meal, wary of the noises he hears outside. When he finally goes to check, he sees a Zeon ship flying overhead. M'Quve and Kycilia are inside, looking down on the deserted land.

Back on White Base, everyone ponders Amuro's fate if he returns. Fraw goes out in a truck to look for Amuro, refusing the pleas of the orphans, who want to ride with her. She comes across the ruins, and finds an empty can, as well as Gundam. She gets out to look around, and Amuro wakes, readying his pistol. Fraw finally finds his camp, and walks in, Amuro cocking his pistol.

Together, the two of them walk out to Gundam and discuss his return, but Amuro refuses. He enters Gundam and begins walking away from the scene, but Fraw follows in the truck. Amuro gets a metallic reading on Gundam's sensors, and stops to investigate, discovering M-Quve's mines.

In a tall building, Kycilia and M'Quve look down on the mine. The mines, which contain solium are being kept more to keep the resources from the Federation than to use themselves. Amuro listens to the conversation, and sends Fraw back to tell the crew about the mines. Amuro spies with his binoculars, and, finding no Zakus, decides to take it out on its own with Gundam. He opens fire, the shots being seen by Fraw, who converts the truck into a flying vehicle.

Kycilia and M'Quve drive through the complex on a small vehicle, Kycilia angered that Gundam was not detected. Amuro continues to do major damage to the base, but is soon met by a system of turrets. His gun is knocked from his hands, but he manages to use his shield and beam saber to continue fighting. Everything seems to be over, when the ship Amuro saw earlier approaches. Pilotted by Kycilia and M'Quve, the powerful Mobile Armor named Adzam proves too much for Amuro to handle. A strange weapon immobilizes Amuro, but when they turn it off and go for the kill, Amuro deflects their attack, which would have destroyed a Zaku at this point, and escapes, leaping on the Adzam. Unable to shake Gundam off Kycilia decides to destroy the base, keeping their secrets from enemy hands. Amuro finally loses his grip, and Kycilia and M'Quve fly off. Kycilia decides that their plans for future mobile suits will have to be sped up greatly.

Amuro searches for information, but it is all destroyed. He finds a paper which gives the name of the facility, the "102 Mining Facility". The base is only one of many, and the attack was almost useless. He leaves to find a Zeon soldier on the ground. The man is holding a picture of his wife, and drops it. Amuro leaves him with a flare to flag down any vessel that comes by. As Amuro leaves, the soldier tells him that, if he's the pilot of Gundam, he shouldn't go soft on his enemy, as he "doesn't have enough lives for that".

The White Base finds the base, and speaks of how Amuro's actions have done nothing but make Zeon wary of Federation forces. Fraw speeds off into the desert, tears in her eyes.

Important Events:
*First use of a Mobile Armor.

References