Op: operator, Lt.: Lieutenant, An: announcement, Re: reporter

Gundam Wing, episode 4: The Nightmare at Victoria



Narration: Born and grown on the earth, the humankind had hoped for a new future on the space colonies. But as time went by, the World Alliance brought the colonies under its control one after another using its overwhelming military power in the name of peace and justice. After Colony, Year 195. "Operation Meteor." - it was a secret operation by a few colonies which tried to stand against the Alliance. The operation was to secretly smuggle specially camouflaged combat weapons onto the earth. However, the operation already had been noticed by Alliance leaders.
Quatre: We must stop fighting against each other! Please put your hands down. I'm the one who came out first to show my trust in you.

The nightmare at Victoria

- Zechs's ship -
Soldier: A report from the Corsica Base just came in. There is no more signs of the enemy at the site. 59% of all the facilities has been destroyed.
Zechs: (thinking) Berker... I'll use your data on the two new Mobile Suits valuably...
Soldier: Lieutenent Zechs, I have a call from Victoria Base on the line.
Noin: (On the screen) Long time no see, Lieutenent Zechs.
Zechs: You look well, Noin.
(switch focus to Noin's place, a training hall)
Noin: Everything seems to go well there, I presume? I hear lots of stories about the 'Lightning Baron' even here in Victoria.
Zechs: I don't like being a part of rumor. Fame makes you a visible target for enemies, and it also makes your comrades expext too much from you.
Noin: Sometimes fame is good. I wonder what people say about me?
Zechs: They say you are a very excellent instructor in educating and training space pilots. Your graduates are always regarded as the best. But, Noin, weren't you used to hate wars? Why did you start...?
Noin: I am honoured that you remember I dislike war. I just... like the outerspace...

- Victoria Base -
(in a zero G simulator)
Student: The simulator is now reaching Zero-G.
Noin: Alright. Begin the final check-up for the Mobile Suits now!
Students: Yes, ma'am
(They collide with each other.) Ahhh!
Noin: What are you doing? How can you afford to be confused when the speed is this slow? You've got to know the locations of all friendly units using all the senses you've possess! Lieutenent Zechs will be here soon! You are not to show him such an embarrassment!
Student: Lieutenent Zechs will be here? Right! I'll try harder.
Noin: Good. (thinking) Zechs... It's been a year and 22 days...

(Somewhere else which I don't know.. at the same time, Wufei prepares for battle)

- Zechs' ship -
Zechs: So it did disappear, then?
Otto: Yes. It was the only Mobile Suit which we could cofirm the exact location... But we lost its location right after it crossed the equator.
Zechs: I bet its objective is Noin's Taurus'.
Otto: The Alliance Troops are so careless. These days, even children know that Taurus' are being built at Victoria Base.
Zechs: That's why I'm visiting there... Only Noin could welcome such double trouble like me.
Otto: You two were classmates at the Victoria Academy, right, Sir?
Zechs: You certainly know well.
Otto: Of course. You two got the highest and the second highest mark when you graduated. And you were the highest, weren't you?
Zechs: Because she always sought second place. She provided me the opportunities for the highest. And I guess I'm in need of her help again.

- Noin's apartment -
Noin: Zechs Merquise... no, Peacecraft... Come back to me.

- Victoria base, day -
Noin: You are graduating from this Academy today. You all did well. From now on, you are proud members of the Specials. (Mobile Suits are presented to the students) These are Taurus, which are also the target of our enemy. Therefore, here is your first mission as officers in OZ. Get all these machines off this base immediately!
Soldier: But isn't that the job of transportation unit?
Noin: (slaps him) I don't remember training a soldier who does not value his machine. I repeat! This is urgent! Get them off this base!

- Zechs' plane arrives -

(Victoria base, evening, at an empty bar)
Zechs: When can you get all the Taurus' out of here?
Noin: By tomorrow morning, 0700 hours.
Zechs: That's really tight.
Noin: I've heard the Gundams do not show up on radar, so I've increased the number of personnel on watch.
Zechs: Right decision. That's just you.
Noin: Thank you for the compliment, Lieutenent Zechs.
Zechs: Call me Zechs, Noin. What a nice cafeteria this is!
Noin: The cadets are all very young. I assumed this much would be necessary.
Zechs: Don't get too attached to them. It makes it difficult to let go.
Noin: Thank you for your concern. But the soldiers I trained are never going to die. They are not trained to die. A overworked challenge is not a stratege. I believe the value of human life is not comparable to war.
Zechs: I've seen my men die many times. Noin, I have to disagree with you.
Noin: Any kind of operation that risks anyone's life is just a repetition of a mistake. I'm afraid to see my soldiers being forced to die in the battlefield. (the phone rings, Noin answers) It's Noin. Lieutenent Zechs, it's Lieutenent Otto.
Otto: (at the Tallgeese repair bay) The engineers here are amazed, too. This Mobile Suit turned out to be even more advanced than we originally thought. It looks like we can complete this sooner than expected. It'll still take a month, though...
Zechs: I see. Thank you for all your efforts.

- Victoria base, night -
(Wufei shows up, and sets bombs all over the base)
Noin: (rushes out of her room) What? What happened!
Soldier: An enemy attack! The pilots' dormitories was bombed!
Noin: What? (rushes out)
It's ... too much. (goes near a dying soldier)
Soldier 1: Ma'am, I always wanted to go to the space... (He dies)
Noin: Hggg... Search for the enemy! Kill them all as soon as you find them! Place mobile suits troops in front! Enemy Mobile Suits may be around! (goes off to a control room) Is Lieutenent Zechs all right?
Soldier 2: The South Wing is undamaged. He said he'd be right over.
Noin: Fine. (graphs a microphone) The enemy's objective is to destroy the Taurus's. Get them out of this base!
Soldier 3: It'll take at least 30 minutes to put them in a carrier!
Noin: All right. Don't let the enemy attack us for at least 30 minutes. I will take command of the Mobile Suit units.
Mobile Suit 1: There is no enemy response on the radar! Everything is normal here.
Mobile Suit 2: Power plant area, everything is normal.
Mobile Suit 1: It seems there's no enemy at all.
Noin: (jumping into a mobile suit) Where is it hiding? Turn all the thermal sensors on the base on! There it is! We have to get him! Prepare Aries' troops! (finds Wufei, who's escaping on a motorbike) Stop! Or I'll fire! I'll stop you! Is there backup troops for him..? The Gundam! There's a chance of a Gundam waiting for us in that direction. Prepare the Space Beam Cannon!
Soldier: But it's not designed for a ground battle.
Noin: Who cares! Just shoot him down!
Zechs: (thinking) Noin is chasing the enemy?
Noin: Are you heading for that forest ahead of you? I won't let you!
Stop your dirty trick! Are you really a man? How could you attack the pilots, not the mobile suits! (she locks target on Wufei and fires. Wufei gets thrown off the motorcycle and surrenders) Wufei: That's what I'd like to say! (raises arms) Noin: A child? This child singlehandedly destroyed our base?
Wufei: A woman...? Then it's not over yet! (suddenly throws an explosive, before he escapes on the motorbike)
Noin: He's alone... Around 14 or 15 years old? (sees something ont he viewscreen) Is that him? (shenlong stands up)
Soldier: Enemy confirmed! Fire! (locks target of big gun on Shenlong)
Noin: Wait!
Soldier: Lieutenent Noin, why?
Wufei: She's a woman, that's why! (chops the two MSs up)
Noin: You... bastard! Ahhhh--- (Wufei throws her MS down)

- Victoria base, MS hangar -
Zechs: The enemy will not be here.
Soldier: Please let us take care of it. Besides, sir, please move your plane in front of the carrier #1.
Zechs: I'm not following any orders now, even it might be Noin's. Don't move the Taurus around. The enemy will not be here.
Soldier: I don't care! Never mind! Lieutenent Zechs, you will stand before a court martial.
Zechs: At this moment, I am calmer than you are. As long as you make a decision with a controlled mind, you won't have to regret making that decision after, even if that decision turns out to be a bad one.

- The cargo plane filled with MSs leave the hangar and take off -
Noin: Move! What the... Aries! (hits the controller, as Wufei spots the plane at a distance, and shoots it down)
Soldier in hangar: The Taurus.. it's...
Wufei: WOMAN! Are you listening to me! WOMAN! You underestimated me because of my age, and that proved you are a weak soldier. I do not kill weaklings and women!
Noin: Shit! S H I T !!! Aggggggggg-----

(In a hangar with Deathscythe and Wing)
Heero: (sitting on Wing) Insulation: 2800...? Would it be fixed until the next mission?
Duo: Hey you! Hey! Why do you ignore my good will? I told you I'll fix that machine with my own!
Heero: I just don't want any strangers to touch my Suit.
Duo: Oh, come on! You don't even have replacement parts. (Jumps up on Wing) No matter how good an engineer you are, without parts, there's no way you can repair this. Machines are not the same as your broken legs or arms. You understand? (Heero ignores him, Duo sighs in defeat) Why did I ever save this guy? What was I thinking? Antisocial, uncooperative, unpredictable... If I were you, man, I'd throw that personality away in the sea a loooong time ago.
Heero: Hey!
Duo: What!
Heero: Will you shut up for a while?
Duo: Yeah, yeah. Sorry to bother you.
(an alarm goes off in Wing.)
Heero: A Mission... (Heero jumps in)
Duo: What is it?
Heero: A new mission? The enemy will be transporting gundamnium alloy... Roger. I will intercept it tomorrow morning.
Duo: How are you going to do it with this beat-up Suit? You can't do anything.
Heero: Maybe you can't. But I can.
Duo: Yeah, yeah! You're right and I'm wrong again. (thinking) He's going to self- detonate if he fails this mission. A mission without room for mistake... What must he be thinking now?

- on a cliff by the beach -
Relena: Heero! Come and kill me! (In Japanese translation, more of "Come and kill me if you dare.")

- Alliance Conference -
General 1: Colonel Treize's report was right.
General 2: So it did turn out to be made of gundanium alloy.
Septem: I see...
Darlian: (thinking) Treize... - Specials' Treize...?
General 3: I understand that the gundamnium alloy can only be synthesized in a zero-gravity environment, which is outer space.
General 4: So, those Mobile Suits were indeed sent to earth by the colonies.
Septem: I knew we made the disarming of the troop too hastily.
General 1: Perhaps, you should consider the opposite. I am planning to station my Armed Forces at the Lagrange Point so that we can help General Septele.
General 2: My country is already preparing for that.
Darlian: But this whole thing is done by only a few rebelling colonies. We should not provoke the other moderate colonies by treating all of them as a bunch of rebels.
General 3: They provoked us in the first place! Sir, command us at once!
Darlian: Those colonies wish to make peace with the Federation more than anyone.
Septem: We want to have peace, too. I don't see the colonies as seeking any peaceful solutions, though.
Darlian: They do! It all started when the Alliance Armed Forces brought the colonies under their control by using massive military power.
Angry guy: Is that all you have to say here? Are you a spy for the rebels, trying to sabotage us or something?
Darlian: What are you saying?
Septem: We heard enough. Mr. Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, you may leave now.
Darlian: Isn't it about time that you realize? The really dangerous people are you men...
General 1: (grabs Darlian) What do you think you are! Shut up!
- OZ Headquarter in a bathtub... - Treize: Assembling the Armed Forces at the Lagrange Point? I could not agree more.
Lady Une: (Standing beside him) Leaking the information turned out to be very effective.
Treize: And our Lieutenent Zechs... As always, an excellent job. By the way, Lady Une...
Lady Une: Yes.
Treize: About Vice Foreign Minister Darlian...
Lady Une: As you wish... I will prepare you a bath with rose-perfume next time.
Treize: Please do.
- The Gundam hangar, late at night -
Duo: What is he still doing in there? I don't care, anyway...
(Heero diligently repairs his Gundam)

- in the morning -
Duo: What the! I can't believe this! What a guy! He fixed that shit in one night?
Engineer: Hey! He got us! He stole the parts from your machine!
Duo: What! That's what I get for trusting him. Shit!

(Herro at his mission)
Heero: Target confirmed. (blasts the plane and there comes another mad laughter of his...)

- Desert: secret base -
(Trowa and Quatre are playing music: Heart-throbbing melody~~)

Mauganac 1: Are you almost done.
Mauganac 2: That was pretty easy. They are almost identical.
Mauganac 1: Hmm, it seems all turned out well, right, Boss?
Rashid: Yeah. That's why Master Quatre was so concerned. (thinking) Lucky for us he's not our enemy, since he has almost the same ability as the Master...

- Victoria base, still night -
(Noin lands with her MS)
Zechs: Noin. Are you alright?
Noin: Yes. But I'm torn apart... Both physically and mentally.
Zechs: Noin... I'm just glad that you're alive.
Noin: Because if I died in the line of duty, I would be respectfully promoted two ranks ahead of you?
Zechs: That's the spirit.
Noin: Zechs, let me join you in your fight against them. I have to wipe away my disgrace.
Zechs: I have to get back at those Gundams, too. It looks like I can no longer just let them do whatever they want. I feel so encouraged when I have you with me.
Noin: Zechs...
Thank you, Zechs.

(late at night) Wufei: (to the surrounding wild animals) Go away, you're pathetic! Fighting weaklings, I feel empty even if I won the battle. Ahhhhhh!!

To be continued

Translation by Jenny Ko.

Gundam Wing ¨Ï Bandai, Sunrise, Sotsu Agency 1995 - 2001
Copyright ¨Ï Jenny Ko 2001 To be continued