Cosmic Era 72.
The war between the Earth and the PLANTs that lasted one and a half years...
...finally came to an end following the battle at Jachin Due.
The two sides drew up a peace treaty...
...amid the ruins of Junius Seven, a place of unprecedented tragedy.
The treaty outlined the intentions of both sides to gain...
...a greater understanding of the other, and promised every effort to maintain peace.
As such, the world was on a path back to stability.
Start engines. The Minerva is taking off!
Is this ship taking off to go into battle?!
Athrun!
Athrun?
From where?!
Now, I think I'll have that machine as well!
Rey!
What are you doing?!
If you fly absentmindedly, you're no better than a target!
This enemy's not like any other!
What? What is this?
No air leaks. FCS contact.
Minerva, all stations satisfactory.
Find the enemy position quickly! Where are the Impulse and the ZAKU?
One unidentified ship at Indigo 53, Mark 22, Bravo!
Distance 150!
That must be their mother ship.
Log the vessel into our database.
From now on, we'll refer to it as Bogey One.
Impulse and ZAKU located at 157, Mark 80, Alpha.
They appear to be involved in a battle!
Can you call them?
No, ma'am. It's impossible with all the radio interference.
How many enemies?
One. However, it is...
...a mobile armor!
Rey!
We'll attack Bogey One! Lower the bridge!
Course, Indigo, Delta.
Accelerate 20 percent.
Prepare to fire signal flares and anti-beam depth charges!
Arthur! What are you doing?!
Yes, ma'am!
Load launcher eight, numbers one through four with Neidhardt!
Activate Tristan one and two! Activate Isolde! Target: Bogey One!
Shouldn't our priority be to rescue them, Captain?
Exactly. That's why we're attacking their mother ship.
In this situation, the quickest way to save them is to push the enemy away.
Heat source approaching! Possible battleship!
Classification unknown! Red 53, Mark 80, Delta.
It's that new model of theirs.
Fifteen to starboard, accelerate 30 percent.
Activate Igelstellungs! Where's the Exus?
A ship?!
Try to take too much, and we could lose everything, I guess.
Minerva?
Retreat signal?! Why?!
It's an order.
Neidhardts, fire!
Evade!
Target their engines!
The Exus has returned!
We're withdrawing, Lee!
Bogey One is retreating! Yellow 71 Alpha.
Where are the Impulse and the ZAKU?
Returning. We're bringing them in now.
Make them hurry. We'll follow and crush Bogey One. Course heading Yellow Alpha.
Commander!
Sorry. Guess I got carried away.
Enemy ship still approaching. Blue zero, distance 110.
It appears to be an awfully fast vessel. This could be trouble.
Missiles approaching!
Evade! Hard to port!
Detach extra propellant tanks from both sides, and detonate them.
No need to separate the arms! Let them have a taste of that!
Meanwhile, raise bow 35, turn 10 to port, maximum thrust!
Shinn!
Hey. Is he all right?
Bogey One has detached a section of its hull!
Stop firing! 10 to starboard! Maximum thrust!
What is it?!
What now?
- Bridge! What's going on?! - We're being bombed?
Damn it!
All stations: Damage reports immediately!
Bart. What's the enemy ship's position?
Wait one moment, I still haven't...
Activate CIWS, fire anti-beam depth charges! They'll be firing at us next.
Found it! Red 88, Mark 6, Charlie.
Distance 500!
Did they get away?!
Mr. Chairman?
Darn them! Trying something like this to get away!
Seems to be one tough unit we're facing.
All the more reason why we mustn't let them get away.
If such a team gained the use of those machines...
Right.
At this point, it's too late to have you disembark...
...and I believe it is best that we continue our pursuit of that ship.
What is your opinion on this, Mr. Chairman?
Don't worry about me, Captain.
Judging from that firepower, it scares me to think...
...of the level of attacks we'd be subject to later...
...if we let them go now.
Right now, our top priority is to capture them, or to destroy them.
Thank you very much. Still have a trace on them?
We can still go after them.
Then this ship will resume its pursuit of Bogey One.
Course Yellow Alpha! Engines to maximum!
Course, Yellow Alpha! Engines to maximum!
Attention all hands.
This ship is commencing pursuit of Bogey One.
Due to a sudden change in circumstances, this has become our maiden voyage...
...but the ship will be on a very important mission.
What?!
All hands, this is your opportunity...
...to show what progress you've made during the daily training sessions.
Raise the bridge. Go to Condition Yellow until we enter a combat situation.
Raising the bridge.
Going to Condition Yellow.
Mr. Chairman. Please use the Captain's quarters to get some rest.
The Minerva prides itself on its speed, but the enemy vessel is also fast.
I don't imagine much will happen right away.
Rey. Please show him to his quarters.
Yes ma'am.
Captain!
What is it?
Due to the battle, I was delayed in informing you about a situation.
During take off, we found two civilians in the hangar, aboard a ZAKU.
What?
We detained the two, and found that one is...
...Representative Cagalli Yula Athha of the Orb Union...
...and the other claims to be her attendant.
They requested medical attention and a meeting with Chairman Durandal.
From Orb?
It's her. What's she doing on this ship?
I acted on my own and arranged for the necessary medical care...
...and they are currently resting in the officers' quarters.
It looks like we've succeeded.
How much longer till we reach point B?
About two hours.
Do you think they will come after us?
I don't know.
I don't know, so we should assume they will, and continue along our planned route.
One should always assume the worst, right?
Especially on the battlefield.
How about their recovery?
They appear to be fine. They're sleeping like babies.
However, I'm a little concerned that Auel used the block word on Stella.
I find that somewhat distressing.
Pilots that need to be returned to the cradle whenever something happens?
Does the lab really believe they can be of use to us?
But they're a lot better than the previous group, don't you think?
They fully understand what we tell them and the work they're given.
It can't be helped. We're still in the trial stages in many regards.
This ship, the mobile suits, our pilots... and the world.
Yes, I understand.
The day will eventually come, when everything will begin in the true sense.
Under our name.
What are you guys doing?! You've field stripped ZAKUs...
...a number of times in the training program!
Just do exactly as you learned!
Y-Yes, sir!
But I still can't believe it. Who would've expected we'd be in actual battle?
Right.
How did this happen so suddenly, anyway?
This won't lead us straight into another war by any chance, will it?
I doubt it.
I don't have the words to express my regret...
...for involving you in this unfortunate situation.
However, Princess, please understand our position.
Don't you know anything about that enemy unit yet?
Ah, well... I guess not. We still have no information, not even on their carrier.
However, that's all the more reason why we must...
...take control of the situation as soon as possible.
Before it becomes too late.
Yeah. I understand. That's pretty obvious, Mr. Chairman.
Right now, we must do everything we can...
...to avoid upsetting the still fragile state of our world!
No matter what.
Thank you very much.
I believed that you, Princess, would view the situation in that way.
If you'd like, I'd like to give you a tour of our ship while there's still time.
Mr. Chairman!
Although it's temporary, we are asking them to put their lives in our hands.
This is the least that our nation can do for our allies, in good faith.
Athha of Orb?!
I was surprised too. What are the odds of meeting the hero of a major war, here?
But why? Is there a problem with the ZAKU?
Ah, no.
The machine hadn't been assigned to the Minerva.
So I was curious who was piloting it.
Actually, it seems that it was her escort piloting it. He said his name's Alex.
But... he could be Athrun.
That's what the Representative called him. In the heat of the moment.
She called him Athrun.
Athrun Zala. It's rumored that he lives in Orb now, right?
Athrun... Zala.
But this ship has certainly gotten itself involved in something incredible!
To have to fight in an actual battle the day before its own launch ceremony?
We'll take this lift up to the mobile suit deck.
Think of this section as being the core of the ship.
I am not at liberty to tell you how many the ship can hold...
...but the ship is not currently loaded to its capacity.
I'm sure you're already aware of the Z GMF-1000, the ZAKU.
It's currently the main machine of ZAFT.
And then there's the Impulse that utilizes the launch system...
...arguably the main feature of the Minerva.
I understand you had a chance to see it at the factory.
Ah... yes.
Apparently, according to the scientists...
...this is an absolutely new, highly efficient mobile suit system.
Although I'm not too knowledgeable about the technical side of things.
But I take it that the Princess does not much care for this.
You seem awfully happy about it, Mr. Chairman.
It's not necessarily that I'm happy about it.
The thing is, for everyone to work earnestly, starting from that chaos...
...to come this far and gain this much power...
Power... You said that power is necessary...
...because there will always be conflict, Mr. Chairman.
Yes.
Then, how do you explain what happened here?!
The damage suffered by your nation as a result of...
...just those three new model mobile suits!
Representative!
So you're saying that's reason enough not to have any power?
Why are such things necessary in the first place?! Why now?!
We made a pledge not to repeat the tragedies of the past!
We were committed to following a path that we could proceed along hand in hand!
Well... however, Princess...
Idealism has always been a specialty of the Athhas, hasn't it?!
Shinn!
We've caught up with Bogey One.
Orange 55, Mark 90, Alpha.
Large heat source located at Yellow 50, Mark 82, Charlie!
Distance 8000.
Located enemy vessel. Distance 8000.
Condition Red announced! Pilots, standby in your machines!
Hurry with the final checks! It's starting!
Oh, no.
Shinn!
I'm very sorry, Mr. Chairman. He will be punished for his actions later!
I'm terribly sorry, Princess.
He's an immigrant from Orb...
...so that was the last thing I expected to come out of him.
They came, after all.
Yeah. Well, it goes to show that ZAFT aren't a bunch of sleepyheads.
We're going to crush them!
All hands to battle stations! Pilots are to proceed to the briefing room!
I don't expect the enemy to deliberately proceed into the debris...
...but this is a dangerous area to do battle in, just the same.
Helm. We're counting on you.
Yes, ma'am!
We'll send out Shinn and Lunamaria first. The crew's ready, aren't they?
Yes, ma'am!
6500 to target!
Mr. Chairman!
May I have a word, Captain?
I'd like to invite our guests from Orb to join us on the bridge.
Huh? Ah, but, that's...
As you're well aware...
...the Representative took command of a battleship during the previous war...
...and has experienced many battles.
I'd like to have her perspective as she observes our combat methods.
Very well. If that's how you feel, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Talia.
6000 to target!
Lower the bridge! Prepare for battle against a battleship and mobile suits.
That new model vessel?
Yeah. I wonder if we'll see that combining fellow again.
Then this time we'll be sure to either break him apart or capture him.
In either case, we're gonna have some fun again.
Stella?
Cast anchor! Cut engines after firing! Launch decoy!
Don't mess up the timing.
Lunamaria Hawke, ZAKU Warrior, standby for launch.
All systems online. Commencing launch sequence.
Standby to launch Impulse. Blast module selected.
Silhouette Hangar number three to be released.
Platform setup is complete. Central catapult online.
Opening airtight shutters. Core Splendor, all systems online.
Commencing takeoff sequence.
Hatch opened. Linear launch system engaged.
Target, on our present course. Distance 4700.
ZAKU! Impulse! Launch!
Idealism has always been a specialty of the Athhas, hasn't it?!
He's an immigrant from Orb...
Gunner ZAKU Warrior, catapult engaged.
Lunamaria Hawke! ZAKU! I'm taking off!
Bogey One...
I wonder what that ship's real name is.
You're next, Impulse. Go ahead!
Shinn Asuka! Core Splendor! Taking off!
The name of a thing is an indicator of its existence.
Then what if that name is not real?
If it's not real... would that mean...
...its existence is not real either?
Is that what it would mean?
Alex... or rather...
...Athrun Zala.
Is it because there is power?
Is it because there is conflict?
Through endless time, the answer has yet to be found.
However desired it is in the situation encountered...
Next, on Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny...
..."Stardust Battlefield".
Show off that strength of yours, ZAKU!