SYNOPSIS

The Solo Ship has left Earth's solar system in its' search for a new home. Onboard, Bes is bedridden due to his illness, while Rapoh is still shaken by the loss of Moera. Unknown to the colonists, they are being stalked by the ship of Hannibal Gen, sent by Doba to capture the Ideon. His subordinate Mebarul Kuou has come up with a strategy involving the Waft Area - a large meteor field. Meanwhile, the colonists try to decide who will take over piloting the Ideo-Nova after Moera's death. Bes is ill, so Gije is the only capable replacement. Kasha is opposed to the idea, but they have no other options. However, Hatari does assign Lotta to keep an eye on Gije, with orders to kill him if he tries to betray them. Mebarul's first wave, composed of Adigos and the new Gidu Mack mechas, arrives and the Ideon heads out in response. However, it is caught by a Gidu Mack's hooks and pummelled by missiles. Gije realises they're being dragged towards the Waft Area and its' many violent silicon-based lifeforms, known as the Vandes. Mebarul breaks off the hook attack when they arrive, and escapes. The creatures pile on the Ideon, while Mebarul's force sets off to attack the undefended Solo Ship.

Reacting to Lou's distress on the nearby ship, the Ideon's energy goes up to a level where it can deploy the Ideon Swords. Using these, they easily escape from the Vandes and rejoin battle with Mebarul, though the Swords refuse to activate a second time, and another Gidu Mack attempts to take them into the Waft Area once again. This time the Ideon units separate and escape. However, onboard the Ideo-Nova Bento is working on the engines and Lotta is knocked unconscious - Gije then contacts Mebarul and offers her the Ideon unit. However, this is only a ruse to buy the units time to attack and destroy her Gidu Mack. Back onboard the Solo Ship, Kasha claims Gije intended to run away but was thwarted, though Bento believes Gije's explanation. The crew are deadlocked over what to think when Cosmo suggests they toss a coin - the result saying Gije is their friend.

NOTES

Cosmo Yuki: Cosmo, bless him, finds Rapoh crying in the forest and has to ask whether it's about Moera... he takes a near-instant shine to Gije, despite the latter having made various attempts to kill him.

Lotta Banda: Hatari's plan to have Lotta shoot Gije if he shows treachery is a bit ropey, as Lotta's plainly not up for it, especially when Gije tries to make sure she's really going give him "ten or twenty" bullets if he does try anything. Could they really not spare a single soldier for such an important task? Or anyone else at all? Lotta has a track record for not being able to shoot Buff Clan prisoners at point-blank range...

Gije Zaral: Gije once again picks up a new type in no time (though it's possible that the Ide is helping him along - it tends to pitch in more when colonists and Buff Clan are co-operating), soon mastering the Ideo-Nova.

Bento Malus: Bento probably trusts Gije more than anyone other than Sheryl. This might be because Bento just doesn't really do strong opinions... He actually takes more of a shine to Gije than he ever did to Moera. The assimilation of Gije actually says some nasty things about the colonists' view of Moera, who spent his early days in the Ideo-Nova on the wrong end of Cosmo's temper and was usually left out of most discussion.

Gidu Mack: Once again, this is more like an enormous fighter than a mecha. The type is so new that even Gije doesn't recognise it, though he's been outside the official picture for some time now. The four horizontal cones can launch hooks.

The Ideon: Some time has presumably passed since the last episode to facilitate what must have been serious repairs to the Ideo-Nova.

REVIEW:

After a run of episodes which were less formulaic, this is quite a disappointment, with another uninteresting Buff Clan force with a faceless commander and a weird mech trying their particular strategy (rarely much of a variation from 'attack the Ideon with hooks'). Bah.

Plus Bes spends the whole episode in bed, making you realise just how much energy the character injects to the bridge. Gije's the best thing in it, thanks to his tangible excitement and awe at piloting the Ideon and his general unflappable nature, and this lifts the episode from mediocrity by itself.

However, his defection attempt is so unconvincing that Mebarul gets bonus stupid points for believing it, and the attempt to play his motives for tension falls flat.