BACKGROUND TO ZETA GUNDAM
Most of the soldiers on the Zeon side during the One Year War fought for independence of the space colonies from Earth rule. Unfortunately, the heavy destruction of the war and the total defeat of the Zeon Archduchy seemed to achieve the opposite result. Instead of loosening their grip, the EFG tightened control over the colonies and began exploiting them to rebuild the broken Earth. There seemed to be nothing that the remaining colonists could do except pray for a miracle.However, not all of the politicians on Earth agreed with the EFG policies. Blex Fora, a Federation senator who proposed massive government reforms on Earth, fled the EFG and traveled to Side 2 to gain support. Senator Fora eventually created the Anti-Earth Union Government, or AEUG; an organization dedicated to the idea of "free space," without EFG rule. This idea appealed especially to the industrialists and the private sector on Earth, who had been suffering an economic loss due to the EFG's suppression of colony expansion. Fearful of loosing economic support, the EFG formed a special military force called the Titans to suppress the AEUG. Unfortunately, the Titans carried out their mission with extreme ruthlessness. In U.C. 0087 during a pro-AEUG rally on Side 4, Commander Bosk Om of the Titans ordered the use of nerve gas to eliminate the protesters. 30,000 people were killed. Instead of crumbling, however, the AEUG resolved to fight harder after this massacre. This is where the saga of Zeta Gundam begins.
The series begins at the colony of Green Noah 2, where three prototype RX-178 Gundam Mk. II mobile suits have just been delivered to the Titans for testing. Three AEUG mobile suits led by ace pilot Quattro Bagina secretly enter the colony to get information on the Gundams. Later we learn that Quattro is really Char Aznable, who has changed his identity and joined the AEUG to fight against the Titans. He is discovered, however, and is forced to flee back to his mothership, the Agahma. There he opts to attack Green Noah 2 and attempt to steal the Gundam Mk. IIs for the AEUG. During the attack, a teenager by the name of Camille Vidan escapes from the Titans headquarters on the colony. Camille had always disliked the Titans and was being held on suspicion of being an AEUG sympathizer. Camille manages to commandeer one of the Gundam Mk. IIs and quickly familiarizes himself with the controls. In a virtual repeat of Amuro Rey's first performance in the RX-78 Gundam, Camille defeats the other Gundams and escapes to the Agahma. Eventually, with Camille's help, Quattro manages to steal all three Gundam Mk. IIs from the Titans. However, both of Camille's parents are killed in the resulting battle.
Camille joins the AEUG and fights with Quattro against the Titans. Over the course of several battles many of the original crew of the White Base join Quattro and the AEUG, including Bright Noah, who eventually becomes captain of the Agahma. During the battles with the Titans Camille's New Type powers start to emerge. Quattro and Bright both believe that Camille is like a second Amuro Rey, and a tremendous boon to the AEUG forces. Eventually the AEUG prepares to strike at Jaburo, the main EMF base on Earth. Even though the AEUG forces win the battle, it proves a hollow victory as all of the EFG officials have already fled. Shortly after the battle, however, Quattro (a.k.a. Char) is reunited with his old adversary, Amuro Rey. Amuro has been held under house arrest for the past 7 years since the EFG really doesn't know what to do with him, and the Titans are not interested in him. The events of the One Year War have left deep emotional scars on Amuro, who is now very quiet and morose. Amuro has also developed an irrational fear of space, perhaps due to his fear of seeing ghosts of Lalah Sun again. Amuro joins Quattro and Camille in protecting the AEUG pilots until they can get back to the Agahma, in orbit around the Earth.
Quattro eventually escapes to the Agahma, but Camille and Amuro remain behind. During the AEUG's battles on Earth Camille meets Four Murasame. Four is bio-soldier, an attempt by the Titans to create artificial New Types for their forces. Four is also a talented MS pilot and pilots the enormous Psycho Gundam for the Titans. Unaware of each other's military status, Camille and Four eventually fall in love. However, their romance is cut short when Four is ordered to attack the AEUG survivors in the Psycho Gundam while Camille opposes her in the Gundam Mk. II. When four discovers that Camille is piloting the Gundam, she defies her orders and helps Camille to get back to the Agahma, but then is quickly captured by the Titans. Amuro stays behind on Earth with the remaining AEUG pilots to resist the Titans.
Once Camille rejoins the Agahma, he is assigned to pilot the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, an advanced new mobile suit built out of the remains of the captured Gundam Mk. IIs. On the other side of the Earth, the Titans recruit an ambitious captain and powerful New Type named Paptimus Scirocco to destroy the Agahma. During the successive attacks on the Agahma by Scirocco and the Titans Camille's New Type powers continue to grow, eventually surpassing Quattro's and Amuro's powers. The struggles between the AEUG and Titans become more intense and more deadly, as several prominent pilots of both sides die in battle. However, the war has been dragging on for over a year now and the colonists are beginning to loose faith in the AEUG. This defeatist attitude makes the war much more difficult for the Agahma.
However, a new unexpected turn of events pops up when both sides detect the asteroid colony Axis approaching the Earth. Axis contains the last remnants of the Zeon Archduchy and the Zeon Military Forces, and could provide a significant change in the balance of power if they could be convinced to join the AEUG. The Agahma is ordered to travel to Axis and negotiate a treaty with the Zeons. The Titans also realize the potential power that Axis represents and sends their own ship, led by Scirocco, to try and beat the Agahma to Axis. Despite repeated attacks by Scirocco's forces, the Agahma manages to arrive at Axis first and meet with Minerva Zabi, the 8-year-old leader of Axis and the last surviving member of the Zabi family. Negotiations appear to be going well when Quattro attacks Haman Kahn, Minerva Zabi's advisor and the true leader of Axis. Haman recognizes Quattro as Char, but does not reveal his secret to anyone present. Instead, Haman orders the Agahma to leave Axis. Scirocco's ship arrives at Axis and negotiates a treaty with Haman. The Agahma returns to Earth, defeated.
Upon returning to Earth the Agahma is ordered to participate in an attack against the Titans missile base at Mount Kilimanjaro. During the attack Quattro and Camille return to the Earth's surface and are reunited with Amuro and his AEUG forces. They attack the Kilimanjaro base but are repelled by Four Murasame and the repaired Psycho Gundam. Four has undergone extensive brainwashing to try and suppress any rebellion left in her. Despite her conditioning, however, Camille eventually manages to free her mind after battling the Psycho Gundam in the Zeta Gundam. However, just as Four manages to completely free herself, she sacrifices her life to save Camille from a Titans mobile suit. As Camille cradles Four's broken body, Amuro and Quattro remember Lalah's death. Camille convinces Quattro to become Char Aznable again and assume leadership of the AEUG.
Camille and Char return to the Agahma to continue to fight the Titans' space fleet. However, they are unable to prevent the Titans from launching another Nerve Gas attack on Side 2, one of the foremost AEUG supporters. Char realizes that the war must be ended quickly or more colonies will suffer the same fate. He sends Camille back to Axis to secretly negotiate a treaty with Haman Kahn to defeat the Titans. After the AEUG meets Haman's demands, she agrees to help them. Haman feigns friendship with the Titans and tries to recapture the old Zeon colony laser built during the One Year War. Her plan fails, however, and the Agahma must rescue Haman's ship from the Titans. Haman then aims the Axis asteroid on a collision course with the Titans' main asteroid base. The resulting collision completely destroys the Titans' base, and the AEUG manages to capture or destroy many of the escaping Titans ships.
Scirocco then tries to renegotiate a treaty with Haman. Upon learning of the Titans-Axis negotiations Char is furious and travels to Haman's ship along with Camille confront her. All negotiations break down completely as Scirocco tries to double-cross and kill Haman, and Haman breaks off all contact with both the Titans and the AEUG, driving both Scirocco and Char off her ship. Furthermore, she directs the Axis asteroid in a collision course with the moon in an attempt to cripple both parties. Haman still remains interested in convincing Char to rejoin the Zeon forces, however.
Meanwhile, the AEUG starts preparations to finish off the Titans once and for all. The Agahma manages to gain control of the colony laser, and Bright uses it to alter Axis' path, thereby causing it to miss the moon entirely. The AEUG then begins a series of harassing attacks designed to draw the Titans forces into the laser's line of fire. During the final battle Scirocco realizes the AEUG's plan and leads an attack on the colony laser. Char, Camille, and the crew of the Agahma try to repel Scirocco's forces. During the attack many Agahma pilots are killed. Haman Kahn even enters the battle, determined to make Char join her or kill him herself. Scirocco, Char, Camille, and Haman begin dueling in the colony laser's barrel just as the Titans fleet moves into range. Char and Camille drive Scirocco and Haman away, but Haman gains the upper hand over Char and proceeds to destroy his mobile suit after Char refuses to join her. Camille finally defeats Scirocco with the aid of ghosts from Camille's past, but with his dying breath Scirocco reaches out with his New Type powers and destroys Camille's mind. Bright fires the colony laser, destroying the entire Titans fleet and permanently ending their threat. Haman retreats back to Axis to consolidate her power, while the Agahma picks up Camille, now hopelessly brain-damaged. The Titans Conflict is now over. As the respective combatants leave the area Char's destroyed mobile suit drifts by. The hatch is open.