Orb Union

The Orb Union is a neutral faction in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. It is a tertiary main faction to the Earth Alliance and ZAFT.
==Overview==
Orb is a nation whose territory is an archipelago to the east of New Guinea. Yalafath is the official name of their mainland, where the capital, Olofat, is located. In spite its small size and lack of natural resources, Orb has considerable industrial and military power, as what make up for are an abundant supply of geothermal energy thanks to its numerous active volcanoes, access to advanced technology, and laws granting tolerance towards Coordinators, which causes several Coordinator scientists to live at Orb. Before, it was a settlement to a large number of Japanese immigrants. The official language is Japanese. The Island nation itself controls its own Mass Driver, "Kaguya", the space colony Heliopolis, which serves as a resource satellite, and another space military satellite Ame-no-Mihashira. Because of Orb's relative political and economic stability and stance as a neutral nation, it is known as the "Land of Peace."
==Background==
So far, Orb's origins is unknown, but what is known is that the small island nation was formerly ruled by five noble families. Orb exists no earlier than CE 30, given that it was in this year, during which the nation began construction of the Kaguya mass driver and the space colony Heliopolis. In CE 58, Uzumi Nara Athha became chief representative and it was also in this year that construction began on the space station Ame-no-Mihashira.
==History==
===First Alliance-PLANT War===
====Battle of Heliopolis====
In order to develop mobile weapons of their own for defense, Orb secretly collaborates with the Earth Alliance in their G-project. At the same time the first GAT machines were in development, Orb secretly hoarded some of the data for their own use. However, ZAFT finds out about the project in Heliopolis, and sends some of its troops to steal the Earth Alliance's machines. Before the battle, Cagalli Yula Athha, the daughter of Orb's leader Uzumi Nara Athha, actually went to investigate on her own, and she accused her father of lying when she saw the prototype machines, thinking that he ignored Orb's neutral ideals and went along with the collaboration with the Earth Alliance.
====Archangel's Refuge====
While in a battle with the Le Creuset Team, the Archangel approaches Orb's waters, and an Orb fleet is sent close to the battlefield. The Orb citizens are told about the battle nearby and Orb also asks the two sides to distance themselves from Orb's waters. However, the Archangel is eventually rendered unable to move itself away. Orb's conversation with the Archangel prompts Cagalli to reveal herself as the daughter of Uzumi Nara Athha and tries to establish contact with her father. The Orb forces then fake an attack on the Archangel to cover its entrance for resupply and repair. Meanwhile, the Le Creuset Team, under the guise of Orb mechanics, infiltrate the nation to attempt to spy on the Archangel
The Archangel higher-ups meet with Athha, where he requested for a copy of the Strike's combat data. Thus, Kira Yamato, with his Coordinator abilities, collaborates with Morgenroete in developing a Natural-compatible OS for the M1 Astrays. After that, the Archangel departs and makes way to JOSH-A.
====Battle Near Orb and Marshall Islands====
====Battle of Orb====
After Operation Spitbreak, the Archangel seeks shelter in Orb a second time. There, Kira and the Archangel higher ups meet with Uzumi Nara Athha and Cagalli; they talk about what has been going on in the world following the incident. The Archangel crew relax and reflect.
Following the destruction of the Panama base, the Earth Alliance resorts to pressuring the Orb Union to ally with them to defeat ZAFT. Muruta Azrael, the leader of Blue Cosmos, was vocal enough to push for that. The Alliance sends its demands to Uzumi Nara Athha, who was frustrated with the stance the Atlantic Federation has been taking. When an Alliance fleet is on its way to Orb, Orb has its civilians evacuated, while its military along with the defected Atlantic Federation's Archangel stay and defend the nation. 
During the battle, the Alliance deploys its mass-produced GAT-01 Strike Daggers and its three newest GAT Gundam machines with its bio-engineered Biological CPU pilots with their exceptional abilities. Former ZAFT prisoner under Alliance custody Dearka Elsman, after some thinking about what has been happening following his release because of the Archangel cutting its ties with the Alliance, joins in on the battle with his GAT-X103 Buster Gundam to support the defense forces. Right when the Biological CPUs were about to finish off Kira, Athrun arrives just in time in his ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam to support Kira, an intervention that the Biological CPUs did not expect. The Orb forces with their new allies who were former Earth Alliance and ZAFT members hold off the first wave, until the Alliance forces retreat because of the Biological CPUs' performance enhancing drugs wearing out, as they were at a major disadvantage from not having the strength of the GAT machines.
The Alliance forces launch a second wave attack after denying Athha's request for verbal negotiations, and the Orb forces continue to hold out. Eventually, Athha orders everyone to gather at Kaguya, and Kira and Athrun join after the GAT pilots retreat from their machines being low in supply. At Kaguya, they plan their final move.
The Orb forces gathered their remaining forces into the Kusanagi battleship, and Dearka boards the Archangel with his Buster. First, the Archangel made its takeoff, followed by the Kusanagi through their Mass Driver. The GAT trio make an assault on the retreating Orb forces, and Kira and Athrun ensure that their allies make their escape into outer space. After the successful escape, Uzumi Nara Athha self-destructs with the other Orb leaders, along with the base and the Mass Driver to avoid surrendering their military power to the Alliance.
====Battle of Mendel Colony====
====Battle of Boaz====
====Operation Peacemaker====
====Second Battle of Jachin Due====
The Kusanagi and the Eternal made its way to Jachin Due while the Archangel held off the Dominion. During that battle, Mayura would be lost to a GuAIZ, which also gets destroyed due to her impaling it at the same time. Cagalli would also aid Kira and Athrun in shooting down the missiles aimed at the PLANTs. Later, Juri and Asagi get shot down by Strike Daggers, enraging Cagalli into shooting those down for killing those girls.
After Lacus Clyne's long soliloquy on the nature of conflict and coexistence, the Eternal and Kusanagi eventually reach Jachin Due, where they would be assaulted by Rau in his ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam, though only taking out some Astrays covering the two ships, which were only scathed. Waltfeld send in two Orb soldiers to accompany Athrun and Cagalli during their breach of the fortress. Eventually, they reach the main control room, where Patrick Zala is found to be shot to death and with his last breath tells his son to fire GENESIS. Following Zala's death, a self-destruct system in Jachin Due's system activates and counts down to firing its last shot before destroying itself. After failed attempts to try and shut it down, Athrun decides to self-destruct his Justice Gundam in the supercannon's reactor.
====Treaty of Junius 7====
After the battle, Orb repairs itself, while the Alliance and PLANTs make peace with each other. On Orb, Kira, Athrun, Lacus, and Cagalli are at Reverend Malchio's orphanage with the children. While Lacus and Cagalli look after the orphans, Kira and Athrun stand outside reflecting on the human nature of surviving.
=== Post First Alliance-PLANT War ===
Following the events of the First Alliance-PLANT War, the Orb Disaster Relief Team, an international rescue organization under Orb, has been going around Earth providing help for areas affected by the war.
===Second Alliance-PLANT War===
====Incident at Armory One====
Cagalli, accompanied by Athrun(under the alias Alex Dino), visits the PLANTs for a meeting with Durandal. However, the two would get caught in the fight that broke out after three of ZAFT's new machines get stolen by the Earth Alliance. The two temporarily stay on the Minerva, while it fought the Earth Forces.
====Junius Seven Drop - Operation "Break the World"====
====Minerva's Refuge====
====Alliance with the Atlantic Federation====
====Second Battle of Orb - Operation Fury====
When the Seirans shelter Djibril after the Battle of Heavens Base, ZAFT threatens to launch Operation Fury, an attack on Orb in order to hunt down Djibril. However, Yuna claimed that Djibril was not in Orb, which ZAFT clearly did not buy and launched its attack. The ZAFT forces were having the high ground over the Orb forces, until the intervention of the Archangel. Cagalli is lead by Ledonir and Erica to a secret hangar, where the ORB-01 Akatsuki Gundam was being stored, and she takes on that machine after hearing a recorded message left by her late father.
Turning the tide of the battle, Cagalli lead her forces and holding off the ZAFT attackers. She was able to start contact with Yuna, who acknowledged her position as Chief Representative. Using that authority, she ordered the arrest and apprehension of Yuna for his actions. She also mobilizes the Orb forces and assumes control, which all the Orb troops happily agree to.
Later Shinn sorties in his Destiny Gundam, takes out some Murasames, and duels Cagalli, who gets overwhelmed before Kira intervenes in his Strike Freedom. Kira's arrival shocks everyone, as he was apparently killed in the previous fight with Shinn. He then goes on to handle Shinn, while Lacus delivered the Infinite Justice to the Archangel and Cagalli made her way to Defense Headquarters. While Kira fought Shinn, the Archangel engaged the Minerva.
Eventually, a mysterious ZAFT pod descends to Orb, and the three new ZGMF-XX09T DOM Trooper mobile suits who turn out to be from the Clyne Faction arrive to back up the Orb forces. Athrun then arrives into the Archangel's hangar, where he sees Lacus.
Meanwhile, the Seirans get caught in the attack by the ZAFT invaders and Djibril makes his escape with the help of Orb soldiers loyal to him.
Upon arriving at the Defense HQ, Cagalli confronted Yuna herself, demanding to know about where Djibril was, which he claimed to not know. Later, he was taken under custody by Orb's military. Back aboard the Archangel, Athrun and Lacus discuss over whether the former should go out to battle in the Infinite Justice, a question which Lacus believes should be up to Athrun. Following the resupply of Shinn's and Rey's machines, Athrun moves out, despite his injuries from getting shot down when he defected, and moves in to intervene in Kira's struggle against the two ZAFT aces.
The Orb forces with Cagalli back in authority continue to ask for leads to Djibril, but to no avail. At one point, Neo would come to the Archangel's aid in a Skygrasper. Athrun, whom a baffled Shinn also thought was dead, would try to talk Shinn down, only for Rey to sway Shinn. Meanwhile, the Archangel goes underwater and takes out a ZAFT force that is below sea level, along with the St. Helens flagship. Djibril's shuttle eventually takes off. Both a couple of the Orb troops and Lunamaria in the Impulse pursue, though the Impulse was a bit faster than those Murasame. Lunamaria fires some shots, only for them to miss and Djibril to successfully make it out. 
Taking command after the fall of the flagship, Talia Gladys would order the ZAFT forces to withdraw.
==== The Destiny Plan ====
====Battle of Messiah====
====Post-War====
After the Battle of Messiah, Orb and the PLANTs made peace with each other.
==Trivia==
*The Orb Union is analogous to the Sanc Kingdom from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, due to their pacifistic ideals. Like the Sanc Kingdom by the United Earth Sphere Alliance / Organization of the Zodiac, the Blue Cosmos controlled Earth Alliance would attack Orb for its ideals.
==Gallery==
Orb_Fleet.png|Orb Naval Fleet
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