Episode 1

**Iron and Blood** (鉄と血と *Tetsu to Chi to*) is the first episode of the *Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans* anime.

Young orphaned soldiers working for Chryse Guard Security are tasked with escorting Kudelia Aina Bernstein to Earth to support her crusade for the Mars Independence Movement. When Gjallarhorn attacks and threatens Kudelia's life, the orphans are left behind by their superiors and must fight back using a hastily repared Gundam Barbatos, piloted by Mikazuki Augus.

## Summary

In the autonomous Chryse region on Mars, a young boy named Orga Itsuka dreams about his first encounter with now best friend Mikazuki Augus. In the dream, Mikazuki shoots a hostile man and falls back from the recoil of the gun, before immediately asking Orga what he should do next. Orga is awoken from his dream by Mikazuki, who finds him sleeping in the secret engine room. The duo is then alerted by old man Nadi Yukinojo Kassapa that their team has been summoned by their boss Maruba Arkay. They leave the engine room, but not before Mikazuki glances at their base's power source: Gundam Barbatos.

Maruba is the president of Chryse Guard Security (CGS), a private military company that employs child soldiers like Orga and Mikazuki to take jobs from third parties. CGS Third Group is composed solely of these child soldiers lead by Orga in contrast to first group, which is the "brown nosing" adults of the organization. Maruba informs Orga and Biscuit Griffon of Third Group that their outfit has been hired to escort Kudelia Aine Bernstein to earth. Biscuit comments that Kudelia is famously known as "The Maiden of Revolution", the spearhead of the Mars independence movement.

Meanwhile, Third Group members are suffering through mine setting drills, but get some pleasantly distracted in watching the mock battle between Mikazuki, Norba Shino, Akihiro Altland and Eugene Sevenstark piloting Mobile Workers: tank like mobile weapons. One of the younger members of Third Group, Takaki Uno is struck across by first group member Sasai Yankus for slacking off after Takaki wishes he could pilot a mobile worker. Later, the members of CGS meet in the mess hall for lunch. Orga uses this opportunity to inform Third Group of their coming mission. Eugene mistakes this important mission as confidence in Third Group from Maruba, but Orga corrects him, telling him that Maruba still sees Third Group as expendable. Angered, Eugene blames Orga for being a bad leader, but Mikazuki steps in and roughly tugs on Eugene's ear to stop the disagreement.

At the Chryse Region's Prime Minster's household, Kudelia prepares to leave on her journey, bidding farewell to her mother. She leaves the house with her assistant, Fumitan Admoss. Little does Kudelia know, that her father, Norman Bernstein the Prime Minister of Chryse has sold her out to Gjallarhorn, a 300 year-old peacekeeping organization that has become corrupt. Norman meets with Mars Branch Cheif Coral Conrad to inform Gjallarhorn about her plans, and keep himself in power. Conrad dismisses him and orders an immediate attack on CGS. The mission is accepted by Lieutenants Ein Dalton, Orlis Stenja and Crank Zent, while Conrad prepares for Gjallarhorn's inspection division to arrive. Conrad hopes to assassinate Kudelia in order to further increase tensions between Earth and Mars, and receive funding from a mysterious benefactor named Nobliss Gordon. The inspection division travels towards Mars, lead by McGillis Fareed and Gaelio Baudin. Galeio isn't happy about going to Mars, claiming that as a colony all of that planet's resources have been exhausted, and that it's too far out in deep space for members of the Earth Sphere to ever accept it. McGillis corrects him, stating that Mars is key to the Earth Sphere's economy and it's important for the inspection division to convince the Mars branch clean up their act and become central members of Gjallarhorn.

During that night, members of Third Group prepare for their coming mission. Orga and Old Man Yukinoji prepare mobile workers and discuss Third Group's role in the job. Orga believes their only being used by Maruba for their man-machine interface enhancements: the Alaya-Vijnana System. Most of the members of Third Group received surgery to implant the system into their bodies, making them more useful to CGS.

The next day, there is a demonstration in Chryse protesting the Earth Sphere's colonization of Mars. This greatly affects the business of a small shop where a young girl named Atra Mixta works. As a longtime friend of Mikazuki, she is preparing a gift for him for his journey to earth. Kudelia finally makes her way into CGS, where she meets with Maruba and Third Group. She asks that Mikazuki show her around the base while her assistant works out the arrangement with Orga and Maruba. During the tour she tries to shake hands with Mikazuki to prove that she believes they're equals, but Mikazuki blows her off using his dirty hands as an excuse and says that they were never equals to begin with. That night Orga and Biscuit discuss their mission. While in space, McGillis and Gaelio converse about Ahab Reactors and their role in the war 300 years ago as well as modern times. That same night, Gjallarhorn begins its attack on CGS.

When the assault on CGS begins, Maruba plans on fleeing from the base by using Third Group as a distraction. First group leader, Haeda Gunnel orders Orga to distract the enemy while first group flanks them and ambushes them from the rear. Orga sees through this lie and sends Biscuit off to implement his strategy. First Biscuit takes Kudelia to safety by leaving her in the engine room with Yukinojo and the maintenance team. Out on the battlefield, Orga takes command as Third Group's tactical commander and quickly realizes that Gjallarhorn is the enemy. In a battle between Mobile Workers, Third Group suffers many casualties and begins to lose ground, but the tide of the battle evens out when Mikazuki and Akihiro arrive. They prove to outmatch many of the enemy mobile workers, Orga even states that the tandem is unstoppable in close quarters combat. Biscuit radios in to Orga and confirms that First Group and Maruba are leaving them behind, so Orga puts his plan into action. He had sent Biscuit to rig First Groups Mobile Workers to fire off flares during their escape attempt. The flares give away First Group's position to Gjallarhorn, which doesn't plan on letting anyone survive the battle. Thanks to this, much of the pressure on Third Group is relieved.

Just as the momentum swings in Third Group's favor, Gjallarhorn mobile suits arrive. Although their are only three mobile suits, many of Third Group's members know that their mobile workers are no match for mobile suits and begin to lose hope. Having prepared, Orga enacts his second strategy, sending Mikazuki off, and encouraging the others to hold out until he returns. While Crank and Ein stay away from the main battle, Orlis goes on a rampage and kills many of Third Group's members, including a young boy named Danji. He eventually discovers Orga as the field leader and pursues him. Orga tries to flee from Orlis with Eugene piloting their Mobile Worker, but is eventually cornered. Orlis goes in for the final blow but is stopped by the timely return of Mikazuki, now piloting Gundam Barbatos.

## Characters that appear

* Orga Itsuka
* Mikazuki Augus
* Nadi Yukinojo Kassapa
* Maruba Arkay
* Haeda Gunnel
* Sasai Yankus
* Todo Mirconen
* Biscuit Griffon
* Kudelia Aina Bernstein
* Fumitan Admoss
* Norman Bernstein
* Coral Conrad
* Tomomi Bernstein
* Ein Dalton
* Orlis Stenja
* Crank Zent
* Akihiro Altland
* Yamagi Gilmerton
* Dante Mogro
* Eugene Sevenstark
* Norba Shino
* Danji Enrei
* Chad Chadan
* Ride Mass
* Takaki Uno
* Atra Mixta
* Gaelio Bauduin
* McGillis Fareed

## Technology used

* TK-53 CGS Mobile Worker
* NK-17 Gjallarhorn Mobile Worker
* EB-06 Graze
* EB-06/s Graze Commander Type
* ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos