11 months have passed since the Earth Alliance and ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty) entered into war. In L3, on the resource satellite Heliopolis of the neutral nation Orb… On this colony, Industrial College student Kira Yamato, as usual, heads for the lab where he accidently gets involved in a Gundam extortion plan by the invading ZAFT forces.
Heliopolis falls into confusion with factories exploding and MS GINNs invading the PLANT. The surprise attack is a success, and 3 of 5 prototype Gundams, the first MS Gundam by the Earth Alliance Forces that has been built in secret, fall into the hands of ZAFT.
Kira, who was looking for shelter, chases after a girl and wanders into a factory district, where they accidently see the two remaining Gundams. The girl screams when she sees them for some reason. Kira evacuates the girl but fails to secure a place for himself.
Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of the Earth Alliance who was there, tries to lead Kira onto MS Strike Gundam when a ZAFT soldier attacks…who was Kira’s childhood friend, Athrun Zala.