Iron-Blooded Orphans Ep. 14: Vessel of Hope

On the Isaribi, Yamagi and Shino test out an attempt to install the Alaya-Vijnana System into the Graze Custom, but it doesn’t work. Shino doesn’t mind trying again because he wants the power to protect people. Kudelia wanders the ship because she was unable to sleep after Mikazuki kissed her. Fumitan anguishes over an email she received instructing her to take Kudelia to the Dort 2 colony where a rebellion will be instigated and Kudelia will be killed by a Gjallarhorn assassin. She looks at the necklace she was given and recalls a younger Kudelia wanting to learn everything about Mars. Kudelia then comes into the room and asks Fumitan if she’s ever dated a man. She asks if a kiss means that somebody likes someone else and scrambles to say she’s speaking theoretically. She asks if she should start thinking about marriage, and Fumitan laughs at her. Fumitan suggests that Kudelia just directly ask the man what his feelings are. Atra comes over and asks Kudelia if she wants to come to the bridge and see the colonies. Orga explains to the crew that the colonies all belong to the Dort company from the African Union. Their destination is Dort 2, and Biscuit adds that Dort 3 has commercial facilities and luxury homes for factory owners. Mikazuki stares at Earth in the distance and comments that the planet is pretty. Orga apologizes to Kudelia for taking a detour when they’re so close to Earth, but she says it’s ok. She asks if she and Fumitan can go shopping on Dort 3 while everyone else is finishing the Teiwaz delivery job. Fumitan initially objects and quickly relents, and Kudelia invites Atra along. Orga assigns Mikazuki as their escort, but Biscuit asks to come along. On the Hammerhead, mechanics begin removing the Gundam Gusion‘s heavy armor, revealing the thinner Gundam Frame inside. Lafter asks Akihiro if he’s ok piloting the suit that killed his brother, but he’s made his decision. Naze wants to accompany Orga for his first hob and warns him not to start trouble with Gjallarhorn because they’re better trained here than on the Outer Sphere. Shino starts to talk big, but Amida shuts him down and tells him the Earth Sphere is all about law and order. Naze adds that while Teiwaz is feared in the Outer Sphere, on Earth it’s just another company. On a Gjallarhorn station orbiting Earth, Gaelio tells Ein he’s gotten news that Tekkadan is on the Dort colonies, so they can finally settle the score with them. Ein asks if they can deploy a ship without orders, and Gaelio answers that it’s ok if it’s just for “drills.” On the shuttle bound for Dort 3, Fumitan thinks about her orders. A ship welcomes the Isaribi to Dort 2, and everyone is surprised that Tekkadan is known. In the colony, the union workers confuse Merribit for Kudelia and explain that she’s their star of hope, protected by the knights of Tekkadan.

On Dort 3, Kudelia buys a large amount of cleaning supplies because both the Isaribi and its crew stink. Biscuit tells Mikazuki that it was his childhood dream to come here and reveals that he’s from the slums of Dort 2. The workers tell Orga that Earth treats them like disposable tools, but things changed after they heard about Kudelia leading the Martian independence effort. He says that Tekkadan is a symbol of hope for them, but Orga is suspicious about Tekkadan already being known about on Earth. Orga asks where they heard about Tekkadan, and the union worker says it was their supporter. Biscuit mentions to Mikazuki that he has an older brother named Savarin, but he hasn’t seen him for years. After their parents died in an accident, Biscuit and his sisters were sent to Mars to live with Sakura, while Savarin went to school and joined a big company. Biscuit is hesitant to call Savarin, but Kudelia tells him that he’ll regret it later if he doesn’t. At the Dort company, Savarin gets a call from Biscuit and is happy to hear from him until he mentions working for Tekkadan. Biscuit wants to meet, so Savarin tells him where to go. Mikazuki thinks that Biscuit doesn’t look happy, and Biscuit explains that he doesn’t know how he’ll face Savarin because they live in different worlds now. Atra offers to accompany Biscuit for support. The union workers open the cargo containers, which are full of Union Mobile Workers and machine guns. Merribit doesn’t understand because the inventory list said the containers were full of industrial supplies, so she leaves to check things out. Orga asks who their supporter is, and a worker explains that they don’t know, but it’s a proxy for Kudelia and her call for armed rebellion against Earth. Just then, several Gjallarhorn armored vehicles enter the hangar, and soldiers demand that everyone surrender. One of the workers picks up a machine gun and kills a soldier, so the others quickly join the fight. Orga tells his people not to do anything, and he calls Merribit with orders to get the Isaribi out of the colony. She reports that the client for the cargo is GN Trading, and he leaves everything to her. Kudelia tries to ask Mikazuki about the kiss, but she stops herself and changes the subject. Fumitan wonders why she disobeyed her orders and thinks about what Kudelia means to her. As the Isaribi pulls out of the colony, Merribit calls the Hammerhead at Dort 6. The Gjallarhorn soldiers retreat temporarily, and Orga tells the workers that it’s no time to celebrate because they’ll be back soon. Orga wonders what he should do.