In the year C.E. 73, a shockwave caused by the destruction of Junius Seven by renegade ZAFT soldiers leaves the Earth deeply scarred. In the midst of all the fear and confusion, two people look to the skies in quiet restraint as a single mobile suit is launched. One is Selene McGriff of DSSD, her mind on the stars. The other, unable to see the stars through the sky of black smoke and with a cold expression on his face, is Sven Cal Bayang of the Earth Alliance's Phantom Pain team, pilot of the Strike Noir.