Luio & Co.

Luio & Co. (ルオ商会, Luo Shōkai) was a powerful civilian conglomerate with assets spanning Side 6, Industrial 7, and Earth. Under Michele Luio, the company orchestrated the Federation-backed Phoenix Hunt in UC 0097, as depicted in Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative.

Corporate profile

Luio & Co. maintained its headquarters in a Side 6 orbital business park, with satellite offices in Industrial 7 and Anaheim City to cover core trade routes. Its portfolio blended resource shipping, Minovsky particle research logistics, civilian transport services, and discreet weapons procurement consultancy. Subsidiaries such as Luio Electronics, Luio Logistics, and the charitable Luio Foundation enabled Michele to mask military supply lines behind legitimate commercial activity.

Role in the Phoenix Hunt

Funding the Narrative Gundam

Luio & Co. absorbed the majority of costs associated with fielding the Narrative Gundam. The corporation provided newtype interface data, Minovsky craft components, and shipping corridors that allowed the Federation to deploy the prototype without revealing its development origin.

Intelligence clearing house

Corporate assets embedded in trade hubs relayed sightings of the Phenex, giving Luio & Co. a monopoly on credible intelligence. Michele leveraged this advantage to direct Londo Bell commander Iago Haakana whilst simultaneously negotiating with the Sleeves to protect her company’s investments.

Political leverage

By positioning Luio & Co. as an indispensable logistics partner, Michele secured immunity from both Federation and Sleeves retaliation. The arrangement ensured the company retained control over psycho-frame research after the Laplace Incident, consolidating its influence in post-war reconstruction.

Facilities

The company’s Industrial 7 warehouse complex doubled as secret storage for psycho-frame components and Narrative Gundam equipment, protected by corporate security rather than Federation troops. A Side 6 research annex hosted AI analytics that supported Jona Basta’s combat data feeds, while the Earthbound Relief Network acted as a humanitarian wing that discreetly laundered intelligence operations.

Legacy

The Phoenix Hunt validated Luio & Co.’s business model of neutrality-as-leverage, propelling the company to the forefront of post-Laplace defence contracting. Its actions, however, raised ethical questions about corporate control of Newtype research—issues likely to reverberate through subsequent Universal Century conflicts.

Behind the Scenes

Luio & Co. was introduced in the Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative novel and further developed in the 2018 film. The organisation typifies UC storytelling’s exploration of corporate power intersecting with military ambition.

Appearances

Luio & Co. features throughout the Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative novel and film, anchoring the Phoenix Hunt storyline.