Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam

Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam (機動戦士クロスボーン・ガンダム Kidou Senshi Kurosubōn Gandamu)is a manga set in the Gundam Universal Century. It is written by Yoshiyuki Tomino and drawn by Yuichi Hasegawa. It takes place in UC 0133, ten years after the events of Mobile Suit Gundam F91. It is a direct sequel to that movie as well.

Synopsis
After the Cosmo Babylon Wars, Cosmo Babylonia collapses from civil conflicts after Cecily Fairchild denounces the nation's aristocratic ideals. However, new threats to peace began to surface in the UC (Universal Century) 130s, when it is discovered the Jupiter Empire is conspiring to invade and conquer the Earth Sphere. After staging her death to avoid attention from the Jupiter Empire, Cecily takes on her original name of "Berah Ronah" and re-establishes the Crossbone Vanguard, garnering public support in her war against the ruthless Jupiter Empire.

The remnants of the Crossbone Vanguard wage a secret war against the Jupiter Empire, which seeks to subject all humanity to the same totalitarian rule as the Jupiter Fleet's own people. This control is based on chronic resource scarcity, and the story develops into something of a critique of the space colonization concept, i.e. abandoning nature's abundance in favor of a cold, cruel existence in the inhospitable realm of outer space. Crossbone Gundam also advances a conspiracy theory to explain post-UC 0100 history. The Jupiter Empire, with its great wealth, provides funding and technology to anti-Federation groups in an attempt to hasten the government's collapse. They originally supported the Crossbone Vanguard, then turned on them after Berah Ronah took charge and renounced their aggressive ways

Characters

 * Tobia Arronax: A young boy originally from Earth, as well as the main protagonist. After arriving on Jupiter along with a group of exchange students from Earth, he becomes wrapped up in the Jupiter War after the new Crossbone Vanguard attacks his ship.


 * Kincaide Nau: Former pilot of the Gundam F91, who was presumed dead after a terrorist attack on a Crossbone Vanguard ship in UC 0128. Ten years after the end of the Cosmo Babylonia war, he and Berah Ronah have formed a new "Crossbone Vanguard" in the form of a group of Space Pirates determined to fight the Jupiter Empire in an attempt to protect Earth.


 * Berah Ronah: Daughter of Carozzo Ronah, leader of the first Crossbone Vanguard, as well as the granddaughter of Vanguard founder Meitzer Ronah. After the collapse of the original Crossbone Vanguard, she, like Seabook, had been presumed dead in the UC 0128 incident. In truth, Berah survived, and learned of the Jupiter Empire's plan to conquer Earth. Determined to put a stop to this, she and Kincaid formed the new Crossbone Vanguard.


 * Bernadette Briett: A young girl who, after arriving on Jupiter at the same time as Tobia, later stows away on board the Mother Vanguard. Kind, quiet and highly concerned for Tobia's safety, she reveals that she wish to visit Earth, as it was the birthplace of her mother. In truth, she is Tetenith Dogatie, daughter of the Jupiter Empire's leader, Crux Dogatie.


 * Zabine Chareux: Former captain of the original Crossbone Vanguard, as well as Kincaide's former rival. Pilot of the Crossbone Gundam X-2, he still holds a grudge against Kincaide and often shows a lack of trust in him. In truth, Zabine plans the revival of "Cosmo Babylonia", feeling that Berah's "new" Crossbone Vanguard goes against the original Vanguard's ways.


 * Crux Dogatie: Leader of the Jupiter Empire and father of Tetenith. Ruthless and cunning, Dogatie plans to strike the Earth under the guise of a "peaceful" nation.

Chapter 1: Space Pirates
The year is U.C 0133. In space, a transport ship guarded by a group of EMS-06 Bataras come under attack from space pirates. Just then, the pirates' Gundam appears from the mothership. A transport ship, the Smashion arrives at Jupiter, to the excitement of young student Tobia Arronax as his friend wonders why he was excited about going to "the middle of nowhere". After the Smashion docks, an old man welcomes the exchange students to Jupiter as Tobia stares at the group of women set to head to Earth. He wonders if there were any girls on Jupiter as the old man tells the children that although they are six billion kilometers from Earth, their love for it was undying and that the information sharing between the youths of Earth and Jupiter was the best way for mankind to further their understanding with each other and how it was the will of the Jupiter Empire's leader, Crux Dogatie. After the speech, Tobia's teacher, Professor Karas arrives to encourage Tobia to try hard. In a cafeteria, the kids all stare in amazement at the skies of Jupiter, the space colony obstructed due to the shadow. The Earth kids explain that they were raised in space colonies and that most of the people on the station were Jovian. One of the girls explains that the Jovians had a much tighter enforcement on water and air usage, and that the crew members wear gloves due to there being a number stamped on their hand, signifying rank. One of the kids calls everyone's attention to a computer monitor, where the space pirates performed their sixth attack on a Jovian transport. The kids read reports of the pirates possessing two Gundams.

Just then, a blonde girl runs into Tobia, being chased by guards who claim she's a stowaway. The girl tries to tell Tobia that she isn't a stowaway and was in the cargo area. The space pirates arrive and commence their attack on the space station. A team of Bataras launch from the space station to defend it, but a black Gundam and a white Gundam decimate the defense forces. In the hangar, Tobia saves the young girl from an explosion and gets in one of the remaining Bataras. One of the officers tries to stop him but Tobia says he has a degree to manufacture mobile suits and launches. Tobia acts as a turret and fires at the white Gundam, but it vanishes from sight. The Gundam drops its cloak, fooling Tobia into thinking he hit it, but the Gundam gets up close and clashes sabers with Tobia. The Gundam slices Tobia's Batara in half, but the pilot tells him to get out because he'll smash the cockpit. Tobia wonders why they didn't kill him and sees that the other Batara pilots are still alive. Tobia returns to the Smashion's hangar and is shocked to see tons of poison gas canisters on a transport ship. Then, Professor Karas pulls a gun on Tobia from behind, but Tobia knocks him back. Karas attempts to choke Tobia, all while spouting that the Jovians had slowly gained the Earth Federation's trust and were able to exchange students beneath their noses for 10 years, and only recently attempted to transport poison gas. Since Tobia saw the canisters, Karas attempts to kill him. Tobia grabs Karas' gloved hand, which was labeled "626", while Karas says that he won't let Tobia or the pirates get in the way of Crux Dogatie's plans to subjugate Earth under the rule of the Jupiter Empire. Karas is about to kill Tobia when the Gundam bursts into the Smashion's  hangar, sucking out Tobia, Karas, and the gas canisters. Tobia gets saved by the Gundam pilot who gives Tobia two choices. Forget about the incident and return to Earth, or face reality with the space pirates. Tobia asks who he is, and the pilot introduces himself to be Kincaide Nau, a space pirate for the Crossbone Vanguard.

Chapter 2: The Name of that Darkness is Jupiter
Kincaido wals Tobia to the bridge of the Mother Vanguard. There, Tobia meets the captain of the ship, Berah Ronah. She asks Tobia whether or not he wants to stay with the Vanguard and find out the truth or go back home to Earth and forget everything. Tobia decides to stay with the pirates. After the Smashion gets rid of the poison gas canisters, the pirates escort the ship until it leaves the station. Tobia says that he wouldn't back down from his decision to stay with the pirates, and wondered why Prof. Karas had smuggled poison gas. Kincaido approaches Tobia, who wonders if it's safe to let the others go despite the threat from the empire. Kincaido says that the Jupiter Empire doesn't target civilians and asks Tobia to help him with some work since they're low on manpower. Tobia and Kincaido start peeling potatoes in the kitchen as Tobia asks if he was brought on only to be a kitchen worker. Kincaido says that he wasn't and says that he still has to work even though he's a pilot.

Tobia then remembers the legacy of the old Crossbone Vanguard that took over Side 4 in order to establish their own independent aristocratic nation known as Cosmo Babylonia. The founder Meitzer Ronah, was opposed by Berah who pushed for equality. A schism followed between the two sides, and the Crossbone Vanguard fell apart. Tobia recognizes Kincaido's face from the same time period as well, but Kincaido tells him to forget about it. Tobia thinks back to the initial launch of the Mother Vanguard in U.C. 0128, but that all the crew were allegedly killed on its maiden voyage. Kincaido says that he and Berah are dead to the outside world. In the shower, Berah's mechanical parrott Haro, alerts her to a silhouetted figure outside. Tobia and Kicaido walk from the kitchen as Tobia wonders if Berah revived the Vanguard to re-establish Cosmo Babylonia. Kincaido says that Berah never thought about doing that, and the only revived the name to get supplies easier. Then, an angry Berah tosses out the out the young girl from the space station. Berah and the rest of the crew wonder who the girl is as the young girl clings to Tobia begging to not be sent back to Jupiter. Kincaido asks for the young girl's name, and she introduces herself as Bernadette Briett. Tobia thinks that Bernadette probably saw the gas canisters or worse and wanted to hide from the Jovians. Bernadette again begs not to be sent back to Jupiter, but Berah explains that the Smashion already left for Earth. As a result, Berah places Bernadette under Tobia's guard as an assignment. Kincaido calls Bernadette "Princess" as Berah is called to the bridge and invites Tobia and Bernadette.

Berah talks to Kincaido about whether Tobia is ready to go on a certain mission, and Kincaido says that Tobia has the guts for it. Kincaido says that it wouldn't be good if they kept delaying the mission, despite Berah's warnings about previous attempts. Upon reaching Meteor 202 and confirming it to be a Jupiter base, Berah has the Vanguard launch a team of XM-08 Zondo Gei's, followed by Kincaido in the Crossbone X-1. Berah sternly reminds Zabine Chareux that they are not to kill any of the enemy pilots as he launches in the Crossbone X-2. Tobia is in awe at the Gundams, and Berah explains that a independent contractor had contacted them and delivered them the Gundams. She then asks Tobia what the asteroid looks like to him. He says it's a simple mining satellite, but Berah says its one of the Jovian bases and has the Mother Vanguard open fire. In response, Tobia implores Berah to stop firing, but a barrage of missiles heads for the ship. The Mother Vanguard's shields activate as teams of Bataras head for the ship. Berah says that after defeating the original Crossbone Vanguard, they managed to discover the Jupiter Empire, who had covered their tracks to avoid attention and had secretly supported those on Earth who wanted to start wars. She tells Tobia that the Jovians were biding their time, and waiting for the best opportunity to invade Earth. She explains that Jupiter was militaristically a small nation compared to the Earth Federation, which meant that they would have to invade Earth in one foul swoop. To do that, they have kept a neighborly relationship with the Earth Federation. Berah tells Tobia that the Jovians would kill anyone who discovered their plans.

Just then, a nuclear missile heads for the Mother Vanguard, which doesn't have time to defend itself, so Berah has Kincaido destroy the missile. He uses the Zanbuster to destroy the missile before it impacted with the ship. She tells Tobia that the goal of the new Crossbone Vanguard was to defeat the leader of the Jupiter Empire, Crux Dogatie.

Chapter 3: Ambush Trap
At the Jupiter Space Colony, an advisor speaks to Crux Dogatie about the Crossbone Vanguard's successfull destruction of Meteor 202. The other advisors blame one of their own for losing 30% of their missiles in the attack, but Crux laugs and says that the EMS-10 Pez Batara and the EMA-03 Gangrijo were completed and suggested using them in their next battle. He then declares that the pirates wouldn't get away with their actions. At the same time, Tobia is practicing combat manuevers in a Batara, as veteran Umon Samon tells Tobia not to focus on Jupiter's gravity. Kincaido tells him not to use full power all the time, as Bernadette brings the pilots food. A month into joining the Vanguard, Bernadette talks to Tobia about joining the pirates. He tries to show off by lifting a cart with one arm despite being in a zero-gee environment. The two talk about how their opinions on the pirates changed after joining them. Just then, Kincaido arrives and Bernadette starts chasing him asking if he wants more juice. In response, Tobia wonders if Kincaido was a pedophile. Kincaido then changes the subject and starts teaching Tobia about the Anti-Beam Cloak while the latter complains about the long hours..

Kincaido explains that the cloak absorbs beam shots by dispersing the energy on the outer layers on impact. Though the cloak doesn't use energy like a Beam Shield, it can only resist 5 consecutive beam shots. Kincaido and Tobia head to the bridge when Berah reports that they received an SOS from a carrier. Kincaido sees that the ship is in low orbit, citing heavy potential for a trap. Berah says they can't leave the people there, and wanted to send out the X-1 and three Zondo Gei's. Tobia's surprised that they wanted Zabine to stay on board, but Berah didn't want to risk both Gundams. Later, Tobia asks if Zabine was Kincaido's rival. Kincaido explains that during the War of Cosmo Babylonia, he was fighting for the resistance while Zabine was with the Crossbone Vanguard. Tobia thought it was strange how two rivals could work together, but Kincaido says that he and Zabine would always be rivals. He has Tobia join him in the upcoming mission, but when Tobia expresses his desire to become a Gundam pilot, Kincaido asks if he wants to actually try it. As the ship approaches, the Zondo Geis and the X-1 launch. Sitting in the X-2's cockpit, Zabine thinks about how he and Berah are the only ones on the ship when he sees Kincaido eating an apple, shocked that he's not in the X-1. On the bridge, Berah wonders why the X-1 was wobbling in space. On the MS deck, Zabine explains that he left the Crossbone Vanguard 10 years prior becaue he couldn't stand their cruel methods. However, Kincaido knows he still has noble blood and wonders why he had truly returned.

Tobia, piloting the X-1, stabilizes the suit and approaches the carrier. Umon has a sensation and tells Tobia to get away from the carrier. However, scores of Pez Bataras emerge from the carrier, heading straight for the Mother Vanguard. As Tobia and the Zondo Geis rush back to the ship, a large beam emerges from the carrier, blowing off the leg of Josh's Zondo Gei. The mobile armor Gangrijo appears and fires at the suits. Despite the Mother Vanguard activating the beam shield, the Pez Bataras break through with their beam axes. Bernadette is impressed that the ship's shield could cover the whole body, but Berah tells her taht the shield could only last for 20 minutes. She tells the crew that they'll crash into Jupiter's atmosphere if they can't destroy the Bataras in 20 minutes. She tells Kincaido to return to the ship, but he's in the hangar and launches in a spare Core Fighter with Zabine in the X-2. Zabine tries to chop down one of the Pez Bataras with the Beam Zanber, but the Pez Batara blocks it due to the beam axe. Zabine shoves the X-2's shot lancer into the side of the Pez Batara, alerting the others of their weakness. Tobia charges towards the Gangrijo, remembering that Kincaido told him that since the beam shield was standard on all mobile suits, the only way to get a hit was to move in close, which the Crossbone Gundam was designed for. Tobia charges the mobile armor but gets grabbed by its claw. As the cannon charges, Tobia's core fighter is ejected as Kincaido takes over the X-1. He breaks free from the Gangriji's grasp and then stabs the suit with the Beam sabers and Heat Knives, disabling the mobile armor. The remaining Pez Bataras retreat, as Tobia laments that being a pilot comes down to skill, and Zabine wonders if Kincaido trusts him enough yet. Kincaido and Tobia report to the bridge for their punishment as the two try to put the blame on one another for the snafu with the X-1. Berah laments that they can't delay the special mission any more, and assigns Tobia and Kincaido with the task of infiltraiting the Jupiter Empire to discover the whereabouts of Crux Dogatie, and then to go on toilet duty for a week.

Chapter 4: Into the Empire
At a oxygen-gathering base within Jupiter, a base commander picks up a distress signal, as well as a group of other suits. The signal reveals Tobia in a Zondo Gei being chased by the Vanguard. In response, Lieutenant Barnes Gernsback leads his team in his red Batara to save Tobia. In the X-2, Zabine wishes Tobia luck as he blasts the Zondo Gei's left arm and leg off. However, Barnes manages to destroy the X-2's tail booster. While fighting, Umon in the X-1 tells Zabine to fall back, and one of the Jovian soldiers wants to chase down the Vanguard. However, Barnes says they can't due to the Batara's limited cruising speed.

Back at the base, Tobia explains his situation and that he pretended to work with the pirates and learned how to pilot the Zondo Gei due to having previous experience at operating industrial mobile suits. The doctors then check on Kinkedo, who Tobia says covered his escape. Kinkedo's face is falsely scarred, but the head of the station profusely thanks Barnes for the capture of the Zondo Gei. He then attempts to grill Tobia for information on the Vanguard, but Barnes tells him that getting the injured Kinkedo to a hospital was more important. Barnes tells Tobia that he used to have a son that would have been around his age, but died in an accident at a resource gathering base. In an elevator, Kinkedo then gets up and knocks out a security guard.

Tobia then thinks back to when he observed Berah stranding a group of captured Jovian soldiers in space. She told them to reflect on their new lives if they survived. After releasing them, Tobi asks if they did it every time, and she said yes, adding that although Crux wants to start a war with Earth, not all of Jupiter's civilians wanted one. Tobia then asks why they don't put in their own men to infiltrate Jupiter, but she says that they have, but none came back. Tobia visits Kincaido, who had his fingerprints changed and used the ID number of a dead Jovian soldier. Tobia laments at how they couldn't bring the death toll down to zero, but Kincaido says that's part of war. In the hangar, Tobia wonders what the point of sparing people's lives was if there would still be deaths in war. Then, Zabine, as though he read Tobia's mind, tells him that while he agrees with Berah waging war on the Jupiter Empire, he doesn't think that sparing pilot's lives was a good thing, arguing that any pilots left alive could become their enemy again, and it would be the only way to quickly end a war. Then, Bernadette shows up wondering why Tobia volunteered for the mission. Kinkedo reassures Bernadette that Tobia would be fine, and Umon adds that Tobia has the qualities of a Newtype. Yona explains that a Newtype has a higher level of intuition and possible telepathy. Umon brags that during the One Year War, he defeated six MS-09R Rick Dom units with a single RB-79 Ball. Umon tells him that his abilities will awaken after a few near-death experiences. Bernadette then gives Tobia a necklace for good luck.

Back to the present, Tobia and Kinkedo walk through a hall with the guard's body on a stretcher. Tobia then remembers being lectured by Berah on how to properly infiltrate a location and the potential need for using a Jovian mobile suit. She told Tobia that the objective was to find Crux Dogatie's location, and that their previous attempts were unsuccessful due to Jovians destroying all of the data. Tobia then sees a woman begging a doctor for more water, but the doctor tells her that water and oxygen must be equally rationed, even for patients. Being sympathetic, Tobia gives some water to the woman's daughter, getting everyone's attention. To save their cover, Kinkedo repeatedly punches Tobia, telling him that his action was like taking water from Dogatie himself. He proceeds to beat up Tobia while subtlely telling the girl to take the water. After their narrow escape, the two run into a heavily bandaged patient wearing a mask. After disposing of the guard, Tobia steps out into the residential block, where to his shock there is no gravity. In a cafe, Kinkedo explains that having no gravity allows space to be used more efficiently, unlike on Earth where having gravity was normal. .Just then, a team of security mobile suits shows up to capture Tobia and Kinkedo.

Mobile Weapons

 * EMS-06 Batara
 * EMS-10 Pez Batara
 * Unknown Zaku-type Mobile Suit
 * XM-01 Den'an Zon
 * XM-10 Flint
 * XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1
 * XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam X-1 Kai
 * XM-X2 Crossbone Gundam X-2
 * XM-X3 Crossbone Gundam X-3
 * XM-08 Zondo Gei

Vehicles and Support Units

 * Eos Nyx
 * Little Grey
 * Mother Vanguard
 * Zamouth Giri class
 * Zamouth Jeth class
 * Zamouth Nada class

Mobile Weapons

 * EMA-03 Gangrijo
 * EMA-04 Elefante
 * EMA-06 Elegolea
 * EMA-07 Nautilus
 * EMA-10 Divinidad
 * EMS-06 Batara
 * EMS-07 Erebado
 * EMS-09 Vagon
 * EMS-10 Pez Batara
 * EMS-VSX1 Quavarze
 * EMS-VSX1 Mass Production Quavarze
 * EMS-VSX2 Abijo
 * EMS-VSX3 Totuga

Mobile Weapons

 * F91 Gundam Formula 91
 * Model 133 Ball
 * RGM-89J Jegan Normal Type
 * RGM-109 Heavygun
 * RGM-119 Jamesgun
 * RGM-122 Javelin

Vehicles and Support Units

 * Clop class
 * Ra Cailum-class
 * Reinforce

Sequels

 * Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Skull Heart, a single volume of short stories written by Yuichi Hasegawa, placed three years after the ending of the original Crossbone Gundam manga series. Released in 2003, ten years after the original, the series consists primarily of short vignettes detailing the adventures of the Crossbone Vanguard three years after the original manga.


 * Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Steel 7 . A three-volume story which takes place shortly after Skull Heart. Released in 2006, Steel Seven introduces Bernadette's step-mother Europa, who flees to Earth to warn the Vanguard that the Jupiter Empire is building "Zeus' Wrath", a giant colony laser, in order to destroy Earth. Tobia must race against time and agents of the Empire to recover a means with which to get to Jupiter, and to recruit the best pilots he can muster for what seems to be a suicide mission. This manga ties more heavily into Victory Gundam than the original, serving to explain where the V2 Gundam's "Wings of Light" came from.


 * Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Ghost, A new story which takes place seventeen years after Steel 7.

Notes & Trivia

 * Fonse Kagatie, leader of the evil Zanscare Empire in Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, is the man who re-organized the Jupiter Republic after the events of this manga series. He maintained strong ties with his former homeland, which helped the Zanscare Empire in its war against the Earth Federation.
 * Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam had the distinction of being one of the few non-anime series to feature in the Super Robot Wars series of video games. Characters and mecha from it were features in Super Robot Wars α2.

Editions

 * ISBN 978-4-04-715645-6-C0979
 * ISBN 978-4-04-715646-3-C0979
 * ISBN 978-4-04-715686-9-C0979
 * ISBN 978-4-04-715687-6-C0979
 * ISBN 978-4-04-715718-7-C0979
 * ISBN 978-4-04-715719-4-C0979