Bernadette Briett

Bernadette Briett (ベルナデット・ブリエット, Berunadetto Burietto), nicknamed Bell, was a Crossbone Vanguard pilot who fought alongside Tobia Arronax during the Jupiter Empire conflicts of the UC 0130s.

Biography

Bernadette’s career unfolded across the events depicted in Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam and its sequels, chronicling her shift from a Jovian insider to a core member of the Vanguard resistance.

Early Vanguard service

Bernadette enlisted with the reformed Crossbone Vanguard before Tobia’s recruitment, patrolling the transport lanes around Jupiter to deter Imperial raids on civilian freighters. Her familiarity with Jovian customs allowed her to infiltrate supply depots without raising suspicion, and she often translated intercepted communications for Commander Seabook Arno while leading reconnaissance sorties.

Partnership with Tobia Arronax

After Tobia defected from the Jupiter Empire, Bernadette mentored him in the hit-and-run tactics favoured by the Crossbone Gundams. She frequently flew in formation with Tobia, covering his blind spots during boarding operations and offering clear-headed advice whenever his inexperience threatened the mission. Their professional partnership soon deepened into a romantic bond that helped anchor both pilots through the protracted campaign.

Revealed heritage

The Vanguard later uncovered that Bernadette was in fact the eldest daughter of Emperor Crux Dogatie, sent to Earth under an assumed name. Faced with proof of her father’s plans to exterminate spacenoid populations, she supplied the Vanguard with intelligence on Imperial shipyards, fleet deployments, and court rivalries. Her testimony persuaded wavering Jovian officers to side with the resistance and provided the Vanguard with the coordinates needed to strike the Dogatie flagship.

Post-war missions

Following Dogatie’s defeat, Bernadette remained active through the Skull Heart, Steel Seven, and Ghost incidents. She negotiated safe passage with independent colony blocs, escorted relief convoys through radiation-heavy orbits, and continued to pilot reserve Crossbone units whenever remnants of the Empire resurfaced.

Physical appearance

Bernadette was a petite woman with shoulder-length blonde hair often tied back beneath a Vanguard flight helmet. She usually wore the brown-and-black pilot suit standardised for double-digit gravity operations, switching to civilian dresses only when undercover among Jupiter colony elites.

Personality & traits

Calm, pragmatic, and quietly compassionate, Bernadette balanced the Vanguard’s idealism with grounded judgement. Crewmates noted her dry humour in ready rooms and the steady confidence she offered rookies before launch. Even after discovering her royal lineage, she rejected the privilege associated with the Dogatie household, insisting on sharing the same duties and risks as the rest of the squadron.

Skills & abilities

Bernadette excelled at formation flying in dense debris fields and routinely coordinated sensor data across the squadron’s tactical network. Her knowledge of Jovian navigation charts enabled precise plotting through radiation belts that crippled less experienced pilots. Off the flight line she handled diplomatic briefings with colony administrators, using her upbringing to decode Imperial etiquette and keep negotiations from collapsing.

Relationships

Tobia Arronax

Bernadette and Tobia developed a partnership that blended combat coordination with personal commitment. She guided him through the Vanguard’s doctrine and, in return, drew strength from his unwavering resolve to protect civilians targeted by the Empire. Their mutual trust became a cornerstone of the Vanguard’s efforts in the Jupiter sphere.

Seabook Arno

Operating under the alias Kincade Nau, Seabook relied on Bernadette to translate Jovian politics into actionable intelligence. She often acted as his envoy when persuading defectors to join the Vanguard, and he reciprocated by shielding her from suspicion when her true parentage emerged.

Crux Dogatie

Learning that Dogatie planned to obliterate spacenoid resistance cost Bernadette any residual loyalty to the Emperor. By openly opposing him she inspired other Jovian officers to question the regime and ultimately contributed to his downfall.

Military career

Service logs credit Bernadette with continuous active duty from UC 0133 through the later Vanguard campaigns. She alternated between fighter escort missions, covert reconnaissance, and diplomatic courier runs, earning a reputation for reliability in long-duration operations far from Earth.

Equipment

Bernadette most commonly piloted support-configured Crossbone units equipped with scissor anchors, beam zanbers, and anti-ship shot lancers suited to disabling Jovian capital ships. She also trained on covert infiltration craft outfitted with electronic countermeasures used to slip past Imperial patrol lines.

Legacy

Vanguard records regard Bernadette as a decisive factor in rallying Jovian kolonies against Dogatie’s empire. Her willingness to defy her birthright demonstrated that the resistance was not merely an Earth-led rebellion but a coalition of Jupiter-born citizens determined to protect their homes.

Behind the scenes

Bernadette Briett was created by manga author Hasegawa Yūichi for Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam. Hasegawa paired her professional competence with Tobia’s rookie enthusiasm to depict a healthier wartime partnership than earlier Gundam romances, while highlighting the role of experienced women in front-line units.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Skull Heart
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: The Steel Seven
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Ghost

External links

Bernadette Briett on the Gundam Wiki