The Papillon (パピヨン Papiyon?) is a transport vehicle which appears in the manga series Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Ghost.
Technology & Combat Characteristics[]
The Papillon is an experimental Minovsky Drive-propelled craft developed for the use of the Jupiter Republic's Jupiter Foundation to facilitate interplanetary travel. It has much in common with a ship, but has a pair of long, spindly insect-like limbs for attitude control, like a Mobile Suit or Armor, so it is dubbed a "Mobile Cruiser." Its main means of propulsion is by two pairs of Minovsky Drives, which resemble "Wings of Light" when engaged. Using the Minovsky Drive the Papillon is capable of traveling at incredible speeds, dramatically reducing the travel time between worlds. By using the "Wings of Light" as a shield it is possible for the Papillon to enter the Earth's atmosphere unaided, and they are capable of blocking attacks from enemy Mobile Suits similar to a Beam Shield, affording the Papillon some protection. The Papillon has no armaments, as it was intended as a research and transport vessel. One Papillon was known to be stored within the hull of the Manzana Flor.
Special Equipment & Features[]
- Minovsky Drive System
- Developed from the Minovsky Craft System, the Minovsky Drive System is a form of propulsion technology that allows an equipped machine to accelerate to extremely high speeds both in space and in the Earth's atmosphere. The speed that can be achieved is so great that an equipped mobile suit can travel from the 600 million kilometers separating the Earth Sphere from the Jupiter Sphere in about 150 hours -when both planets are at their closest position to one another- while traditional ships designed to make the same journey would require a minimum of three months. One of the primary advantages of the Minovsky Drive System is that it does not require burning conventional fuel to operate and instead relies solely on the Minovsky particles produced by the Minovsky fusion reactor. Because the reactor continually produces Minovsky particles the Minovsky Drive System theoretically has no operating limit as long as all components are working properly.
History[]
In U.C. 0153 Erin Schneider, captain of the Manzana Flor, and other Jovian hardliners steal a sample of Angel Call and use the Manzana Flor's Papillon to make their escape. Still harboring anti-Earth sentiments fostered during the reign of the Jupiter Empire, Erin seeks to use Angel Call as a biological weapon against the Earth Sphere, traveling there directly from Saturn's orbit where the bacterium had been discovered on a meteorite. Using the Papillon's incredible speed, they reached the Earth Sphere a month sooner than the pursuing Manzana Flor even though it too utilized a Minovsky Drive System. Inside the Papillon was a considerable amount of experimental equipment and, over the course of the trip to Earth, Erin began to have a change of heart over the extreme peril posed by Angel Call to all of humanity, and he devoted himself to developing a vaccine. Erin was not successful, but devised a way to prolong the life of an infected person, and a way to destroy it though prolonged exposure to extreme heat. Erin hides the Papillon in the ruins of Jaburo, in South America, but he is tracked down by the Zanscare Empire's Golden Eggs Team who steal the sample of Angel Call, leaving Erin to succumb to his exposure.
Picture Gallery[]
References[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- "Papillon" is French for "Butterfly."
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