| Bernard Wiseman | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born: | January 21st, UC 0060 |
| Died: | December 25th, UC 0079 (Age: 19) |
| Factions: | Principality of Zeon |
| Gender: | Male |
| Era: | One Year War |
| Love Interest: | Christina Mackenzie |
| Nationality: | Side 3 |
| Created By: | Yoshiyuki Tomino |
Bernard Wiseman was the name of a Zeon soldier and member of Cyclops Team during the events of the One Year War where he would go on to take part in Operation Rubicon, which ended up being an attempt at either capturing or destroying the Second Federation Monster known as Gundam Alex. The operation would fail leading to Wiseman being the sole survivor of Team Cyclops along side Heirshy who had escaped the Colony of Side 6 after disabling Gundam Alex during a heated duel which took place on the final day of the Operation on December 20th, UC 0079.
He would then attempt to lure Gundam Alex out during the events of Operation Christmas where he would fight Alex in a heavy duel within the forest section of the colony where unknown to him he would be fighting his own love interest Christina Mackenzie on December 25th UC 0079 where he would eventually die by her hands.
Despite he would program AI to have Christina Believe that he was still alive, but the truth of his death would eventually be revealed to Christina Mackenzie over 4 years after the One Year War's end, Christina herself would perish years later at the age of 39 in UC 0097 during the Liberation of Sierra Colony during the Zeon Civil War, where she worked as an Independent soldier of the Earth Federation fighting in support for the Principality of Zeon in order to honor Wiseman.
Bio[]
Early Years[]
Bernie was born in Side 3, and was drafted into the army with a call-up warrant upon graduation from high school in September. After entering the military, Bernie's qualifications were recognized, and he was enrolled as an aviation student in the MS department of an aviation school that trains MS pilots. The training period was very short due to the impending war, and after completing his training in the training unit, he was assigned to the MS unit under the 7th Division of the Assault Mobile Force based at Granada base.
Operation Rubicorn[]
On his first mission, he is assigned to a force of Zeon troops who invade the neutral colony of Ribo in Side 6. Bernie is shot down within Ribo and befriends a young boy named Alfred Izuruha, who is excited by Bernie's status as a mobile suit pilot. Bernie trades his Zeon rank badge for the video disc from Al's camera, which contains pictures of suspicious Federation activity. Upon returning to base, his intel gets him transferred to the special forces Cyclops Team headed by Steiner Hardy.
The Cyclops Team soon commences "Operation Rubicon," to capture or destroy the Federation's new mobile suit, RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1, that is hidden in Ribo. The rest of the team sees Bernie as a hindrance and treat him with disdain due to him replacing the late Andy Strauss as well as Steiner specifically requesting for someone with more experience than a rookie like Wiseman. His first task as part of the Cyclops Team is to escort their cargo to Ribo, where he needed to pass a battlefield before reaching the colony's customs department before being joined by the rest of the Cyclops team.
As the team begin transporting the parts for the MS-18E Kämpfer to a factory, Bernie ends up encountering Al once again. Al would eventually find his way into the Cyclops Team's factory by reporting their suspicious behavior to the police. When Al realizes that the accompanying officer was now in danger of being killed, he immediately grabs Bernie, claiming that Wiseman was actually his stepbrother, causing the annoyed officer to leave. When Bernie and Al are ordered to explain themselves, Al immediately expresses his wishes to help the Cyclops Team and Zeon.
In response, Steiner gives Al a badge and orders Bernie to continue to monitor and babysit Al to make sure their secrets aren't leaked. While Bernie dutifully carries out this task, this was actually made to intentionally keep him away from the rest of the team, with the exception of Heirshy whom he actually allows Bernard to aide in the Operation in secrecy as the event continued.
After taking Al home, Bernie continues to loiter around Al's house for the rest of the night. Al's neighbor, Christina Mackenzie, catches Bernie sneaking around Al's house and attacks him with a baseball bat, knocking him out with one hit after mistaking him for a prowler. Al later covers for Bernie by once again claiming that Bernie was his stepbrother and was never revealed to Al's mother, forcing him to sneak around. Despite this rocky start, the Bernie and Chris got along well; If the reaction of Chris' parents is any indication, their attraction to each other is fairly obvious.
Bernie and Al later end up sneaking into the Federation's base in Ribo in order to investigate the Federation's plans. Al would later take pictures of the Gundam "Alex" still in production, which Bernie passes to the rest of the team with the exception of Heirshy whom which Bernard declared that Heirshy was expereincing enough trouble with Gundam and Amuro Ray and that he did not wish for him to go through 2 Federation Monsters. As a reward for his dangerous mission, Bernie eats a punch from Garcia and is scolded by Steiner for taking an unnecessary stunt that could've compromised them, however he is praised by Heirshy who didn't take to kindly on how Cyclops Team was treating the young man.
Nonetheless, Bernie is ordered to take Al back and to prepare for their infiltration mission to either steal or destroy the Gundam.
The team soon receives their costumes and fake passports from their inside man in Ribo, Charlie, before setting off. While preparing, Garcia warns Bernie to stay alive by the mission's end, confessing that this was the first time he had someone he could order around and lamenting what would happen if Bernie wasn't there to take his orders anymore.
After gathering intel, the Cyclops Team infiltrates the EFF base housing the Gundam NT-1 to destroy it while Heirshy was then ordered by Steiner to gather all of the Data by attacking the nearby Military research industrial complex, he would leave Cyclops and Bernad to deal with the Second Federation Monster not knowing that Bernard that he and Bernard would be the final ones alive in the Operation. Disguised as Federation soldiers, Bernie blows their cover after posing as an Australian and mixing up the seasons. A firefight ensues that severely wounds Steiner. Garcia then orders Bernie to take the captain and flee as he plants bombs on the Gundam NT-1 to destroy it.
Unfortunately, Garcia is shot midway through the Gundam NT-1's ramp and can only detonate his bomb to kill himself instead. The Gundam NT-1's pilot later arrives and proceeds to dispatch Mikhail and the Kämpfer, Gundam Alex not known by Wiseman having to be piloted by Christina Mackenzie would then go on to engage Team Cyclops leading to their deaths, but the sudden leakage of photograph of Heirshy that was taken of him during his Data runs would later reach the Federation base, and would soon be discovered by Bernard who noticed that Gundam Alex was racing at a fast pace toward his postion. He would go on to try to warn Hairshy of Gundam Alex approaching his position but due to interference left behind from the fire fight and battle with Cyclops He was unable to reach Heirshy.
Heirshy not knowing of the new Federation Monster due to Bernard not giving him actual pictures was soon confronted by Christina Mackenzie in Gundam Alex before he could advance to his new objective of Concor, leading to a duel that was watched by Bernard Wiseman who managed to race on the scene using a confiscated Federation Jeep that had Steiner within it, he was able to witness Gundam get defeated despite putting up a heavy fight and was disabled, before watching Heirshy for the first time ever remove his Helmet and compliment the pilot before Federation reinforcements arrived and he was forced to flee along with Bernard, where Heirshy would escape Side 6 never to return.
Bernie is somehow able to escape through the chaos, taking the wounded Steiner back with him. When Steiner inquires of the Gundam NT-1's fate, Bernie attempts to lie in order to comfort his captain and states that Mikhail had successfully dealt with the Gundam NT-1. Steiner, however, immediately sees through Bernie's white lie, but succumbs to his wounds and passes away. Bernie later creates a make-shift grave for Steiner.
With the failure of Operation Rubicon, Colonel Killing orders the nuclear destruction of Side 6. Charlie warns Bernie of the Killing's intentions and urges Bernie to leave Ribo. Bernie later meets with Al once again, where the two argue with Bernie's decision to run away from the problem. A frustrated Bernie finally dismisses Al's suggestion to fight by telling him of the grim reality of death and how nothing truly matters if you die by the end of the day.
Bernie soon plans his journey to Franchesca, a luxurious colony; but while waiting at the spaceport, he sees a red-haired woman he mistakes as Chris and begins to have second thoughts. In the end, he decides to stay and attempt to destroy Gundam NT-1, in order to avoid the nuclear destruction of Side 6.
With the help of Al, Bernie repairs his damaged MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai and sets various traps for his battle against the Gundam NT-1. Bernie then gives Al a tape to use in case he should fail.
Operation Christmas & Death[]
On the day of the proposed attack, Al becomes aware of the news that the Federation forces have found the nuclear weapons on a captured Zeon ship and attempts to stop Bernie from fighting. For Bernie it was too late.
He engages in battle with Gundam NT-1— piloted by Chris and was repaired. Sadly, neither he nor Chris know that the other is their opponent, and the battle is both violent and merciless.
Thanks to Chris' relative inexperience in battle, Bernie is able to lure her into a trap, and heavily damages the Gundam with the Zaku's melee attacks.
Unfortunately for Bernie, he is killed instantly when Gundam NT-1's beam saber stabs straight through the cockpit and hits the reactor, causing his Zaku's entire upper body to explode (his remains are later referred to as looking like "a pile of hamburger"). His death is mourned by Al, who rushes to the site and had made vain attempts to stop the fight. Later, when Chris tells Al that she is leaving Ribo, she asks him to say goodbye to Bernie for her, unaware of what truly occurred.
Legacy[]
After Bernie's death, Al plays his tape as per Bernie's wishes, where Bernie reveals inside information regarding the impending nuclear attack on the colony in the hopes that someone will believe Al and flee to safety.
He also advises Al to not spite the Federation nor the pilot of the NT-1, admitting that they are all just soldiers fighting for what they believe is right.
At the end of the tape, he gives a more light-hearted note saying that should he somehow prevail, he will definitely find a way to return to visit Al. Before the recording ends, Bernie simply asks Al to greet Chris for him. Bernard's death would eventually reach Heirshy on Solomon during the time of the Engagement that was taking place on Solomon, where he declared that he died a noble cause and even claimed that he was a fine soldier.
Bernard is mentioned by Heirshy decades later during the Zeon Civil War, when he was having a conversation with a 39 year old Christina Mackenzie in UC 0097 during the time of the Zeon Civil War, where Heirshy actually mentioned that he enjoyed working with the man, and that he was a good kid.