Technology & Combat Characteristics
The CB-002 Raphael Gundam is primarily intended for space combat, and its most notable feature is the mounting of the GN-008RE Seravee Gundam II on top of its body as additional equipment. While this design has its advantages, such as being able to deploy Seravee II quickly, it also caused Raphael to be top-heavy and difficult to balance under gravity, making the machine unsuitable for ground combat. There are other variations of Raphael, including a ground combat form called "CB-002/GD Raphael Gundam Dominions".
History
Following humanity's successful dialogue with the alien species "Extraterrestrial Living-metal Shape-shifter", there was a rapid increase in the numbers of humans awakening as Innovators, and those who opposed them began taking up arms. Despite losing several members and machines, the paramilitary organization Celestial Being continued to exist and obtained new capabilities. At the same time, there were a few eyewitness reports of Gundams, but these Gundams do not fit the ones known to be operated by Celestial Being. Most of these reports were due to the eyewitnesses mistaking other machines for Gundams, but this signified that the Gundams remained a symbol of eliminating conflict. Meanwhile, the Earth Sphere Federation and its military, the Earth Sphere Federation Forces, were generally pro-Innovators, but a minority in the military were anti-Innovators and they broke away, forming an armed rebel group.
Despite its small size, the rebel group could not be ignored as they were using the same weapons as the Earth Sphere Federation Forces. This meant that only the Earth Sphere Federation Forces and Celestial Being could stop them. During a skirmish between the Earth Sphere Federation Forces and the rebels in the mountainous region of South America, Amy Zimbalist and his GNX-604T Advanced GN-X came up against three GNX-805T/CF GN-XIV Core Fighter Loaded Types. The GN-XIV Core Fighter Loaded Type operated by the rebels was the latest model in the GN-X series, and on the other hand, Amy's Advanced GN-X was an old model. As a result, even though Amy had impressive piloting skills, he was in a disadvantageous position due to his mobile suit's inferior performance. Amy was soon cornered by the enemy machines, and closed his eyes to escape reality, but the fatal blow never arrived.
Hurriedly opening his eyes, Amy saw the three GN-XIV Core Fighter Loaded Types shot down by long-range beam fire. These beam shots were also very precise, deliberately avoiding hitting the enemy machines' Core Fighters, enabling their pilots to escape unharmed. Amy quickly turned the Advanced GN-X's sensors and cameras towards the direction where the beams were coming from. Despite being very far away, Amy was able to roughly identity the source of the beam shots as being a Gundam. From the beginning, Amy had suspected a Gundam was involved, as no other machines was capable of such powerful and precise long-range attacks. Amy flew his Advanced GN-X towards the Gundam to get a clearer look at it, but the Gundam quickly activated its thrusters and disappeared from Advanced GN-X's sensors.
After the battle, Amy began telling others he saw a Gundam, but no one believed him. With no options left, Amy turned to Robert Spacey, a MS development historian, and his perceived love rival. He showed Robert the recorded footage from his Advanced GN-X, but Robert flatly denied that it was a Gundam. As a disappointed Amy left, wondering if he did indeed make a mistake, Robert heaved a sigh of relief. He was certain Amy had encountered a Gundam, and guessed that it was a variation of the CB-002 Raphael Gundam. However, Robert lied to Amy as Veda, which was linked to this new mobile suit's development, did not reveal the machine's existence, so he felt he should also keep it a secret. While Robert did not know the identity of the Gundam's pilot, he believed the mobile suit would contribute to the future of humanity. For humanity's sake, he was willing to tell a white lie. Furthermore, deflating Amy's ego was a nice bonus and a mischievous smile appeared on Robert's face.
Leos Alloy arrived in the virtual replica of the Anno Domini world, sometime after the battle with the Innovades who falsely claimed to be Innovators and before the encounter with ELS, to collect combat data on the true Innovators. However, his arrival and actions altered the timeline data, causing the CB-002/GD Raphael Gundam Dominions to appear much earlier than it should. Piloted by Tieria Erde, Dominions intervened in the fight between Setsuna F. Seiei's GN-001REIII Gundam Exia Repair III and Leo's Extreme Gundam Type Leos Xenon Phase, enabling Setsuna to escape.
