A/N: Just to let readers know I'm going to be using the actual weapons stat among the other details regarding the planes that will be mentioned throughout this fanfic. My apologies if I switch between the actual acronym regarding the payload and the nicknames. I've only played AC5 on the PS2 and ACX: Skies of Deception on the PSP, as well as demos for both AC6 and Assault Horizon on the XBOX 360.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ace Combat. Some of the planes mentioned belong to companies Northrop Grumman, Boeing, etc. The characters I've made for this fanfic among other things are mine. Ace Combat belongs to Namco.

Shadow blankets the land as storm clouds form overhead

The rain falls in torrents and the winds howl

The sky shrieks from thunder streaking down from the clouds

The ground quakes as the dragon ascends from below

A lone figure stands before him, blade drawn and battle ready.

Their fight would ravage the land.

The ground will be soaked crimson, the skies dyed red.

Prologue: Past Fragments & Unexpected Warning

Jan. 4, 2030

0800 hours

Location: Varion Air Force Base

It almost seemed like a dream, from the stories my father had told me during the involvement in the turnaround of the Circum-Pacific war he and his team temporarily had. I was still a young back then and the only thing I could recall was the only thing that was forever etched in my mind.

A huge explosion over the city as tiny sparks rained over and four F22-A Raptors flew by. I was in my room and heard the people cheering about the Razgriz. I couldn't help but smile as I had heard only fragments of it from my mother as a bedtime story. My older brother Marcus however, thought I would have delusions of grandeur by thinking of joining the air force. Oddly enough, I had my father's slightly stubborn streak. That was back then. My father had since then retired from the air force and was perfectly content taking a desk job at the base he was stationed in.

My name is Hunter Davidson. I started early flight training during the summer in my early teens and after high school continued before graduating at age 17 and applied for the air force a couple years later. I originally had plans of being a teacher, but my fascination with planes outweighed it. That didn't mean I gave up the dream, just…placed it aside for now. An old friend of my father who went by the name of Daniel was impressed a bit with how I had performed with my fighter maneuver training and referred me to a base that was called Varion. It was not until after I found myself stationed at the base several miles from where Heierlark was that I heard the submarine that my older brother was in had gotten attacked and yet they didn't tell me as to who.

As for what I received in the mail regarding it, well…I still kept it in my pocket and I hadn't opened it since. When my father heard of the attack on the radio, he was showing signs both of worry and frustration. The attack was heard on both the news and on the radio. According to the reports, it was two days earlier before my transfer at approximately 1500 hours off the Pacific. I caught wind of it as I was heading to the hangar to meet the captain that was in charge of today's flight. There were a small group of pilots that had gathered at Hangar 05 seemed energetic, if not a few of them also cocky. I couldn't help but smirk at what my older brother told me back then and yet it was these guys that had more on the delusions than I did. My left hand was still in the left pocket of my uniform and had just grasped the slightly folded envelope. I was still a few feet away and decided to take a look. I wasn't sure if it was important, but looking at the sender showed it was from my older brother. After taking a look inside, I expected the letter to be somewhat long, regarding things that were happening on board. The contents of the letter however, made me stop dead in my tracks and luckily, the captain hadn't shown up yet.

All the letter said was the following:

Attack on the Osean Federation Submarine Quantum. Received firing order via unknown channel, attacker…was one of our own. We're trying to sort things out by retreating to safer waters in the Atlantic, and notified an old accomplice of our uncle in Yuktobania. Keep your eyes on a swivel, stay frosty, and be wary on who you trust.

Sincerely your proud brother,

Marcus.

After reading the letter, I felt a slight lump in my throat and had to struggle to control the maelstrom of feelings that was beginning to come over my body. Heaving a deep sigh, I then went to join the other pilots. One of the pilots was a female, brunette with long hair, green eyes, and had a slight calm composure, while showing determined focus. Little did I know, as well as some of the pilots that would be joining me…that the attack on my brother's sub and the fights that would follow in the air as well as on the ground would soon start a fire that would become an inferno.