Foreword: I don't own the Ace Combat series. All of them are owned by Bandai Namco and Project Aces. The only characters I own are my OCs.

Have fun reading!


Ace Combat: The Angels of Emmeria


"Amidst the blue skies, a link from past to future. The sheltering wings of the protector..."

- Original quote


Prologue


1999. The year where everything went to hell.

When the asteroid designated as 'Ulysses 1994XF04' was discovered by Usean scientists in the year 1994, astronomers at first believed it to be another random space rock to name, measure and categorize — one of dozens that had already been discovered and categorized since Osea launched the groundbreaking Hubble Space Telescope in the year 1990.

As the astronomers, astrophysicists, and geologists went and calculated the numbers and predicted its intended orbit and trajectory, they came to a shocking and terrifying discovery.

It was coming at them — 1.6 kilometers of space rock was set on a collision course with Earth in the next few years, predicted to reach unstable Earth orbit on July 3, 1999.

The Federation of Central Usea, the country which first discovered the existence of the threat, sprang into action, at first foolishly withholding the information from the public to prevent mass hysteria and even worse political upheaval, before finally conceding that it can't do much without the help of its allies. Plans were set in motion, treaties were signed, alliances were formed, and the world did its best to prepare for the coming onslaught.

Some countries, like the Republic of Emmeria on the Anean Continent up to the north, built underground reinforced shelters to better protect its civilians from the expected fragments that came from the breaking up of Ulysses. They persuaded neighboring Federal Republic of Estovakia and the Kingdom of Nordennavic to use their castles to shelter evacuees, and in addition constructed a network of underground shelters in and around the capital, Gracemeria.

Others, like members of the Usea Treaty Organization, opted to build planetary defense systems, such as the Stonehenge Turret Network which utilized advanced railgun technology to intercept the Ulysses fragments before they enter the Earth's atmosphere. The Osean Federation and the Union of Yuktobanian Republics jointly developed the 'Arkbird' asteroid interception spacecraft, fitted with an anti-asteroid laser in a ventral housing.

While these countries were well-prepared, the rest of the world was not.

And it all came to a head on July 3, 1999.

Despite their preparations, Estovakia, the Erusean Republic, and countless other countries were devastated by Ulysses. Thousands of lives had been lost to asteroid fragments the size of a small hill impacting into the heart of city centers and other populated areas. Countless smaller meteorites rained like hellfire onto the beleaguered inhabitants of the planet below.

The Ulysses Disaster.

That was what they were calling it, and it triggered many changes and upheavals within the nations of the world and had a profound effect on the lives of its inhabitants. The event became the catalyst for a number of crises and military conflicts within Usea and around the world, leaving a lasting legacy of nearly twenty years: —

The Usean Continental War.

The Second Usean Continental War.

The Circum-Pacific War.

The Estovakian Civil War.

These are just four of the largest — and most significant — among many smaller proxy conflicts that erupted around the globe.

And, just over the horizon, another conflict was brewing within the continent of Anea, as the conclusion of Estovakia's bloody civil war saw the rise of a new government headed by a group of men, calling themselves 'The Generals', a group of high ranking Estovakian military personnel that directed the victorious Eastern Faction. As their country's infrastructure and economy were in shambles due to Ulysses, feelings of hatred and jealousy rippled through the top echelons of the Estovakian government at their relatively unscathed neighbor, the Republic of Emmeria.

The year was 2015, 16 years after the Ulysses Disaster.

And, on this year, 'The Generals' were about to embark on their boldest and riskiest move in their short tenure in power since the defeat of the Lyes United Front to relive their country's and their personal woes — The Invasion of Emmeria.


Melissa Herman looked up from the book she was reading when she heard the distinctive sounds of her husband's motorcycle driving up her home's driveway, causing a warm smile to curl at her lips.

Setting down the book on the living room coffee table, the blonde haired blue-eyed woman stood to greet her beloved at the door. As the sounds of the motorcycle engines died out, so did the sounds of Melissa's footsteps as she unlocked the front door and opened it, stepping out onto the front porch as she did.

The first thing that greeted her was the glare of the afternoon Emmerian sunshine. Squinting her eyes as she put a hand over her eyes to block out the sun's harsh light, allowing her eyesight to adjust properly, Melissa's smile broadened as she noticed the man she had been waiting for walking up the steps of the front porch, a duffle bag strung over his shoulder.

Three months. That was how long his last assignment had been, something about having to participate in a war game between Emmeria and Nordennavic, far to the north.

Melissa sighed to herself, though the smile still remained genuine on her lips.

Although she would've liked to spend more time with her husband, she knew she couldn't complain. He always took leave whenever he could get away with it with the top brass, usually getting a reprimand for his troubles — much to her equal amusement and horror, as he was always a troublemaker, even back in high school. Besides, he always liked to fly with his 'angels'.

Angels. That's what he referred to his fighter jet when Melissa had asked him a few years ago, and it had become a running joke and greeting of luck within the family ever since.

The man stood in front of her, gray eyes twinkling with warmth and love as he grinned like an idiot. His dark, disheveled hair was trimmed professionally. His small stubble on his angled face was also trimmed, with telltale signs of a well-managed goatee already in the works.

Melissa suppressed an amused laugh at that — he had always wanted to get a goatee when he had played the Osean video game 'Command and Conquer' and always admired the Osean actor Joseph Kucan's character, Kane, with his distinctive goatee.

Apparently it was cool in his opinion, which made Melissa want to laugh all the more at her husband's silliness.

He wore a drab light gray jacket which was left opened on the front over a white T-shirt, and blue jeans. Ever since joining the Republic of Emmeria Air Force, he had always opted not to wear any of the standard issue BDUs and utility uniforms when going back home — 'work clothes stay at work,' he had said — instead preferring casual clothing.

This was Johnathan "Jack" Herman, Melissa's husband and love of her life.

"I'm back, Mel!" Jack said with a bright grin.

"Welcome home, Jack." Melissa said as she hugged him to her, feeling his strong arms hugging her back.

At five foot eight, she was considered of an average height by Emmerian standards and while she was proud with her figure and her height, Jack's six foot frame nearly dwarfed her. Standing nearly a head taller than her, Melissa had to tilt her head up to meet her husband's eyes before closing the distance between them, kissing him for the first time in three months.

They pulled away when the sound of bounding footsteps echoed from the door. Already knowing who it was, Melissa stepped away to the right before a blonde blur crashed into Jack's waiting arms with a resounding cry of, "Daddy!"

"Why hello, hello Matilda!" Jack crowed as he chuckled, spinning the squealing 9 nearly 10 year old Matilda Herman around in his arms, laughing loudly as he did. Finally setting the girl down, he kneeled in front of her and asked. "How are you, sweet pea?"

Matilda giggled. She always loved her dad's nickname for her, even if it was a bit childish.

"I've been great Daddy!" she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Did you have a nice dance with the angels?"

Jack laughed. He still remembered the day when he had told his precious daughter about what did he meant when he said angels, and it seemed the name stuck to the little blonde bundle of joy.

"Yes I did." He replied with a smile. "We put on quite the performance last week — you should've seen it!"

"Oh, I'd love to!" Matilda said enthusiastically. "Can you bring me to your next meeting with the angels?"

Jack rubbed his chin, making a show of thinking about her suggestion very seriously, drawing small laughs from Melissa and giggles from Matilda as he made exaggerated hums of contemplation before grinning.

"Sure, I'll bring you next time." he said, drawing a small cheer from his daughter. "If I can get the brass off my back, I would certainly bring you to the base."

"Jack!"

"What?" Jack responded innocently to Melissa's outburst, knowing full well how bringing his 9 year old daughter to base was a surefire way to get a reprimand, even possibly warrant an expulsion.

Melissa huffed. "You know what I mean…"

"I do?"

"Yes, you do."

Jack turned towards his daughter, who was fighting hard to contain her giggles. "Do you know what your mother is talking about?"

Matilda nodded, small titters escaping her.

"I think mom is worried about you getting in trouble with your bosses and getting fired." She supplied.

Jack smirked mischievously. "Who says they'll know you're there?" he asked slyly.

Matilda finally broke down into laughter as Melissa mock glared at her husband, though the smile on her lips greatly negated the intended effect.

"Alright, who's hungry? Because I am starved!" Jack said loudly, purposely running in a comical fashion after his daughter who broke into a small run into the house, Melissa following her silly husband as she closed the door.

With Matilda's giggles still ringing throughout the house, Jack finally turned towards Melissa, his expression turning serious, prompting Melissa to feel a small amount of dread. When the normally goofy and laid-back Jack Herman became serious, then it was very important to listen to his worries.

"What is it?" Melissa asked after a small pause, taking Jack's hands in hers, bringing her comfort with its warmth in her fingers.

Jack sighed.

"Estovakia's gone silent." He began. "No border patrols, no troop movements, no comm. signals, no satellite pings, radar pings, nothing. It seems like everything in the Stovie's borders is deserted — empty for a lack of a better term and that is not normal. High command has already issued a yellow alert to all commands."

Melissa paled at her husband's words.

Everyone in Emmeria knew the situation in their neighbor, and they had also heard about the takeover of the government by a military junta, making many an Emmerian worried for their safety and well-being, seeing Gracemeria, their capital city, was just a few hundred miles away from the Estovakian border, easily traversed by jet powered aircraft these days.

She didn't even want to think about the possibility of war.

"Why are you telling me this, Jack?" she asked silently, "You really don't think there could be… be a… war, do you?"

Jack sighed once again, running his hands through his hair, dropping his duffle bag beside the door. Stuffing his hands into his jeans' pockets, he went quiet for a moment, thinking about it before speaking.

"Hopefully, nothing will come of this, and brush it off as the Intelligence guys getting paranoid. But, if they're right…" he said, reaching out towards Melissa to pull her into a hug, which she gladly returned. "I want you to take our daughter, and run. Get as far away from the Estovakian border as you can, and don't look back. Run towards Nordennavic if you have to. Do you understand me?"

Melissa shakily nodded, tears springing to her eyes as she looked up at him, blue eyes asking her unasked question.

"Don't worry about me; I'll be fine — fighting the good fight with the angels." Jack said with a small smile, kissing his wife lightly on the lips reassuringly. "Trust me on this, Mel."

"I'm trying to…" she replied brokenly. "B-But… i-if I lose you…"

"You won't," Jack said confidently, steel in his eyes. "Not now, not ever. So don't even start."

Melissa took a shaky breath, then a second, then a third, before finally nodding, wiping her eyes dry with her sleeves as she did. Looking up into the eyes of her beloved, wanting to savor the moments with him before everything went downhill in the next few weeks or days.

While she thought about it, she had forgotten to ask Jack one thing about his career in the Air Force — his service unit.

"What unit are you in?" Melissa asked, genuinely curious, but also to keep an ear out for casualty reports if the war breaks out, no matter how painful it will be for her. "You never told me when you joined up six years ago."

Jack smiled. Holding her clasped hands with his own, he brought it up to his lips, kissing it as he did. Winking, he spoke.

"Ask me again when I leave." He said quietly, slipping back into his cheerful persona as he rumbled into the dining area where Matilda was, who was calling out for them to make lunch.

Though a little annoyed by the way Jack dropped the subject until later, Melissa nevertheless felt a strange sort of serene calmness, even with the threat of a war hanging overhead. Matilda was about to go on a class trip two days from now on a Friday, and they were supposedly headed towards the National Emmerian Museum of Gracemeria in the city's old quarter just beyond the King's Bridge. She could only hope that the trip would go well for her daughter.

With her mind still preoccupied with the information Jack had given her, Melissa made her way to the kitchen to join her small family, fully intending to spend as much time as she could with them as possible.


The Herman family spent the next day thoroughly enjoying themselves, the lone child enjoying it for she could spend it with her parents, while the two adults were enjoying it to spend what would probably be the last moments they would spend together as a family for a long time — they just didn't know when that day will come.

"Come ooon!" Matilda called out to her parents, waving her arms back and worth. "I want to try the swing today!"

"Didn't you try that the last time you were here?" Jack questioned with an amused expression.

Matilda pouted as Melissa smiled.

"It's the thought that counts daddy!" she replied cheekily. "Now, come on!"

Jack laughed as he speed walked to catch up with her, with Melissa slowly catching up behind them.

They had decided on an outing today to the city park, one of Matilda's favorite places in Gracemeria. Jack brought her here when she was two and was just barely able to walk on her own, and ever since then it had become a routine place for family outings.

It helped when there was an ice cream store nearby.

Jack seemed to look like he was enjoying himself, and anyone other than Melissa would see it too. But Melissa wasn't his wife for nothing. She could read the underlying current of tension and worry that accompanied his smiles, his laughs and his movements. Barely noticeable, but there nonetheless.

Near high noon, when Matilda skipped on ahead towards the ice cream parlor, Jack finally spoke his mind.

"I'm needed at the base."

His wife looked to him so fast he could swear he heard her neck creak, eyes wide in trepidation.

"So soon?" she asks softly, "When?"

"Tonight, 9 o'clock. Base Commander Jameson recalled all available pilots to be on standby." He replied, "Command's not taking any chances."

Melissa looked sad, which broke Jack's heart at seeing that expression. The last time he had seen it was when he had another date for junior prom, and didn't ask her out. He felt like an idiot back then, so he asked her out the second the new term started. Best decision of his life.

The blonde beauty took a shaky breath, letting it out as Jack hugged across her shoulders, allowing her to snuggle into him. They stayed like that for a few moments, with Jack softly kissing her on top of her head while they walked towards where their daughter was already buying a double mint chocolate chip, signaling them over to urge them to come to her faster if she waved hard enough.

"I understand." Melissa finally said, voice resigned but warm all the same. "Go dance with your angels, mister. And come back to me and Matilda, safe and sound…"

Stunned for a moment, Jack couldn't help but chuckle at his wife's choice of words to convey both her love and frustration.

She always said those words to him when he went on long term assignments, and some… other operations that can't be discussed by him in detail to her on pain of death (which were a bit excessive if he were to say so himself). He'd been working his ass off during flight school and clocked in thousands of hours in the flight and g-force simulators to improve his skills, both on and off the battlefield, even though he hadn't been in actual combat yet.

Becoming a fighter pilot was a dream to him, and he was aiming to be the best one there is.

"I will." he said with conviction. "I promise."

After that, the Herman family spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the capital city, seeing the sights that the small family had never had the time to appreciate, and once they were both satisfied and exhausted, they took a city bus back to their home, which offered a direct view of the King's Bridge.

As they all trudged inside, Matilda more energetic than her parents, Jack made a beeline for the kitchen to grab a glass to drink as Melissa advised her daughter to clean up and prepare for dinner.

A few hours later, as the family of three sat down to have dinner — fish 'n' chips with salad — the doorbell suddenly rang, startling the occupants and made them wonder who would be visiting them this late.

Melissa walked up towards the door, opening it slightly to see who was on the other side. Much to her delighted surprise, there stood a woman a little younger than herself with shoulder length dark brown hair and violet eyes, along with a young girl around Matilda's age, also with shoulder length dark brown hair but with brown eyes.

"Oh my, Monica and young Jessica!" Melissa exclaimed, having just remembered they were staying the night with them before Jessica, the younger girl, would go on the same trip with Matilda to see the 'Golden King' at the Museum. Jessica was a classmate of Matilda's from school. "I'm so sorry; I forgot you were coming over to stay the night! Please, come in!"

Monica smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry to intrude…" she began.

Melissa quickly waved off the younger woman's apology. "Don't worry about it, we're thrilled to have you two over." She replied. "In fact, we're just about to start dinner; I'll fix up two more servings seeing as we have bought quite a lot."

Monica just smiled, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you, Mel."

"No problem, Mia."

"Mel, who's at the door?" Jack's voice called out from the dining area, obviously waiting for his wife for dinner to start.

Melissa looked back towards the direction of his voice and called back, "It's Monica and Jessica!" she said.

"Who?" "Jessie!?"

Jack's and Matilda's voices sounded out at the same time, followed by the owners of the voices themselves appearing in the hallway, the youngest Herman going straight towards the other younger girl. Once the girls were out of sight, chatting happily all the way towards the kitchen, Melissa decided to introduce her new friend to her husband.

"Jack, this is Monica Lampert." She began, gesturing towards the other woman. "Her daughter Jessica's in the same class as our Matilda."

She then gestured towards Jack. "Mia, this is my husband Johnathan Herman, or Jack if you will." she explained.

Jack held out a hand towards Monica. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"The pleasure's all mine, Jack." Monica said with a smile, shaking the offered hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you — Melissa talked about you a lot."

Jack raised an amused eyebrow, lips quirking into a grin. "She did, huh?" he asked, glancing at his wife who was slightly blushing.

Monica nodded, laughing lightly. "You're all that she talks about, well, besides Matilda that is, and frankly I don't blame her…"

Melissa huffed as she mock glared at her friend. "I do not talk about Jack all the time." She defended.

The brunette grinned. "Suit yourself, whatever makes you sleep at night."

"Traitor."

"Aww, I love you too."

Jack could only chuckle in both amusement and confusion as he stared at the two women, completely lost in their conversation. He still couldn't for the life of him figure out how his wife could keep track of so many conversations when they kept on changing subjects from time to time.

He sighed. All this thinking was giving him a headache.

"Come on," he began. "We need to get to dinner, or Matilda's gonna go crazy for the tartar sauce. Again."

The three adults chuckled all the way towards the kitchen area.

Dinner was a pleasant and fun affair, what with the two young girls going on and on about their trip to see the 'Golden King' the next day and the idle talk the three adults were exchanging, it was actually quite peaceful in Jack's opinion.

But, as it is, all good things must come to an end.

After cleaning up the dishes and tucking his daughter to bed, Jack stood in front of the door, jacket in hand and duffle bag over his shoulder, and was saying goodbyes to his wife. Monica had already tucked Jessica in for the night in the guest bedroom and was standing on the side.

"I'll be back alright?" he said softly, hugging Melissa to him as he stroked her back soothingly. "Stay strong for Matilda, Mel. I'm counting on you."

Melissa nodded. "Stay safe…" she whispered, "I love you, Jack."

"Love you too, Mel…" Jack whispered, before his tone turned sly. "Too bad we couldn't have a repeat performance of last night."

He could practically feel the heat on his wife's cheeks as he was sure she was flushing a cherry red, causing him laugh. Melissa just smacked him, causing the dark–haired man to laugh harder, and judging by the non-too-subtle smirk that Monica was sporting, she heard it too.

Suddenly, part of a conversation from yesterday popped back to the forefront of her mind, prompting Melissa to ask.

"Jack, you were going to say which unit you were serving with?" she asked.

Slightly caught off guard by her question, Jack only nodded. "Oh yeah, I was going to tell you when I leave right?"

Melissa only nodded, fervently wishing he wouldn't have to go and the things he had suspected wouldn't come true.

Jack smiled warmly at her, kissing her one final time on the lips before pivoting on his heels and opened the door. As he was about to walk out, he turned to look back over his shoulder, a grin on his face.

"If anyone asks," He began. "Call for 'Garuda'."

Without waiting for a reply, Jack, or rather Talisman stepped out the door into the dark, cold night.

Melissa could only hug herself, with Monica hugging her friend in support as they both watched the man got on his bike and drive off into the night.


"I'm all set mom!" Matilda called, "Here we go!"

Melissa could only shake her head in amusement at her daughter's exuberance. Matilda woke up early to prepare for the trip, already clothed and was slinging a gray backpack onto her shoulders. Jessica was also doing the same, albeit with a neon blue backpack.

Matilda was wearing a purple shirt over a white long-sleeved one, and she topped off her look with a dull green jacket and gray pants. Jessica opted to wear a short sleeved, dull blue shirt and jeans.

The two younger girls found their respective mothers on the front yard of the Herman household, drinking tea and talking while listening to the antique portable radio of Melissa's — she was fond of the thing, since it had belonged to her grandfather.

"Got everything?" Melissa asked, standing as she held out a small hand carry bag filled with lunch boxes for both girls. The mother in her was still beside herself in worry about what was going to happen in the next couple of weeks, and she had already packed getaway bags for both her and Matilda. Monica stood too, going forward to hug her daughter, who returned it with gusto.

Matilda bounded over towards Melissa, a bright smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm okay mom!" she chirped. Then her expression turned a tad sad, which was very unlike her usual bubbly self. "I wish Daddy didn't have to go back to work last night."

Melissa stroked her daughter's short blonde hair affectionately, trying not to think about her husband's ominous words two nights ago. At the moment, all that mattered to her was her daughter.

"I know honey, I too wish he wouldn't go back as well." She said understandingly, "But daddy's a busy man — you know that, and his angels too."

That brought a giggle out of her daughter.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Matilda finally conceded. "Dancing with the angels…"

Melissa smiled. "Yes, dancing with the angels."

Their tender mother-daughter moment ended with the sound of the school bus stopping in front of their house, the driver looking at them expectantly with the door open. Already, the bus was packed with school children, all of them eager to meet their 'Golden King'.

"Matilda, it's time to go!" Jessica called, already running towards the bus.

"Be careful sweetheart, and listen to your teachers!" Monica said.

"I will!"

Melissa, realizing that it was time for her daughter to go, reached into her pocket and pulled out a single penny, handing it to Matilda who accepted it tenderly. The elder Herman woman smiled.

"An offering," she explained, "to the King."

Matilda laughed, stuffing the coin in her pocket before picking up the small hand-carry bag. Turning around, she spared a parting wave at her mother.

She smiled. "See you later, mom!"

Melissa looked on as she watched Matilda get on the bus, blue eyes barely concealing the fear she was feeling as she forced a smile and called out to her.

"Listen to your teachers!" she had called. "And give the King my best!"

The young girl paused in her steps up the bus, turning around and smiling.

She winked at her mother. "Dance with an angel, mom." she said cheekily.

"I will, yeah." Her mother said with a laugh. "Maybe we'll tango today instead of waltz…"

Matilda laughed before calling out again, this time to the brunette woman next to Melissa. "You too, Mrs. Lampert! Dance with an angel!"

Monica laughed. "I will. Maybe your mom can introduce me to a handsome one." She added off-handedly.

Both Matilda and Jessica made mock disgusted faces, causing all four of them to laugh. After a final wave goodbye, the bus went on his way, moving down the paved road and turning away at an intersection, and out of sight of the two mothers.

Monica sighed, walking back and sitting back down heavily on the metal chair beside the small garden table, with Melissa joining a while later. The two friends sat in silence; the only accompanying noise was the song 'A Brand New Day' playing on Melissa's radio while quietly sipping their tea, before Monica finally broke it with a heavy sigh.

Melissa looked up at the other woman in concern, reaching out to put a hand on the brunette's arm, squeezing it.

Monica shook her head. "It's the first time my little Jess left my side to go on a field trip today…" she confessed. "Most of the time when she wasn't by my side, it would only last for a few minutes — an hour at most…" she looked up at Melissa then. "How do you…?"

Melissa already knew the answer to her unasked question. It was one of the things she kept and asking and telling herself everyday ever since she had allowed Matilda to go to the nearby neighborhood park on her own since she was 8 — with Jack's supervision but without Melissa. It was painful for the first few months, but she had to learn to let go.

"I ask myself that question every day," Melissa said quietly. "and came back to the same answer my husband gave me when I asked him: I had to learn to let go."

She took a breath, letting it out before speaking again. "It was hard at first, not being by Matilda's side to keep her safe, even when Jack was with her. But, over time… I started coming around, trusting my daughter to always come home for me, and have more faith in my husband."

"The point is, our children are growing up, and we have to accept that we won't be by their side forever." she explained. "That was why Jack asked me to learn to let her go — slowly but surely."

After hearing Melissa's reasoning, Monica quietly pondered it, before sighing in acceptance. Nodding to herself, she smiled up at the blonde woman.

"You're right…" she said, "But still… it's hard."

"I know Mia…" Melissa replied sympathetically, "I know."

They didn't how much time had passed after they had sent off their respective daughters, but a quick check of Melissa's wristwatch told them it had only been an hour at most.

Staring off in the direction of the King's Bridge, both Melissa and Monica could faintly make out the moving dark shapes of vehicles going to and fro Gracemeria's new and old district via the bridge. The brunette of the two could already imagine her daughter, vibrating excitedly in the bus on their way to the old district on the bridge.

There was a small, serene pause as the song on the radio ended and the DJ came on. The two friends were about to quietly enjoy their lovely sunny day and wait for their daughters to come home when something neither of the women expected happened.

For Melissa, it was as if a terrible nightmare had come true — the anxiety, the disbelief, the raw feeling of fear filled her very veins as their afternoon silence was interrupted by two very loud screeching booms.

Whipping their heads around to see what caused the inhuman sounds, the two women watched in growing trepidation as two unknown fighter planes screamed past over their heads, heading towards the King's Bridge.

Their trepidation quickly morphed into shocked horror when one of the planes fired a missile at the bridge!

The resulting explosion of fire and light, even at this distance, was blinding to the two women as they watched a part of the once mighty bridge collapse under the strain — loud, screeching metallic groans echoed through the shocked silence. They were simply too shocked to comprehend what was happening before them, how their once majestic bridge was turned into a twisted heap of metal in a blink of an eye.

For Melissa, it only meant one thing — her daughter was on that bridge…

"Oh gods, no…" she breathed, dropping to her knees, tears already falling from her eyes. "No… MATILDA!"

She could vaguely make out another anguished cry which sounded very much like Monica, no doubt calling out for her own daughter. She could hardly think, hardly breathe or even move, as if her whole world was crashing down around her. Her husband's words from last night came back to her, the horrifying realization hitting her like a freight train.

She could keep her promise to her beloved Jack — she couldn't protect their daughter.

And now, with the air attacks going on around the capital, it was only a matter of time before Jack was called into action. That thought alone sent another wave of anxiety rushing through her — her husband was going to war.

And he may never come back.

Melissa was abruptly brought crashing back to reality when a firm shake shook her frame. Turning slightly dazed eyes towards Monica, whose brown eyes were still raw with pain and sadness, something clicked into place in her. Even if her daughter might be dead, but she and Monica were here now, and they were alive to do something.

And that something was fleeing the capital — no matter how painful a decision it may be — just what her husband would've wanted.

"Mel…" Monica's cracking voice called out, "We've got to go… we can't stay here any longer."

There was a short pause.

"You're right…" Melissa began quietly. "We can't stay here… and I'm… I'm…" she choked out, before Monica wrapped her up in a fierce hug.

"Don't say you're sorry — Matilda was there too…" Monica said, before pulling away. "R-Right now, we need to go."

Melissa only nodded, her mind too muddled up to even speak at the moment, her mind still couldn't comprehend the events that were happening around her. She could only pray for one thing that was a sure certainty for her — her husband's safe return.

~ AC: TAE ~

And we are done!

Hello, my favorite people in the world! And welcome to my attempt at an Ace Combat Novelization, this one on Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. The idea came to me when I was reading another Ace Combat FanFic, The Ultimate Ace, by WingedFreedom622.I figured that, well, with AC6's mediocre storytelling and crap-worthy FMVs, I decided to give writing a novelization of this a start. It's not perfect, but I'm improving seeing as I don't like multiple POVs like what it was done with Tiberium Wars by Peptuck. I'm not that good yet. Well… maybe I can try?

Well, here's to a new story to go along with my Destiny Rebirth: A Naruto story!

Cheers mates!

This is HEIROFROHAN signing off,

PEACE!