Disclaimer: Ace Combat property of NAMCO and Project ACES. Sky's Angels concept property of Glensather, and used with permission.

Check Six
A sidestory to Freelance: Sky's Angels

I
The Freelance Alliance stands unique among all the mercenaries of the world for one reason, something no other unit, mercenary or otherwise, has. At first glance, it's nothing really special or unique, but as how the saying goes, "Look underneath the underneath." The uniqueness of the FA rests with one man:

Eric von Long.

More than anyone else, the Freelance Alliance is truly Eric's baby; no other organisation in the world has been held together by the sheer force of one man's persona the way the FA is linked together by Eric. It was Eric who stepped up to lead the Freelance Alliance, Eric who forged the bonds between the squadron leaders, and Eric who leads the FA into battle.

Hell, the man even thought of the name "Freelance Alliance."

This is the FA's strength. No matter what their differences, Air Ixiom, Temnota, Thanatos, Sealancers: all the component squadrons of the FA will work together, to realise the dream of one man, and his vision that became their own.

II
Glen does not like people - not too much, at any rate. He keeps to himself, and has a habit of ignoring people and walking off when they try to talk to him.

When the Sealancers Naval Squadron (since calling it a fleet would be too grandiose) and VFA-25X Storm Fighters are formed, people roll their eyes and shake their heads when Jack David, the Thanatos nugget, is assigned as Glen's wingman. Jack is loud, friendly, and cheerful, a near-complete opposite of Glen. The amber-tinted Oakley sunglasses he wears only add confirmation - Jack will soon find himself reassigned, and will never be promoted. Ever. Almost everyone bets he'll be out in 2 months.

2 years later, Jack is still wearing his Oakleys, he is still Glen's wingman, and he has just been promoted to Chief Petty Officer. He grins proudly at everyone, telling them, "Look at me!" and his smile stays on for a fortnight and threatens to freeze his facial muscles.

Glen merely snorts and, lips curving slightly, he pockets his winnings.

What he won't tell anyone is that even he is amazed Jack hasn't asked for a transfer.

III
Coincidentally, Sasha Drake bet against Jack staying in the Sealancers. She won't tell anyone, but she missed having him at Caelum Umbra.

Coincidentally, Jack was hoping for her to get discharged from Mobius so that she could join him. He won't tell anyone, but he missed having Sasha close by.

IV
Legend has it that the real reason Eric became the FA Commander was because of one night in a tavern somewhere deep in the bowels of Bronze Gate One. First, he gathered together all the squadron leaders and challenged them to a drinking contest. He handed out shot glasses and filled them with whiskey from his homeland. Then, one by one, the pilots downed their glasses. They kept drinking through the night into the wee hours of the morning, as one by one they fell to the liquor. For the coup de grace, Eric stared down SF, both holding their shotglasses. SF went first, downing his shot, before finally giving up, gazing at Eric through bleary eyes and quivering hands, barely holding onto his glass.

Eric took a long hard look at SF, then grabbed a full bottle of whiskey and drank it all in one gulp, before yelling, "NOW WHO'S YOUR DADDY!", a shout that temporarily woke up the drunken pilots.

Perversely, Eric was the only man who didn't have a hangover the next day. He was up and about as usual.

To this day, Joseph Burns' liver is killing him in his sleep. It has never forgiven him for trying to drown it.

V
In relation to this is the reason why alcohol is forbidden outside of certain hours, and kept under lock and key in the FA pub: None of the squadron leaders want to be challenged to yet another drinking contest and lose, this time in front of an audience.

Oblivious to this fact, Jack challenged Viper to a drinking contest on the night of his 21st birthday. After the fifth boilermaker, both pilots were treating each other like cousins. After the eleventh boilermaker, both of them were strutting across the FA Pub floor, belting out "Riders of the Storm" like they've been performing together forever; the karaoke machine gave them a score of 92.

All of this goes to explain why Deck 10 has both a karaoke machine and a jukebox, as well as a PC setup to control the lights (and run MP3s as backup). Jack can't get enough of his karaoke fixes, and performs at least once a week. Viper sometimes performs with him - but only after a few drinks, and only to sing "Riders on the Storm."

To this day, initiation into the Sealancers consists of a boilermaker challenge, followed by a karaoke session - a VERY long karaoke session.

VI
An offshoot of the Thanatos, Temnota and Ghostriders squadrons, the Angels are a strange group. Oddballs, all of them, barring Jonathan Anderson, the ranking - and only - officer among their group of enlisted pilots led by Airman First Class Rei Fukai. Anderson resents his demotion; a demotion in substance, if not form. Unlike the other Angels, there is nothing that sets Viper apart from the rest of the FA, merely the fact that his Tomcat is the furtherest behind on the Angels' technological scale, compared to Fukai's Su-47, Rena's XF/A-27, or Juan's X-02. He is an outsider among them, in age and experience.

During a mission gone bad, as the Angels, Glen and Jack are fighting Nodsri and his Slaves of Ouruboros, Viper suddenly realises something in the midst of the dogfight. Surrounded by enemy F/A-22 Raptors, truth strikes him with the force of a Phoenix missile:

Each person in the Angel Squadron serves a purpose.

He realises, as he flies, that he doesn't have to compete with the other Angels, that he does't have to be like them. All he needs to do is to relax and do his best. In that moment, time slows, his eyes sharpen, his thoughts crystalise, his spirit stills, a Raptor flies past, and Viper acts, squeezing the trigger. The black shape explodes into a fireball, and immediately the tide of battle turns in favor of the Angels. They drive off the Slaves, and Rei, Rena and Juan are generous with their praise and admiration. Glen nods approvingly, and Jack grins and tells him to get ready to sing.

There are three kinds of aces. Those who seek strenght. Those who live for pride. And those who can move the tide of battle.

For one day, Jonathan "Viper" Anderson moved the tide of battle. That, he decides, is good enough. And even though he has a splitting headache, he goes to sleep with a smile on his face.

FINAL
Glen stares into the night sky. His gray orbs are hidden by obsidian hair, and his cane touches the ground lightly. "The Cycle of Ouroboros will begin soon..." he whispers, the wind picking up his words. "And it will progress until the final curtain."

Behind him, in the shadows of the FAS Sealance's island, Jack stands, his eyes hidden behind Oakley glasses. "Isn't there some way, somehow, that we'd be able to stop the cycle? Make it die somehow?"

The air visibly tenses as Glen turns his head and looks at him with one eye. "Die? The Cycle of Ouroboros cannot ever truly die, Jack," he rasps. "Hurt, yes. Supressed yes... but it can never truly die..."

Jack lowers his head, confused and worried. His face tightens into an expression of fear... but at the same time, his eyes solidify and tighten. With a grim expression, he looks up.

"I... I got your wing... Kanchou," he says resolutely. "Even if I have to die..."

"It won't come to that," Glen replies, looking up into the sky.

His gray eyes reflect the stars as silence comes between the two Riders of the Storm.

The four players are ready: Raptor; Eagle; Nephilim; Avenger. The Angels have been gathered. Ouruboros and its slaves stir. The Catalyst, the Witness, the Survivors: all the playing pieces are now in place.

The child of Light has found her Angels.

The child of Darkness prepares his minions.

The child of Shadows follows no agenda but his own, his apprentice by his side.

Let's follow them in their journey... to heaven or to hell.

FIN

Author's notes: "Check Six" is a pilot's expression, which is appropriate given the Ace Combat setting. "Check Six" means to look behind. Expanding on that meaning is what I'm trying to do; to look behind into the past of the FA, the way the narrators of Ace Combat 04Ace Combat 5and Ace Combat Zerolooked back into past to tell their stories.

I'm reminded of what Hideo Kojima wrote in his blog regarding the theme of the Metal Gear Solid series: "What do we leave for the next generation?" Kojima goes on to write how in MGS3, the theme was "SCENE" - history - as one of the legacies we leave behind. In Asian culture, your history and background is important, because this is where you find your roots. It's something that's resonated in me, and I've tried to express it here as best as I can.

So those are my thoughts on Check Six. I may turn this into a series of drabbles, but right now, I'm gonna kick back and enjoy a nice cold one, before getting back to my other writings.

And incidentally, do read Sky's Angels, as much of what's in Check Six won't really make much sense unless you've read SA. Mad props to Glensather especially, who contributed the final drabble in Check Six, and who created the whole story for Sky's Angels.

As regards to continuity, Check Six is set during the three years between Sky's Angels and Angel Squadron. For something that was originally conceived and written a year ago, I've definately taken my time in putting it on