Interview One: The Crusader

Christoph "Cipher" Reiter

Age: 38

Nationality: Ratio

Ace Style: Knight

Aircraft: F-5E Tiger II

Commissioned in the Ratio Air Force at the age of 22, Reiter showed exceptional skill during flight training, but frequently conflicted with superiors over "attitude issues." On one such occasion, his commanding officer warned that his career would ultimately "amount to nothing" if he continued to defy his commanders, the incident earning him his callsign. With the Belkan invasion of Ustio in March of 1995, he lobbied to officially resign the RAF to join Ustio's 6th Air Division as a mercenary. Fed up with his troublemaking and concerned over Belkan aggression, his superiors approved the request.

At the conclusion of the war, he chose not to return to the military. Outraged at a perceived lack of interest in bringing justice to war criminals of the Belkan War, he currently works as a bounty hunter, pursuing current and former members of organizations including A World With No Boundaries and The Falcons of Dawn.


October 2, 2010 : Rutherford, Osea

The hotel he had chosen for our meeting was located just off the main highway on the outskirts of the city. It was a typical inn/suite arrangement, only two stories high. On the one hand it seemed like a rather ordinary place for such an extraordinary individual to stay, but on the other I supposed that given the low profile Reiter had maintained over the years, the accommodations were actually rather fitting. I glanced at my notepad, which contained the room number where I was to meet the elusive ace. Room 32: the same number as the fighter he had flown fifteen years ago. My pulse began to race as I reached upward to knock on the door, not knowing what to expect. To my surprise, the door opened before my first knock fell.

Christoph Reiter, Cipher, the Demon Lord of the Round Table stood before me. His features seemed exaggerated beyond his years, his skin tough and his face wrinkled. His eyes were amber streaked and bordered by brown, granting them an even more hawkish quality than those that fighter pilots seemed to share. It was a feature not apparent from his file photos. Other differences from the photos included the stubble that seemed to cover his lower face, prominent grey hairs already clearly visible. His hair was longer than it had been in days past, now styled slicked backward. But the face was clearly that of the young Ratio Air Force Lieutenant from fifteen years prior. After some pleasantries, he explained that he had seen my approach via hidden cameras, a precaution of his profession.

"Being a bounty hunter is a lot like being a fighter pilot," he said. "My target and I are both hunters. There is no prey."

The hotel room didn't offer much to work with, but I managed to get a decent setup for my video equipment. He sat on the room's sofa facing the camera, arms spread across its top and his right leg crossed over his left. The picture on the wall behind him depicted a hunting hound. The atmosphere was borderline surreal. Teeming with excitement and suspense, I began recording, and the interview began.


*The painting of the hound dominates the frame.*

"People always said my pride would get me into trouble. In a way, I suppose they were right."

*The frame shifts to the torso of a man relaxed on a couch. A faded pair of olive drab military pants is tucked into an ancient pair of combat boots. A white tee shirt lies beneath a brown leather jacket.*

"It didn't turn out quite the way they always said it would, though. My family said it would make me no friends. My old commanding officers said it would ruin my career. My once best friend said it would get me killed."

*Cipher is now fully visible. He leans forward, looking towards Thompson, who is offscreen.*

"I remember the day he told me that. I hadn't yet been even 48 hours at Valais before I got my first order to scramble. Some Belkan bombers were on their way to try and take out the base. Due to materiel shortages, the only jet they had available for me to fly was this old F-5 Tiger. The Belkans weren't throwing anything too nasty at us, so I didn't object."

*Footage of Cipher's F-5 is shown taking off alongside Pixy's F-15. The quality is exceptionally poor, and the cameraman is not holding steady.*

"Since it was my first combat mission, command made it into a kind of tryout. They made me flight leader and assigned me my own personal guardian angel."

*Larry Foulke's photograph is shown, followed by one of Cipher and Pixy together in front of their aircraft. Stock footage of Ustio mercenary units flying over the mountains is then shown.*

"I admit, as we flew out to meet the enemy, I was afraid. But I had a mission. I went to Ustio to fight the good fight; to show the world that the weak were not mere pawns for the strong. My passions burned within me like a flame, driving my sense of purpose. Larry was never so idealistic, but I knew the same fire burned within him, too. It's why we worked so well together and bonded so quickly over those mountains."

*The view switches back to Cipher on the sofa. He gesticulates in time to his speech.*

"When we made contact with the bombers and their escorts, I was hit with an indescribable feeling. It was like my mind was pulled back into itself. I could see, I could feel, but my movements did not feel like my own. I was overcome with a tranquil fury the likes of which I had never before experienced. My fighter and I seemed to fuse into a single entity. About halfway into the fight, one of the Belkan bombers split from formation and turned back. I let it go. Terrible as it may seem, it was not out of mercy that I did so, but because it fueled that feeling. I wanted to teach those men a lesson. I wanted them to see the fruit of my righteous anger and spread the word."

*Cipher smiles*

"That was also the day I met my current bounty, though 'met' is probably too generous a term. I didn't know it at the time, but he was the first ace I ever took down. Guess life has a sense of poetic irony because he's also the last on my list. Not counting… well…"

*Photos and footage of wrecked Belkan Army vehicles along a highway*

"Over a few of the missions that followed, I earned myself quite the reputation among friendly and enemy ground forces as well, though I never particularly enjoyed the attack role. Ground targets were beneath me, in both the literal and figurative sense. There was nothing dignified about battling slow, vulnerable targets. Of course the mission and my survival had to come first, so I never hesitated to attack if it fulfilled our objectives, and I destroyed plenty of SAMs and AAA guns that tried to bring me down. But warehouses, barracks, encampments, and the like, I didn't waste my time."

*Maps and photos of Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R*

"Air to air combat was my gift, and so the Round Table was where I truly felt at home. The first time we went in, it was as a distraction to cover an allied naval operation. Of course they didn't bother telling us that until everything was over and done with. Pixy and I had to chew our way through quite a few of the local fighters on patrol before enemy reinforcements showed up, so I was already down a good chunk of my ordinance and feeling a little beat up from the Gs I had been pulling when they did. Of all the aces and ace squadrons I fought during the war, a few stood out. Indigo Team was one such group."

*Thompson narrates exposition for Indigo Squadron. Photos of the pilots and their aircraft are supplemented with clips of Dimitri Heinreich's interview.*

"Fighting those guys was an eye opener for me, personally. Their JAS-39C Gripens were far newer and more advanced than anything we'd fought up to that point in the war. We were outnumbered two to one and these guys weren't lone wolf aces, they were a team. AWACS intercepted their communications for us. Their flight leader knew we could hear him, and that's when he made the mistake that cost him the battle. He tried to place himself above me by insulting my mercenary status and dismissed my cause. I was insulted, enraged."

*Black box recording data of the ensuing battle plays. The fight is over in less than a minute. The view changes back to Cipher upon completion, and finally a photo of Cipher's F-5 in what would become its most recognized paintjob.*

"When Pixy and I made it back to base that day, I was informed that replacement fighters had arrived at Valais and they offered me first pick at the new equipment. But I declined. From that day onward my fighter was my symbol. It was a constant reminder of my cause and the challenges I would be forced to overcome. Every advanced fighter, every weapon of terror that ever tried to bring me down spurred me to fight that much harder. Every disadvantage I had was an imperative to improve my skill. I believe that is the reason I survived Tauberg, but I know that is the reason I survived my second bout at the Round Table."

*Thompson narrates exposition for events between Solis Ortus and Operation Battle-Axe.*

"The battle had already been raging for hours by the time Pixy and I arrived on scene. Hundreds of planes clashing across the skies, and only death or the barren wasteland below to await those who showed even the slightest weakness: it was mayhem."

*Footage of the battle*

"I'd flown with him before, but that battle was the first time I took serious note of Crow Team's number three, PJ. He had a purpose as well, and a passion to match it. Pixy thought him naive. It was the first sign of a crack in our friendship, and of his choices to come. I didn't really have time to think about that during the battle, though. My role in the fall of the Excalibur laser had earned me great fame among our allies, and great resentment from our enemies. To say I had my hands full would be a massive understatement. The constant sounds of the missile alerts and the unrelenting waves of enemies shook me. That must not have been visible to anyone else, though, because the praise of my allies was almost all I could hear over the radio. They called me the 'Demon Lord.' I thought it was all quite exaggerated, honestly, but it inspired me nonetheless. I really was making a difference."

*Silber Squadron's details are shown and narrated, followed by clips of Dietrich Kellerman's interview.*

"As the brawl came to a close, the Belkans sent one last group of aces against us. Four Fighting Falcons led by a Phantom. A veteran and his students. I fought the F-16s first. There was just something about their leader. I wanted to fight him one on one. He fought with such tenacity to protect them, but in the end, all four of his pupils fell. It was more cruel than he or they deserved, but fate had brought us all together that day; only one flight was going home from the start. Still, just like I had with Indigo, I felt immense pride in my ultimate success over Silber Team. Despite our differing causes, we all fought with honor. I thought as long as I continued to fly with dignity and justice, my cause would not fail. Those who had died to help achieve it would live on in glorious memory. Even those who opposed us had a chance to see the error of their ways. If not, they would at least be respected."

*Cipher returns to view, his expression grim.*

"Unfortunately, Pixy did not share my 'aggressive optimism.' In the days that followed, he became more and more distant and resentful of the conflict. Despite my pride in my mission and the destruction that came of it, neither of us reveled in the carnage of the war. The difference between us was that I felt that my cause was just and I was willing to see out the conflict to the end. The greater good is a dangerous road to walk, I admit. Hoffnung was proof of that. Yet it was still one I was never ashamed to walk. June 6, 1995 hit us very differently. As we passed over Stier Castle on our way to Waldreich, Pixy was lagging behind. It wasn't until he'd fallen from my side that I began to realize how much I took his friendship and protection for granted. I planned to talk to him about it later, but I never got the chance. We were to redirect immediately to intercept a flight of Belkan bombers believed to be carrying nuclear first it looked like victory. Even some Belkan fighters had come to our aid against their own comrades. I had more hope at that moment than I did at any point in the entire war. Then it happened."

*Footage of the Seven Pillars of Belka*

"At first I thought I had been hit by a missile. It took me a moment to realize that everything was intact. So what had happened? I tried to look around to get my bearings and get my plane back on course. And I saw two suns in the sky. That's when it hit me."

*Cipher hangs his head*

"I was numb, still trying to process all that had happened when the missile warning rang. It had come from Pixy's plane. I dodged it, hoping it was some sort of mistake, a malfunction from the EMP. Then the bullets came whizzing by. My missile warning rang again, and there was no more doubt. It was on instinct alone that I survived Pixy's betrayal. It hurt. I admit, for a time afterwards I almost wished he had killed me. That was my first fight against A World With No Boundaries."

*PJ's profile is shown*

"With my buddy and wingman gone, Crow 3 became Galm 2. Patrick James Beckett. He's the most unsung hero of the war, if you ask me. I wish I could have known him better. He was always too busy looking up to me for our relationship to really get anywhere as equals. Instead, he sort of made himself my student. It was through him and Pixy that shaped my views on closure and the new nature of my fight. Pixy always viewed conflict as a collision between two amorphous masses, but PJ saw it differently. He always took individuals into consideration, never doubted the effect they could have. He believed that the big picture was made up of smaller pictures. And I was somewhere in between, the fire within me weakened."

*Thompson narrates events between the Treaty of Lumen and the final battle of the Round Table, finishing on Wizard Squadron's details.*

"It wasn't until we were all headed to our final fight at Avalon that everything began to fall back together for me. I crossed the Round Table one last time. Wizard Squadron was there waiting for us. Wizard 5 through 8 took us on first. Even while fighting those psychos, PJ held out for reason. They debated their positions as we fought, and the more I listened to them the more my gut began to churn. These people were willing to kill innocent men, women, and children for their twisted sense of ideals. To hear Bristow talk about such evil with borderline religious reverence, it made me sick. That was when the fire within me was rekindled in full again. It was not me who prevailed over the Round Table that day. It was justice."

*Avalon Dam is shown in the present day, then as it was at the final battle. All available footage of the battle is shown over Cipher's tale.*

"The ground forces at Avalon fought harder than any I had ever encountered before or since. Everything from entering that canyon to rising out of the underground tunnels after destroying V2's guidance systems is a blur in my memory. But we won. I wish the price hadn't been so terrible. Over a dozen of the bravest men I've ever met, PJ included, were killed. All of them died just so I could make it through. And there, in the skies over that cursed wall, the two survivors still stubborn enough to fight was all that remained. He meant to kill me, and I to kill him. I spent nearly all my ordinance whittling him down. No cannon fire remaining and only one missile in reserve: an AIM-9X. Eagle Eye said put it right through his front air intake, so that's what I did. My two best friends were gone, but the war was over."

*Cipher is shown once more*

"Well, the politicians have a nasty habit of leaving more messes and loose ends than I was ever comfortable with, so I've been tying them up ever since. You know, until I saw him in that documentary of yours, I didn't even know Pixy had survived our battle. I could give you a million different reasons why I didn't go looking for him then, but none of them would really matter. I'll find him again when I finish my business here in Osea. I don't know what's going to happen when I do. Whatever happens, I'm honestly not sure where I'll go then. I've dedicated my life to the resolution of the Belkan conflict. Maybe I'll find a new cause to champion. Maybe I'll just move on. At this point I think it only really matters to me. My time making history is over.

*Cipher smiles and looks directly into the camera, silent. The interview cuts to black.*


As I left the hotel and headed for my car, I stopped to look back toward the window of the room I had just left. The curtains were open and there he stood. His posture was tall and proud, his expression contemplative. So powerful was his presence that at first I thought the thunder of jets building in my ears was simply my imagination. In actuality, it was large flight of Osean F-5Es passing overhead from the northeast. The leader of the formation made an aggressive right turn westward, the three closest fighters matching it in perfect unison, a slight delay before the rest managed to roughly mirror the maneuver. Reiter's eyes tracked the flight leads' planes across the sky. I saw him nod and give them a passing salute before turning his gaze to me. He smiled. Whether out of approval, nostalgia, or simple courtesy I will never know. He turned from the window, closing the curtain behind him.

A week later, I was back to work. Yuktobania's foiled invasion of Osea dominated the agenda. Somehow, even in the midst of all that was happening, a particular bit of news caught my eye. Former Belkan ace Oswald "Regen" Baermann, founding member of the Falcons of Dawn and one of a handful shot down by the fabled Demon Lord to survive the encounter, had been apprehended by police in a small town outside Rutherford. The details of his capture were hazy, the police making no mention of receiving outside help, but I knew better. Influencing events with not so much as a trace of his involvement: it was practically his signature. I smiled at my idol's success. I cannot say for certain whether he will truly find peace at the end of his road or simply find a new cause to crusade for, but one thing is certain. There are such things as noble demons.


A/N: Whew! I hope this is going well so far. The AIM-9X is the real world missile that the QAAM takes its form in on Western aircraft, in case you were wondering. I figured the inescapably huge moments would be much the same between aces, but other of the finer details of the war would vary in importance from the perspective of different versions of Cipher, both for thematic reasons and to avoid excess repetition. That's why this one glossed over Glatisant, Excalibur, Mt. Schirm, and the Hresvelgr. Constructive criticism is encouraged and appreciated. Which perspective, if any, should I do next?