Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! This is going to be a fun, since this is my favorite Ace Combat game ever, the second being a tie between Infinity and AC5. This is where it all began, let's see how Cipher first started out as a rookie pilot.
Chapter 1 - Glacial Skies
For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either.
- Valais Air Force Base, Republic of Ustio -
- 020'04'08"N 239'31'24"E -
- April 2nd, 1995 1300 hrs -
"Listen up! We have a situation on our hands. A major squadron of Belkan bombers has crossed our border and is making its way here, to Valais Air Force Base. Apparently, they intend to attack our base in an initiative to gain hegemony over the entire Republic of Ustio. Valais Air Force Base is our country's last line of defence. If our base falls, no one will be left to stop Belka from taking over Ustio. Your mission is to destroy the squad of bombers and defend our base. Belka's invasion must end here."
Multiple pilots sprang from the chairs and left the briefing room as soon as the base commander finished the briefing, eager to earn the day's pay.
All of them were mercenaries, drafted to fill up the gaping holes in the small Republic's air force after most of it was wiped out by their enemy, the legendary Belkan Air Force. This was but a small testamrnt of the power their enemy had. Even the super power of Osea, whose forces outnumbered Belka's ten to one, fell before the might of the B.A.F.
None of them would never guess that a bunch of lowly mercenaries would become this country's finest, especially two among them. One was a Belkan mercenary renowned across the Osean Continent. And the other...he would later find out he held the power to change the war. Those two...would change everything.
Everything.
- GALM -
Ustio Air Force
6th Air Division, 66th Tactical Fighter Squadron
"It's starting to come down." spoke one of the pilots from his F-15C Eagle as he and his wingman flew over the white capped Tyrann Mountain range of Ustio, a couple of other squadrons flying right behind them.
His jet was pale white in color across his entire fighter except the right wing, which was painted blood red. This was the mercenary Larry Foulke, also known as "Solo Wing Pixy", for completing a mission and for successfully returning to base and landing his plane safely all with only one wing after the other had been blown off. Or on some occasions he he went simply by "Pixy".
The other though was an enigma. No one knew where he came from or who he really was. He just showed up unexpectedly and joined the ranks of mercenaries put into the Ustio 6th Air Division. Those two specifically were formed into the 66th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Galm", their symbol being a hellish looking devil dog with blood red fur, sharp teeth, a spiked collar and a flaming tail.
He flew an F-15C Eagle as well but with a white body and blue tipped wings, vertical stabilizers and horizontal stabilizers.
He was simply known by his call sign, "Cipher".
"This is Base Command. Guess all you boys managed to get up." reported Valais Air Force Base over their radios, the two mercenaries chuckling a little.
"We may be mercenaries but we can still fly a plane just like one of you military men." spoke Cipher jokingly.
"Galm 1, Galm 2, maintain present course." spoke Base Command, ignoring Cipher's joke.
"This is Galm 2, roger that." replied Larry nonchalantly as he rolled his eyes.
That's when the division's AWACS decided to make his debut, speaking in an organized and an all business attitude to the scrambled Ustio fighters.
"Bearing 315, Belkan Bombers approaching."
"Nobody wants to bail out into a mountain of ice. We're counting on you flight leader." spoke Larry up to their AWACS, receiving a curt chuckle.
"All units, prepare to intercept." spoke Base Command.
"You'd better have our pay ready and waiting, I'm itching to line my pockets with greenbacks." said Cipher eagerly as they changed course to the directed vector via their HUDs, taking them straight towards an intercept point with the enemy bombers.
"That's only if we both make it through this alive."
"Be ready to pay up. We'll be back before you know it." smirked Larry before the enemy bomber squadron appeared on their radars, protected by a decently sized squadron of fighters.
Easy pickings.
"Galm Team, shoot down all enemy bombers. Don't let them get to our base."
"This is Galm 1, roger. Hey Pixy, let's wreak some havoc." replied Cipher before he allowed Larry to break off to engage freely.
"Roger that. All those too scared to fly should go back to base and wait patiently with their tail between their legs." said Larry with a grin as he spun around and prepared to get his first kill of the day.
"You know, I've heard stories about you Cipher. That pride's gonna get you killed you know." said one of the other mercenaries flying with them.
Cipher merely grinned as he did a barrel roll while simultaneously arming some XLAAs.
"Bah, I think nothing of it. Try telling that to the last squadron that tried to screw with me and my friends." said Cipher, the memory of the pilot single handedly shooting down a eight man squadron, undergunned and outmatched, returning to their minds. He was instantly granted the status of ace after that feat.
What's ironic about it was that was his first combat mission, a simple reconnaissance flight turned dogfight to the death when a squadron of twelve Belkan fighters fell upon him and Pixy, the only two pilots assigned to that mission. Let's just say they were the only ones who survived that little encounter.
"Enemy squadron in sight. Engage." ordered AWACs, Cipher smirking before he braked a little then swung left to go straight at the incoming enemy air squadron, Pixy and the other mercenaries right behind him.
"Larry, you're free to engage, special weapons permitted. Let's show these Belkan bastards who's in control of these skies."
"Roger that Cipher!" said Larry with a grin as the first couple of bombers and fighters appeared on their HUDs.
Cipher swung his plane upside down a fired two missiles straight at the first two bombers of the Belkan formation, the pilots trying to maneuver out of the way at the very last second. But alas, their BM-335 Bombers were consumed in fire as the missiles struck their fuselages and exploded. Larry swung around their burning carcasses and sent a burst of gunfire at a Belkan fighter who was close by and strafed its wing.
"Bag 'em!" said Cipher when Larry blew past the Belkan and spun himself around to shoot down the fighter, the two mercenaries scoring the first kills of the entire operation.
"That bomber looks ancient." said one of the other mercenaries when they joined Galm and looked down to see the falling metal frame of the bomber.
"Looks like Galm's gonna steal the show again."
"Only because you allow us too." said Cipher with a snicker as they sped away from their allies to go after a new set of kills.
"This is Otto 5. IFF is out of commission, we're unable to carry out duty. Withdrawing from operation airspace." reported one of the Belkan bombers up ahead before it started to turn away from its flight to head back to Belka.
"One of the bombers has left the battlefront. He must've chickened out."
"Let's shoot him down."
"Ah let him be. Focus on the mission at hand." said Cipher casually as he downed a Belkan fighter trying to pursue him.
"Damn, those Belkan bastards have the guts to try and finish us off with a bunch of ancient bombers and some F-5Es? That's just plain rude to be honest." said Larry as some gunfire from one of the bombers swept past him, the unfortunate bomber paying for the action soon after when he obliterated its wing with single missile.
"I'm gonna earn every last penny being offered for today's mission." said a mercenary as he shot down a Belkan F-5E then moved on to the next.
"Not today gentlemen. I'm claiming the most money today! Fox three!" laughed Cipher as he let loose three XLAAs and smirked when they hit their marks, three bombers breaking apart and going down in flames.
"Stay close to the bombers. Don't stray from their sides." ordered a Belkan pilot as their remaining fighter jets returned to their bomber's flank to guard them.
"Those escort fighters are well trained. They're not taking the bait." said a mercenary from his squadron, who were trying to bait the Belkan fighters away from their bombers so they could pick them off one by one.
"They're only Belkans, nothing to get too nervous about." said Larry with a smirk.
"I know right? These guys are easy pickings." said Cipher with a grin as he picked off an escort fighter before setting his eyes on another bomber.
His grin disappeared when the bomber was engulfed in flames and Larry flew past him, laughter echoing out from his end of the radio.
"Gotta step up your game if you wanna get top ace today!" he said, sparking a fire inside Cipher that sent him straight into the zone.
"Alright then Pixy. Bring it!" he said eagerly as he sped after his wingman and blew past him, making short work of the two fighters Larry was planning to shoot down.
"Fighter on our tail! Gun him down!" ordered a bomber pilot as its tail-gunners started to blanket the skies with bullets, Cipher chuckling as he weaved through the storm effortlessly before he dove down at the bomber.
He strafed it's right wing with his gun and swerved away as the bullets ripped the wing right off the fuselage, the metal frame falling past Cipher's cockpit as he swerved away from the bomber and fired two missiles into the belly of another flying close by, the BM-335 erupting into flames.
"Send those Belkans running back to their own country!"
"Come on Cipher, leave some for the rest of us!" complained one of the mercenaries as Cipher slaughtered the enemy bombers and fighters that got in his way, Larry just trying to keep up in his chaos inducing course through the enemy squadron.
"Three bombers left. Take 'em out!" ordered Eagle Eye as the mercenaries swarmed the remaining planes, each of them trying to outdo the other and earn more money to line their pockets.
Pretty soon there was only one bomber left, and every mercenary in the air had their sights on it like a pack of wolves eyeing their next meal.
"It's mine!"
"I saw it first!"
A swarm of missiles lanced out from every pilot and the bomber, unfortunetly for its crew, was totally obliterated from tail to cockpit, its fuselage trailing fire and smoke.
"I think I got that one, sorry boys." said Larry as he leaned back in his flight seat after joining up with Cipher.
"Nah, I think we all got him. Good god I think those Belkans shit their pants twice when they saw how many missiles were coming at them." chuckled Cipher while the other mercenaries laughed with him.
"Base Command to the Galm Team. The enemy attack unit has been successfully intercepted. I'd like to see how those Belkan cowards report back to their superiors."
"Hey Cipher." called out Larry as he and Cipher turned towards the direction of Valais Air Base to lead their mercenary friends back home.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"I think you and I are gonna get along just fine...Buddy." said Larry with a smile while Cipher mulled over the nickname for a minute before chuckling to himself.
"Buddy...heh, yeah. Let's get back to base, Buddy."
- Valais Air Force Base -
- 020'04'08"N 239'31'24"E -
- April 2nd, 1995 1330 hrs -
"Galm Team you have permission to land." spoke the control tower as Cipher and Larry lowered their landing gear and approached the airbase stationed in the Tyrann Mountains in northern Ustio.
'It all started on that snowy day. My first impression was...he had potential.'
"Drinks are on me tonight boys! To the bar!" announced Cipher as he leaped out of his fighter and sprinted towards the main building of the fairly large airbase.
Larry watched and chuckled as the other Ustio mercenaries ran after him, a grin staying constantly on his face before he shrugged and joined in on the mad dash towards the bar.
"What do you think sir?" asked the Base Commander to a man standing beside him as they watched the mercenaries go for the bar to enjoy themselves after a successful mission.
"Those two...who are they?" asked the man about the two mercenaries who stood out above the rest.
"That's the Galm Team sir, Larry Foulke and Cipher." said the Base Commander as he glanced at him.
"Is there something wrong Mr. Hibrachen?"
Hibrachen crossed his arms over his black coat and suit and tie, thinking for a second as he watched Cipher's and Larry's F-15Cs get towed towards one of the base's hangars and shook his head.
"No...but I think those two, no...all of them...are going to become our greatest assets in this war."
- Thanks to you, Belka's attack on Valais Air Base has failed, allowing us to breath easy for a short while. Your efforts will not go unrewarded. Your actions may very well decide who wins the Belkan War. I, for one, will be counting on you.
'The Belkan War is shrouded in mystery. But now, a decade after the peace accords, a portion of the records was finally released. I quickly got ahold of it. Wanting more details, I acquired information from unknown sources. There was a reason for my obsession. The roots of the war lie in the Belkan federal law review that took place in 1988. Belka, suffering from economic strife, permitted its eastern territory to secede...and the Republic of Ustio was born. But Belka's economic troubles did not subside. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the situation, the world superpower Osea continued to flourish. Amidst the economic panic, an extreme right wing party took power within Belka, aiming to restore strength and stability to the nation. And on March 25th, 1995, with the discovery of natural resources in Ustio, Belka began to invade its neighbors. It was the beginning of the Belkan War.'
ACE COMBAT ZERO - BIRTH OF A LEGEND
'Unprepared, each country fell quickly before the might of the legendary Belkan Air Force. In just a few days, they occupied all territories except for the mountain range. In response, the occupied Ustio government military, placed all their hopes on a join operation between Osea, Sapin, and foreign mercenary forces. This of course can be found in any history book. But I noticed a strange similarity in the materials I gathered. There were several accounts about a mercenary, all followed by the nickname "Demon Lord". But most of the information was incomplete. Still, I was intrigued. I decided to pursue the history of the Belkan War though this mercenary. I was certain I would find something there. Would it be the hidden truth behind the war? Or just another battlefield legend? I wasn't able to meet the mercenary himself. Actually, it's questionable if he ever did exist. But thanks to some old friends in the military, I was able to track down several individuals who knew him. "Solo Wing" is one such man.