Manfred "Specter" Vaeris, DragonHaven Full Application

[skyknightone]

Name: Triad Orion
Personal Journal: triadorion
Contact: TriadOrionX at that thing called AIM and at the Plurky thing, it's Triadorion
Other Characters Played: Adell/Disgaea 2/soaringfire, Valvatorez/Disgaea 4/arcadianvampire

Character: Manfred "Specter" Vaeris
Age: 23
Race: Osion Human


World Information:

Osio (Pronounced Oh-see-oh)

The world itself, Osio is very Earth-like in composition. Much of the planet's surface is covered in water, though there are two super continents and a handful of much smaller islands dotted around the world and polar ice caps that are harsh, desolate, and unforgiving. The only continent relevant to the application is Raelga.

Raelga (Pronounced Rail-ga)

One of two super continents on the planet Osio, and most important player in the world events relevant in play here. Raelga is a continent that is extremely mountainous in nature, with harsh peaks jutting up all over the continent. Many of these mountains are uninhabitable due to the sheer nature of their cliffs, but the many, many mountain ranges effectively serve as formidable natural barriers and fortifications for the countries present on or near the continent. Many of these mountains house the ever-useful Talonite mineral, which has a variety of uses in much of Osio's technology. The valleys, plains, and other low lying areas, which are still in abundance enough, are where many of the people live. The countries of Raelga are Sorlio, Huran, Westport, Kallia, New Ria, Galga, Trilltrious, and Vayenstok.

Wars historically have been rare, or at least stalemated given the harsh terrain bordering each nation. Infantry and mounted combat have been near impossible, save in the valleys and paths that pierce through the mountains, and many of these became killing zones. As such, naval warfare, and later aerial warfare, play a much more vital role in the continent's conflicts.

Sorlio (Pronounced Sor-lee-oh)

Sorlio is a very large nation, the largest on the Raelgan Continent. Dotted with numerous mountain ranges and covered mostly by dusty badlands and deserts, it is not unlike the American Southwest. However, there is a major river that runs through the nation that produces a fertile and very habitable strip of land, and this is where many of the upper and middle class individuals live. Outside this fertile zone known as the Breadbasket, much of Sorlio's population live in frontier towns, many of which existed to mine various minerals from the ground, including Talonite. Several of these frontier towns have other purposes, and many are home to mercenary fighter squadrons, who are often kept busy dealing with rogue mercenary squadrons, rival squadrons, or bandit squadrons who attempt to rob aerial cargo convoys. Sometimes they are contracted by rival companies to raid as well. Business in Sorlio can be dangerous, and under-the-table dealings are little better than organized crime, but the increase in sale of war materiel ironically stimulate the economy.

Sorlio is something of an isolationist nation, preferring to keep to itself politically when it comes to conflicts, though it did act as an arbiter in ending the War of the Range. It deals mostly with its own internal dealings and strife, though life for the average citizen tends to be quite safe; the ones put in danger are usually mercenaries, military, and other pilots. Aircraft and pilots for them are extremely common here, as are people looking to hire them. Sorlio is the place to go for mercenaries to make money, and therefore has a large population of them. The nation is also fiercely protective of individual rights and hesitates to allow too much interference by the military into private affairs and mercenary conflicts; only when civilians are actively placed at risk are they sent in. Generally speaking, Sorlio is a fairly dangerous place to live, unless you live in the more populous major cities or the richer areas of the Breadbasket where Sorlian military presence is much higher. The nation has a reputation for being lackadaisical and dysfunctional to the other nations, but the truth of it is that most Sorlians *like* the nation the way it is, even if it means dealing with danger and lawlessness in the outer regions.

It also means that Sorlio houses some of the world's greatest mercenaries and pilots within its borders... soldiers of fortune who are surprisingly loyal to the nation who houses them and lets them do business. As such, the nation has not been attacked by outside forces for a very, very long time. The Republic of Sorlio is also the home turf for the SkyKnight Squadron, and where Manfred Vaeris calls home.

Huran (Pronounced Hugh-ran)

A medium-sized nation on the western side of Raelga, Huran once maintained one of the most powerful militaries on the continent and is a place where such service is seen as honorable and noble. Many of these individuals have historically served in the Hurian Navy, but the Hurian Air Force is also seen as just as noble of a pursuit. Ruled by an oligarchy of several noble houses, Huran is still a surprisingly advanced nation. That said, its wealth gap is more noticeable than other nations, due to long-standing traditions and most of the wealth being held in noble families. A participant in the War of the Range prior to the events of the main story, and the aggressor who fired the first shot, as it were.

The people of Huran are very proud, and are often of the belief that their way of life is the best in the world, often turning a blind eye to some of the problems of the lower class as "just the way things are and have always been." That said, the lives of the lower class are not necessarily bad or povertous, but their upward mobility is fairly limited by a sort of feudal society. People in Huran are not serfs, nor are they forced to serve a certain noble house, but many of the more prestigious and desirable jobs involve working for them. Huran's elite and upper class all tend to be very rich and influential within the nation, and many with the nobility of military service, many have become aces and squadron leaders. Because of their extreme wealth and pride in service, many Huran aces are extremely skilled and talented, but often flamboyant, individualistic, and remarkably daring. As such, they often paint their aircraft in a variety of unique and garish ways, not unlike many mercenary squadrons.

Westport

The third largest nation on the continent behind Sorlio and Galga, Westport is a technologically advanced democratic republic and is perhaps the most politically stable and moderate, as well as economically successful, country in the entire world. Westport is largely comparable to a modern Earth country in operation, such as Canada, the United States, or Germany. It is the birthplace of Manfred Vaeris, and was one of the national sponsors of his first mercenary team, Rattler Squadron. Westport was the other participant in the War of the Range, serving the role as a defender.

Westport's military is well trained and entirely volunteer, including its very large and impressive air force. Though Westport overall lacks the number of talented and storied aces that Huran does, its pilots are much better known for teamwork and discipline. The Westport Air-Academy's philosophy is that strength comes through a team and through numbers rather than individual action, quite the literal opposite of Huran's. During the war, Westport suffered heavier losses in numbers than Huran given the skill of the individual pilots was generally lower, but the losses Huran took were generally more "strategically valuable." Despite the greater loss of life and war materiel, Westport forced a stalemate in the War of the Range and considers itself militarily superior to Huran.

Kallia (Pronounced Call-lia)

The second smallest nation on the Raelga Continent, Kallia borders Sorlio to the southeast and Galga to the north. Kallia is primarily a seafaring nation, with a long and storied navy that rivals that of Huran. Generally peaceful, Kallia has stayed out of most regional conflicts thanks to its ample supply of Talonite and relatively secluded location. The country is run by a constitutional monarchy, including a three-house congress with the king or queen serving as head executive. Kallia is generally a moderate nation, with the importance of impartiality passed down the monarchy line for generations.

Kallia's armed forces' strength primarily lies in its navy and it is renowned for its use of aircraft carriers. Kallia's naval aviators are often considered the finest in the region, though Huran aviators would dispute this claim. That said, its normal air force is no slouch either, though militarily far less significant than any other Raelgan nation except New Ria.

New Ria

New Ria is the smallest nation on the Raelga Continent, formed out of the old nation of Ria when it split in two parts three centuries ago. The other half was annexed by Galga, who is its neighbor to the east. New Ria is the center of learning on the continent, home to the best universities on the continent and competitive to Trilltrious' vast and robust educational system. New Ria is also a place where bustling political minds go, and the art of politics are alive and well in this republic. That said, with much of the population being activists, the nation has its issues with political stability. Despite its educated population, civil unrest and disorder remains a problem in its capital. A second Rian Civil War may be looming on the horizon for the small nation.

Militarily, New Ria's might is relatively minimal. It has the weakest armed forces on the continent by far and is wedged between Galga and Westport, two militarily powerful nations. Generally speaking, New Ria leans more on Westport for support and military aid, and is a frequent customer of PMCs in the event of trouble.

Galga

Galga is the second largest nation on the continent mainland, and one of the most mountainous and rugged. Filled with Talonite veins, Galga's economy flourishes on production and industry, producing manufactured goods at a rate most other nations can only dream of. The government is nearly autocratic; it is ruled effectively by a single party, but the success economically of the nation leads to relatively little internal strife or in-fighting. The nation does not openly oppress its own people, but the treatment of the citizens of the annexed zone of Ria is documented to not be on the level with historic Galga. For the most part, Galga keeps to itself and has distanced itself from most conflict, though in recent years, border strife with Kallia has become far more common. This worries many of the nations of the mainland.

This is because Galga, simply put, has the most powerful military on the continent. In terms of materiel and manpower, they outnumber the official armed forces of all other nations, though some of their technology is outdated when compared to Westport or Trilltrious. Military service is mandatory for all Galgans at some point, male or female. As such, they are considered the sleeping giant, the elephant in the room no one wants to provoke. Rumors persist of Galgans developing weapons unlike those the rest of the world has ever seen, but nothing has yet been officially substantiated.

Trilltrious (Pronounced Trill-tree-us)

An island nation considered part of the Raelga Continent north of Sorlio and Kallia, and northwest of the island nation of Vayenstok. Trilltrious is a proud, politically progressive nation, built on an industry of invention and innovation. Trilltrian academies of science and engineering are second to none, leading this nation to be one of the most prosperous due to the developments of many weapon systems and modern conveniences. Despite its wonders of engineering and science, Trilltrious is very isolationist, preferring to keep visitors to its country to a minimum. This stance is viewed as very strange by most of the rest of the world, given its otherwise notable liberalism and progressive nature. The truth of it is, the nation fears spies and those who would steal their secrets and rob them of their livelihood, especially those from Vayenstok, their seemingly eternal enemy.

Trilltrian armed forces are some of the best equipped in the world. Though fewer in number than most nations, the average soldier, sailor, or pilot has far more at their disposal than any other nation. Trilltrious flies the world's most advanced aircraft, and many famous models of aircraft, including the F-15 Eagle, the F-117 Nighthawk, the YF-23 Black Widow II, and perhaps most notably, the venerable F-4 Phantom II, find their origins here. Because of the military's technological might and their reluctance to allow foreigners on their soil, the use of mercenaries by Trilltrious is practically unheard of.

Vayenstok (Pronounced Vay-in-stock)

A nation east of Kallia and north of Galga, Vayenstok is the long time rival and enemy of Trilltrious. Vayenstok's government is highly secretive and largely oppressive to its people. For the most part, Vayenstok is not well liked by most other nations in the world because of this. Vayenstock suffers from a relative lack of Talonite, resorting to other means to powering their industry such as geothermal, solar, and hydroelectric. Still, Talonite ore is a valuable commodity here, and the government hires many mercenaries and pirates under the table to steal shipments of Talonite for them. The government here is entirely autocratic, and the people are afforded precious few civil liberties. This nation, suffice it to say, is not a nice place to live and is a haven for mercs on the wrong side of the law.

The Vayenstok military is small, but undeniably ruthless. They are equipped with modern weapons, and their own scientists are often very busy cooking up their own designs, or attempting to steal them from the nation of Trilltrious. Vayenstok's military has rarely seen action in recent years, given its distance from its neighbors, but its air force and navy have harassed Trilltrious numerous times in the past and continue to do so at occasional intervals.


Talonite: "The Miracle Mineral", or "Why is this rock so damn important?"

Talonite Ore, commonly referred to as Talonite, is an abundant mineral found in the ground on the planet Osio. Talonite is a yellowish-brown, almost amber, crystalline mineral, harder than steel, but much more difficult to work and shape. As such, Talonite has little use as any sort of building material, but what makes it so unique is a very valuable property: Talonite, when put through a relatively simple refining process, becomes a powerful energy source. This mineral has an unusual amount of potential energy, the source of which is not entirely understood. Still, after being refined, Talonite can be placed in specially designed generators, which then spin the refined element like a tumbler, causing the energy to be drawn from it. Using this method generates a large amount of power and oddly, produces very little waste, including minimal pollution. As an alternative to fossil fuels and other sources of power, Talonite is cleaner, cheaper, and safer than all others. Talonite Tumbler Generators are common all over the world, and are used to power vehicles, aircraft, personal generators and larger appliances.

Talonite also holds its energy quite well, and the mineral is slow to lose its energy-generating properties. Once it does, most of the amber coloration of the crystal fades away to a more brownish-black. Depleted Talonite has other uses given its hardness, and is often used to tip specially designed rounds for punching through steel armor. Unfortunately, Talonite-powered explosives are also something Osion humans have developed, given the mineral's high energy potential, it makes for a potent warhead. There are international laws in place limiting the maximum payload of a Talonite bomb, for fear of rather grave potential consequences. Even the maddest of scientists respects the power of Talonite and has no desire to be the man known for creating a bomb that would crater half of a nation.

Despite its abundance and ease of access for most nations, controlling Talonite supplies is still important for long-term politics.

The War of the Range

A war fought between the nations of The Huran Principality and the Republic of Westport about three years before the main events of the story take place. The war was started due to the discovery of Enriched Talonite Ore in the mountains bordering the nations of Huran and Westport. Initially talks and negotiations were held about how to distribute the valuable ore, but a significant portion of both populations felt that their rival power deserved none of the minerals. The war was ignited in full by a Huran fighter squadron shooting down a Westport helicopter flotilla that was en route to begin mining operations. Hurans claimed that the go-ahead in mining operations was an act of war, and Westport was angered by the loss of the helicopters and their crews.

Battle was joined. Given most of the border between the two nations were very treacherous mountains with only a few valley passes that were heavily fortified, most of the movement of the war was in the skies above. Thousands of pilots, Huran, Westport, and mercenary alike participated in this brutal aerial conflict, with both sides vying for total control of the skies so that they may move to crush the fortified lines of the other side from above. Unfortunately, there was little success in this front despite dozens of pitched battles. The Republic of Westport ultimately lost more planes over the course of the war, but Huran lost many fine aces. Generally speaking, Huran's pilots were superior individually while Westport had greater numbers.

Eventually, the war stalemated. Though the spectacle of aerial combat was enjoyed by many, the tensions the war created soon wore on the patience of the neighbors of the two nations, notably the Democratic Republic of Sorlio and the Free State of New Ria. Though New Ria's military presence was non-threatening at best, Sorlio had many more fresh pilots than either Huran or Westport, and their involvement in the war would've proven costly. Sorlio and New Ria together brokered peace talks between the two warring nations, with an armistice and treaty drawn up that split the Enriched Talonite veins largely in half by redrawing the borders of both nations slightly.

The War of the Range was costly mostly in materiel, and the results of the war ultimately displeased many in both nations, who wanted a decisive victory over their rivals. But nevertheless, the fighting stop and peace returned to the region.

SkyKnight Squadron

The 924th Sorlian Mercenary Squadron, formally the "Mercenary Squadron SkyKnight" and formerly Ghost Squadron, but now better known as SkyKnight Squadron, is an elite and very famous mercenary squadron based out of Shepard's Point, Sorlio. Commanded by Manfred "Specter" Vaeris, SkyKnight Squadron has a sterling reputation and record, making them one of the most sought-after mercenary squadrons on the Raelgan Continent. Known for heroism, valor, and honor, the SkyKnights have found themselves at the forefront of many important battles in the second New Rian Civil War, and later in the Kallian Liberation War and beyond. With hundreds of confirmed kills across their ranks, the SkyKnights are deadly opponents and powerful allies, feared and respected by those familiar with them. Famous for their individualistic paint schemes and deadly, acrobatic flight abilities, they are known by some both disdainfully and reverently (depending who you ask) as the Sorlian Flying Circus.


SKYKNIGHT 1: SPECTER - Traditionally operates a blue, black and white F-4E Phantom II, and later the F-4X Phantom II Prototype. Specter is Manfred Vaeris, who this app will cover in more detail later.

SKYKNIGHT 2: FIRESTORM - Operates a red and black F-14A Tomcat. Firestorm, who hails from Sorlio originally, is Specter's primary wingman, and she has a reputation for being a very dangerous and acrobatic ace. Known for wearing an eyepatch on the ground, people speculate what she is hiding beneath it, as one-eyed fighter aces are extremely unlikely. Most of her wingmates suspect she actually has both eyes, but why she covers one is yet to be substantiated. Firestorm is known for being a straight-shooter and a strong personal character; she has said she will leave SkyKnight Squadron if they ever participate in any operation she finds distasteful. Generally quiet and somewhat reserved, she and Manfred are close allies and friends. Despite not being the most outgoing member of the squadron, her presence in a room is quite noticeable. Still, on the ground, she may tease some of her squadronmates. Usually Specter, egging him on to keep improving.

SKYKNIGHT 3: REVENANT - Operates a black and green F-14A Tomcat. A mechanic by trade, and the hometown boy to SkyKnight Squadron, having been born and spending most of his life in Shepard's Point, Sorlio. Revenant is the squadron mechanic and XO in charge of acquisitions and supplies. With a good head on his shoulders for his work, Revenant tirelessly toils to keep the squadrons' aircraft up and running, though most other squadron members pull their weight to help as well. Revenant is known for his sense of humor and appreciation of music, mostly varying types of metal. He has a habit of hacking into enemy communications and blaring as much obnoxious death or nu-metal (the latter of which *he* hates) into their cockpits as possible prior to combat.

SKYKNIGHT 4: HERON - Utilizes a Mirage-2000 and later a purple, gold, and black F-15C Eagle in combat. This aircraft was later modified into an F-15S/MTD by Dr. Mellers, giving it a significant increase in combat performance. Heron is Kallian by birth, and served in the Kallian Air Force as a trainee. She had a promising, if not the most remarkable, career ahead of her... until the border tensions with Galga came to a head. Galga eventually declared war on Kallia, and with its great military might, flattened her home country in open combat. Forced to flee the air base at Kallia City, her squadron was scattered and she was relentlessly pursued to Sorlio, where she was rescued by Ghost Squadron. Heron has a desire to liberate her homeland that burns very strongly. She is very much a by-the-book soldier type, often finding Revenant's japes irritating and unnecessary, though she still puts trust in her wingman. Tough, serious, and driven, Heron is sometimes referred to as the squadron's Iron Bird. Whether or not she will depart SkyKnight Squadron after her homeland is saved is yet to be determined.

SKYKNIGHT 5: TSUNAMI - Operates a teal and ocean-green F-16C Fighting Falcon. A pilot from Westport and an old friend of Specter's from the Academy days. Tsunami graduated the flight academy with lower marks than Specter, but was one of the people he preferred to fly with. Tsunami fell onto hard times afterward, having difficulty keeping work in private military companies. Bad luck followed her everywhere, until a chance encounter with SkyKnight Squadron led her to reunite with Specter. Her old friend offered a job and her luck began to turn around. Individually, Tsunami is helpful and kind, and is one of the more laid-back squadron members, though her dedication is unquestioned.

SKYKNIGHT 6: HAMMERHEAD - Pilots a moddled blue A-10 Thunderbolt II or MiG-31 Foxhound (depending on mission parameters) with the image of a hammerhead shark on the nose. Hammerhead is of Galgan and Rian origin, hailing from the region of New Ria that splintered off and was annexed by Galga centuries ago. Hammerhead is the eldest fighter pilot in the squadron, and he had participated in the War of the Range on the side of Huran as a mercenary after leaving his homeland. He built up quite a reputation during the war, especially considering he was one of the rare mercenaries hired by the Huran armed forces. Seasoned, tough, gruff, and serious Hammerhead is a voice of reason in the squadron, who often plays the devil's advocate for the benefit of everyone. He does not approve of Galga's involvement in the invasion of Kallia, however. Despite his Galgan heritage, he gets along quite well with Heron. Also, he's something of a softie deep down, and sometimes he lets show how much his new squadronmates, young as they may be, mean to him.

SKYKNIGHT 7: ZEPHYR - Utilizes an F/A-18C Hornet and later an EF-2000 Typhoon. Zephyr is a pilot from New Ria, an idealistic sort with a big heart and an unusual level talent at the flight stick. Born in the capital of New Ria, he has been exposed to many viewpoints and is something of a man of passion in his ideals. Specter appreciates his moxie and his idealism for doing the right thing, but he can sometimes irritate his squadronmates with it.

SKYKNIGHT 8: SERAPH - Flies a blue, white, and gold MiG-29 Fulcrum. A hot-blooded and righteous member of the Kallian Resistance front, Seraph and his sister Devil escaped a botched mission to strike at a Galgan airship with their lives and fled into hiding deep in Sorlio. When his new home is threatened by bandits, he and his sister took to the skies... and had a fateful meeting with SkyKnight Squadron. They joined up at Heron's request. Often reckless, Seraph is capable and a fine pilot, but he sometimes gets in over his head in combat, and this is usually where his sister covers for him. He sometimes gets into arguments with Specter about what needs to be done in the conflict against Galga to liberate his homeland. Patience is not Seraph's strong point, but he's mostly kept in check by other members of the team. That said, Seraph is a good man who would give the shirt off his back to help a friend, and his generally selfless attitude is what keeps him a member of the team.

SKYKNIGHT 9: DEVIL - Flies a maroon and black MiG-29 Fulcrum. Sister to Seraph, there is no doubt that of the two, Devil is the level-headed one. Well, more level-headed. Equally passionate about saving her homeland as her brother, she better keeps her head about matters and is considerably more patient. Usually acting as the shield to her brother in combat, Devil has a less impressive combat record in terms of kills and victories, but most in SkyKnight Squadron would regard her is at the better pilot of the two. Though outspoken about things, she utilizes a degree of tact her brother does not. Specter usually looks to her to reason with Seraph during his more heated moments. She is good friends with Heron, Firestorm, and Zephyr.

SKYKNIGHT 10: MONGOOSE - Operates a silver, blue, and teal F-16F Block 60 Fighting Falcon. A Galgan by birth, whose family managed to flee to Sorlio. At an early age, Mongoose liked flying and eventually took up work as a mercenary. He was hired by one of the movements in the second New Rian Civil War, but began to question his orders upon receiving word that one of his targets would be civilian in nature. Having confirmation of this from SkyKnight Squadron, the target's protector, Mongoose turned on his employers and joined SkyKnight Squadron in protecting the civilians. Mongoose is pretty much a textbook Sorlian: he strongly values his freedoms and rights, and protecting those of others. That said, he never views mercenary work as "personal" and it's always "just business." Blunt and often curt, Mongoose rarely bothers with formalities. Those who are patient enough to deal with this find an intelligent and relatively reasonable individual. He is close friends with Hammerhead and Tsunami.

SKYKNIGHT 11: FROST - Flies an indigo, silver, and black Rafale M. A Huran pilot by birth, from a moderately important noble house, Frost carries a proud bloodline in her veins and she is quick to inform people of that. Despite her callsign, she has a quick temper when her pride is insulted, but is a staunch ally once her trust is earned. Initially disgusted with Specter for being from Westport, and having fought against him on a handful of occasions, she eventually sees past that when examining his character in flight and on the ground. She joined the squadron at Specter's own request during the Kallian Liberation War. At first her attitude turned off some members of the squadron, but she eventually integrated with them... and reluctantly calls the SkyKnights her home away from home. Like Firestorm, she carries a strong presence in a room, and has a full and confident voice. She views Specter as a rival, one of the only worthy opponents she's ever faced.

SKYKNIGHT 12: MOSS - Flies a green and blue Su-35 Super Flanker. Moss hails from New Ria and rivals being the joker of the team, constantly trying to one-up Revenant for that position. Self-confident, bold, and outgoing, Moss is closer to a typical hot-shot pilot, but he has enough respect for the command structure and his wingmates that he usually doesn't get into trouble.

SKYKNIGHT TWO-ZERO: SERAC - Operates the squadron's Mi-24 "Hind" helicopter. In charge of rescue and close support operations, Serac is level-headed and cool in combat and on the ground. Though he hails from Huran, Serac is well-liked by his squadronmates for his even keel and objective views. Still, he is a bit of a fun-lover and is one of the more social members of the squadron. He is also quite known for being a smooth talker. Serac also operates an SU-27 Flanker in the occasions he is needed in fighter combat instead of a support role.

Aircraft and Chief Differences from their Earth counterparts

Most fighter aircraft of Osio are developed and very similar to counterparts on Earth, though they are obviously not developed by the same companies who created them here. The most notable difference between the aircraft of both worlds is their fuel source. Osio Aircraft are powered by Talonite Tumbler Generators, which eliminate the need for fuel tanks. Talonite generators allow the aircraft to have a much longer operational range because fuel concerns are much less of an issue. What now limits aircraft range is the generator's heat generation. Too much energy produced by the generator may cause it to overheat and break down with negative results. Though the generators are shielded to limit catastrophic explosions on aircraft destruction, the protection will not stop the plane from being damaged from the engines being pushed too hard.

Interestingly, the exhaust produced by the Talonite engines has a tendency to interfere with the tracking of missile based weapons somewhat. This allows aircraft to dodge missiles with some reliability, though it is not foolproof and missile weaponry remains the best way to shoot down enemy aircraft. However, to counteract the lack of effectiveness of single missiles, most aircraft are equipped with missile pods. These pods can carry dozens of miniaturized Talonite powered missiles with various capabilities, with roughly the same destructive force of many common armaments on Earth. As such, most Osion aircraft carry much more destructive potential than their Earth counterparts, all the while proving more difficult to shoot down.

As well, many of these aircraft are much more cheaply produced and developed than their Earth counterparts. Aviation is an art in Osio, and many brilliant minds have discovered ways to make and manufacture aircraft and their components at much lower costs than the real world. Moreover, there is the prevailing belief that most aircraft should utilize very similar systems, so that skills from one aircraft easily pass to another. Therefore, many Osian pilots can jump from plane to plane with minimal training and be able to perform at acceptable levels. As well, this extends to anyone training to fly Osian produced aircraft: knowledge of one extends to virtually all models, with only a handful of exceptions.

History:

Manfred Vaeris was born rather unceremoniously in a small city in Westport. He was born into a reasonably well-off family, and much of his childhood was as you would expect for a kid in a modern, progressive country. He went to school and did his homework, and had a relatively normal and uneventful life. He got along reasonably well with his nuclear family, being the only child to his mother and father. Manfred was taught from an early age that he had to work for the things he wanted, and therefore was raised doing quite a bit of work around the house to earn his allowance; lessons that stuck with him for most of his life. In his childhood, like many children in Osio, he took a shine to aircraft and aeronautics. That said, his shine was healthy but not dominating in his lifestyle. Manfred played with toys and other games related to the field, but like many kids in Westport. what was surprising, though, was his aptitude for flight games, and eventually simulators. He was quick to pick them up, and surprisingly apt at them.

The young man's interest and aptitude with flying did not fade with age, as it often did with many children. others often either found other pursuits, or were deterred from the dangerous nature of flight, be it in mercenary work, racing leagues, or professional military, or to a lesser extent, commercial ventures. Manfred, on the other hand, was taken by any of these possibilities, often following the racing leagues or studying the significance of battles involving aircraft. Though he pursued some other hobbies as he grew older, nothing quite kept his attention like the idea of flying through the air. Some ridiculed him for that passion, and some tried to talk him out of it, convinced the young man didn't actually have the right stuff for that line of work.

But the young man was not so easily convinced. As he grew older, his knowledge and skill grew. He mastered many commercially sold flight simulators and still showed the physical capability to become a pilot. By the age of fifteen, Manfred was poised to enter the prestigious Westport Air-Flight Academy upon completion of high school, which would be one year later... but a tumultuous event happened right about then.

War. The War of the Range, as it would come to be known, due to the dispute between the nations of Huran and Westport over a range of mountains between the two nations. The mountain range, a border between the countries, had been long in dispute, and the discovery of enriched Talonite in the mountains quickly sparked hostilities. Though Talonite was a common element, enriched Talonite was considerably more potent. Compared to the same mass worth of regular Talonite, enriched Talonite was four times more efficient at producing and maintaining energy and power.

The War of the Range quickly turned into a naval and aerial war, given that most of the border between the nations of Huran and Westport was highly mountainous and very dangerous for infantry, artillery, or mechanized armor to traverse. Those areas that were not were highly fortified and neither side dared try to penetrate the other's defense without first winning air superiority. Needless to say, most of the war played out in the skies, with Huran's fewer, but more daring, formidable, and flamboyant aces taking on the sheer numbers and by-the-book pilots of Westport. The War of the Range further discouraged many from joining the Air Corps in Westport, knowing that they may well be sent to their deaths.

But not Manfred. He stayed his course, wanting to fly, even if it meant going to war and fighting Huran's skilled elite. In fact, on some level, the idea fascinated him, even knowing it was dangerous and probably very unwise. But he couldn't keep the ideas out of his head. Knowing very well what he was doing was going to be dangerous, he enrolled to the Air-Flight Academy at the age of sixteen while the War of the Range continued to rage on. The teachings at the school were done very quickly, very extensively, and very intensely. Westport needed new pilots badly during the war, and they needed good ones. Enrolling during wartime provided to be a very wise move, though the training pushed all of the schools' recruits to the absolute limit.

Manfred dealt with it, even if at the worst times he had considered quitting due to exhaustion. But he was surrounded by like minds, people who wanted to fly, people who appreciated aircraft and skill. It was the camaraderie forged in the academy during the tough times that kept him going. Upon his later reflection, he realized the grueling tests and schedules were to match the stress of real life. Though he was constantly taxed during the two grueling years he spent at the academy, he developed his early life talents into forged experience, in both simulators, and real training aircraft. And by the end of his training, Manfred finished in the top 15 of pilots in his year, out of about 350 graduates. He was poised and set to fast-track into the Westport Air Force, and likely into an advanced air-combat unit...

Until the War of the Range ended, two days after his graduation. The war had raged on the entire time, but little ground had been gained, and at the loss of many planes and pilots, both professional soldiers, and those hired as mercenaries from paramilitary companies. Very little had actually been accomplished, though Westport had suffered more casualties in combat than Huran. That being said, Westport still held a significant numeric advantage, but neither nation was still interested in losing more soldiers or materiel for an exclusive stake in the enriched Talonite. An armistice was brokered by outside nations, notably New Ria and Sorlio, to put an end to hostilities formally. The treaty eventually redrew the borders of the two nations to take a roughly equal split of the enriched Talonite vein.

The results of the War of the Range were not popular in either country, with both many citizens in Westport and Huran still holding much animosity to the other. Relations between the two nations remained largely tense, though the governments of both parties kept their word regarding the treaty. Unfortunately, many parties in both nations were not satisfied with this... and often hired PMCs to do battle and strike back in shadow wars meant to disrupt trade and travel. The Huran and Westport governments both condemned these actions strongly, and took action to attempt to curtail these shadow wars, sending their own air forces or hired PMCs to keep the peace.

Unfortunately for Manfred, that despite the brokered peace and continued strife from behind the scenes, it meant the Westport Air Force was no longer interested in taking in large numbers of green recruits. The war had been costly, and costs had to be saved. Because he did not finish in the top ten, he was barred from entering service at that time. Frustrated and angered by being denied a position he had coveted for a very long time, he sought work in the public sector.

It did not take long for the then eighteen year old pilot to find work. He took a job as a civilian transport pilot, flying small aircraft meant for VIPs and wealthy individuals. Though he often didn't relish the company he was forced to be with in this line of work, it paid well, and he still got to fly. But he still wasn't doing what he wanted to do: operating fighter aircraft and seeing combat. But things have a funny way of working out.

After his third month on the job as a civilian pilot, he was tasked with a job of seeing an executive of a major aircraft manufacturer in Westport to a business meeting in Sorlio. Unbeknownst to Manfred, the VIP had made a few enemies in Huran by refusing to sell the new F-35 Lightning II aircraft to some prominent noble families just prior to the War of the Range. However, the VIP was well aware of his reputation and had hired the PMC known as "Snake Eyes" to provide a fighter escort to the aircraft. Snake Eyes had been formed late in the War of the Range, and were a sponsored PMC of both Westport and the Republic of Sorlio. The protectors of Manfred's plane were a squad of four planes, known as Rattler Squadron, and they communicated briefly early in the flight. At first it looked like the VIP's concerns were for nothing, given the smooth flying... but then the tides changed.

Five unmarked mercenary fighters jumped the civilian aircraft and its escorts. The raiders quickly engaged the civilian aircraft. Defenseless save for some flares to throw off missiles, Manfred had no choice but to engage in evasive maneuvers and to try to bait his pursuers to his escorts to pick off. Dodging several missiles in a civilian aircraft and relentless gunfire from the enemy planes, Manfred managed to keep himself and the VIP alive while the Rattlers destroyed three of the attackers. The other two planes fled when the tides turned, and the rest of the trip was safe, though Manfred's plane had been damaged. This was in part due to gunfire, and in part to the evasive and close to reckless maneuvers he took to push the plane to its limits. By all accounts, Manfred and his VIP were lucky to be alive; it was only the pilot's intense lessons in the Air Academy that gave him the discipline to survive that battle.

His feat did not go unnoticed. The leader of the Rattler Squadron, Charlie Giffdon, approached him when they landed in Sorlio. Charlie, an ace and experienced, veteran fighter pilot of the War of the Range, was impressed at how the young pilot handled himself, and was even more shocked to see him being so young. Charlie had initially guessed the pilot of the aircraft fought in the War themselves, given the deftness of the flight. Manfred explained about his time during the Academy, though Charlie was only half interested in that, instead offering Manfred a position in Snake Eyes as a trainee pilot in Rattler Squadron. It was an offer Manfred had to think on. He had narrowly escaped death that day, only being alive thanks to Rattler Squadron itself. That realization set a lot of the world into reality for the young pilot. He had been quick to want to participate in the War of the Range despite those very same risks, but tasting real combat for the first time almost turned him off.

After taking a day to think about it, Manfred contacted Charlie. The young man decided that if he was going to fly in the dangerous skies and do dangerous work, he wanted to have the teeth to bite back at whatever was thrown at him. With that, Manfred joined the Snake Eyes PMC, and was assigned to the tutelage of Charlie Giffdon, Rattler One, himself.

Unbeknownst to the rookie Manfred, Giffdon was a decorated, celebrated, and feared ace during the War of the Range. A mercenary for hire who fought under Westport's flag, Charlie had taken the callsign "Typhon," and became a well known fighter pilot, having shot down over fifty Huran aircraft in less than six months. Given Huran pilots were very well trained and frequently elite, this sort of feat was unmatched by Westport's military. Typhon was famous, and a hero, and even Manfred had heard of the ace during his academy days, but his actual identity was never divulged. After the war, Typhon simply vanished, seemingly into the ether. Charlie never spoke of his time in the war, and never let on about his record to virtually anyone... but especially not to his new recruit.

Rattler One started Manfred's training very quickly, evaluating his skills and capabilities in an actual fighter. Manfred definitely was a highly trained and skilled aviator, but it was in a traditional Westport sense: very by the book. Though the pilot showed more initiative than that in escaping his pursuers in the civilian aircraft, it was clear to the well-seasoned ace that Manfred needed more work to truly shine. And work he did. Charlie's training was just as harsh as the sort he got in the academy, though it was aimed at turning Manfred into an ace pilot in his own right with his own style rather than as just a cog in the machine.

Even more importantly, Charlie taught Manfred much about behavior, and how to be a professional: keep your contracts, but always be vigilant for deception and dishonesty. But perhaps even more surprisingly, Rattler One taught his student about honor and compassion in the skies, to let go and spare enemies who were damaged but still airworthy. Charlie pointed out that a mercenary with a sense of honor and nobility is more likely to get work, and could raise the standards of mercenaries everywhere. Manfred listened to these lessons well, at first worrying that a mercenary with that outlook could easily be taken advantage of. But he saw a sort of appeal in that message, and eventually took it to heart.

As his training progressed, Manfred chose the callsign "Specter" for himself, and was tentatively assigned as Rattler Six. He had not been formally issued an aircraft by the PMC itself, with the higher-ups deeming he was not worthy of using a company plane until his training was formally complete and reviewed by a director. Charlie did not agree, both knowing and trusting in his pupil's potential. Instead of waiting for Snake Eyes to requisition a fighter for the rookie, Charlie instead decided to loan his personal F-4E Phantom II to Specter, figuring the aircraft to be a good fit for him... and finding no small amusement in the synonym to his callsign.

And so Specter was given his first fighter aircraft. He was not initially impressed with the F-4E, given it was an old and outdated crate of a plane. Its remarkable characteristics were its speed, durability, and ruggedness, but it wasn't as flashy or as cool as the planes the rest of Snake Eyes were flying. Still, although he did not initially like his first plane, it was still his, and it was entrusted to him by his instructor. Though he was given this aircraft, he was only permitted to fly in practice sorties with the PMC and not into actual combat until Rattler One deemed him absolutely ready to participate in armed combat missions.

It took a year and a half of training until Charlie was sufficiently pleased with how his charge had turned out, and was confident enough to let Specter fly as a full fledged member of Rattler Squadron. Some people questioned why Rattler One kept Specter in training for so long, but those close to him and monitoring the rookie's progress soon learned why: Charlie believed Manfred had a rare amount of potential as a fighter ace, and didn't want it wasted before the young man had been hardened by his own training. In fact, the final test Manfred had to complete was besting Rattler One in a mock dogfight. Did that mean Specter was better than Typhon, the Westport Devil? Not quite. Charlie didn't go all out in their mock trial, though he made certain to push his trainee to the brink.

Once Manfred succeeded, he was integrated fully into Rattler Squadron, who by now treated him as one of their own. In his first official squadron, he took to flying the number six position with great gusto and enthusiasm. Now a six-man squadron, the Rattlers took on plenty of work for both the Sorlian and Westport governments to help put out the now diminishing fires in the shadow conflict after the War of the Range. For six more months, Specter flew air combat missions with the Rattlers, performing well but without special distinction.

His lack of significant accomplishment did not bother his flight leader, knowing well Specter was following orders and playing as a team player. The rookie rarely got much action as a general rule, but such performance did not inspire Snake Eyes into assigning him an aircraft, which left a bad taste in Specter's mouth. He was still relegated to using the F-4E while his wingmates used the more advanced F-16C Fighting Falcon, which they affectionately referred to as "Vipers." But though Manfred was not a standout pilot, he kept pace with wingmates utilizing more advanced aircraft, which counted for something to the flight leader. Though entering the seventh month of his operational time in Rattler Squadron, another change found its way to the pilot.

A routine combat-air-patrol near the border of Huran and Sorlio to watch for black-flag mercenaries looking to prey on some commercial cargo aircraft en route to Westport quickly proved to be more than Rattler Squadron had bargained for. What were initially thought to be common aerial thugs and pirates that were pursuing one of the cargo aircraft turned out to be anything but. A misidentification by the cargo plane's radar suggested the aircraft were no more than six in number, and were older MiG-21bis fighters. Unfortunately, when Rattler Squadron appeared on the scene, it turned out that the so-suspected pirates were actually another mercenary squadron hired to intercept the cargo planes, consisting of eight MiG-29 Fulcrums. MiG-21s were older, more antiquated aircraft and would in theory, not pose as much of a threat to the Rattlers. But MiG-29s were robust and capable aircraft, all helmed by capable pilots. The five F-16s and one F-4 of Rattler Squadron against a numerically superior and better equipped aggressor squadron known only as "Claymore."

Having no choice, the Rattler Squadron engaged Claymore Squadron in an attempt to protect the cargo aircraft. The battle did not go well. Though Manfred shot down two of Claymore Squadron himself, and while his wingmates managed to destroy three more, the cost was high. In the chaos of battle, Claymore Squadron shot down Rattlers Two, Four, and Five. Toward the very end of the battle, Rattler One was forced to engage in a knife-edge dogfight with one of the Claymore fighters to clear the tail of Rattler Three, and though Manfred attempted to intervene to help, he could not. Though Charlie was successful in clearing the tail of Rattler Three, his kill shot on the Claymore fighter caused a mass of debris to fly back and collide with his F-16, destroying it in a fireball. Rattler One had no chance to bail out.

Following that, the remaining three Claymore Squadron members fled the scene, afraid that more of the Snake Eyes mercenaries were on the way. Rattler Three and Manfred returned home to base, both shaken and in disbelief that they lost their beloved flight leader. Unfortunately, there was little time to grieve. The management of Snake Eyes decided a few days later that Rattler Squadron would be disbanded, and Rattler Three would be assigned to Splitjaw Squadron, and that Manfred would be terminated from employment as an unnecessary cost. Initially, Snake Eyes intended to take Charlie's F-4E Phantom II to help recoup the losses incurred by Rattler Squadron's defeat, but Rattler One had written a provision in his last will and testament granting ownership of the fighter to Manfred in the event of his death.

Left unemployed, Specter feared he may have to return home to Westport. He dreaded the idea of moving back in with his family, but not because of any familial issues. Rather, he had grown so accustomed to the freedom of mercenary life, that the idea of settling back down to a civilian lifestyle or even working in a Westport PMC seemed lacked any vitality to him. Instead, he followed the advice of Rattler Three: head to the nation of Sorlio and using his credentials as a formerly licensed mercenary under the Snake Eyes PMC to build his own mercenary group there. After all, Sorlio was much more merc friendly than Westport was overall, and finding work in that rowdy and bandit-filled nation would be relatively easy. So, with that notion, he packed his few belongings and took his F-4E Phantom II to Sorlio to make a name for himself.

And it didn't take very long. He flew into Sorlio with the credentials he needed, but he still needed to find a place to call home. Debating the various frontier towns in the nation, he stumbled across Shepard's Point, an outlying town situated on a plateau. His radio quickly crackled to life with a distress signal: the town's airstrip was under attack by bandits flying old propeller aircraft after the town refused to pay "insurance" to them. The town's one defender, piloting an equally old F6F Hellcat propeller fighter, was doing his best to fight them off, but he was quickly going to be overwhelmed. Specter leapt into action. His F-4E, though dated compared to many modern aircraft, was more than a match for the bandits' old BF-109s and P-47 Thunderbolts. Specter crushed the attack with the help of the lone F6F pilot, and all looked well until the bandit leader arrived on the scene, flying a Draken fighter. The Draken was close to performance to the F-4E, and the bandit leader was a known ace in the region. Specter ordered the F6F pilot away, while he dealt with the bandit ace. There was a heated dogfight, but Specter emerged victorious, having saved Shepard's Point by being in the right place and the right time.

The citizens of Shepard's Point were grateful for his help, and offered him a place to stay and call home. By good fortune, the grandfather of the F6F Hellcat pilot owned the airstrip and was willing to let Specter keep his plane in one of the hangars. With one crisis solved, Manfred settled down in the town, and eventually became friends with the F6F pilot, who preferred to go by the callsign "Revenant." Revenant was a mechanic by trade, and had learned to fly to help protect the town from troublemakers. However, Revenant lacked the funds to buy a better aircraft, and his old Hellcat wasn't suited for much else, disappointing Specter that he had a potential wingman with no plane to fly. Still, Manfred set up with the town to formally become its mercenary squadron protector, taking the name of Ghost Squadron.

Life was uneventful for a few weeks. Specter managed to land a few low-key mercenary jobs, all largely uneventful, mostly making light cargo runs for Shepard's Point to the nearby city of Savvaso. He made enough money to live comfortably, but it wasn't the exciting life he had in Rattler Squadron. Specter began to wonder if it was going to be dull forever. But by now, the twenty-year old Specter should've known better than to tempt fate.

One day, while Specter was sitting in the town's bar, a strange woman in a flight suit wearing an eyepatch appeared. She was new in town and looking for work as a mercenary and figured the bar was the best place to start getting leads. She quickly sat down with Specter, who she easily identified as a mercenary himself, and struck up conversation. It effectively turned into an impromptu interview for both of them. Though Manfred was hesitant initially to trust someone who just arrived in town, and one that looked somewhat suspicious, she did have her own plane: an F-14 Tomcat. That all seemed promising enough, and having a second pilot could let him branch out into other things. And the woman was looking for a squadron leader who could be trustworthy enough to stick with and not get into illegal activity. It all seemed like a good match, and they spoke for a couple of hours... until a quartet of armed men barged into the bar and demanded the woman, return their aircraft and pay them damages for running off with it. The men quickly lumped Specter in as a conspirator, and threatened him as well. The armed men then drew weapons when they both refused, and a gunfight ensued. Specter and the woman emerged unscathed, but one of the armed men was shot and killed in the bar by the woman, while Specter grazed another in the arm. Manfred immediately demanded an explanation. It turned out the woman, known as "Firestorm," was formerly in the employ of the armed men as a mercenary group known as Maelstrom. However, the Maelstrom group was contracted by an individual to assassinate a scientist while he was en route from Trilltrious to Kallia, and while the scientist was on a large commercial flight filled with innocent people. Firestorm took issue with the mission once she learned of it and quickly sabotaged it and left the Maelstrom group by stealing one of their F-14s. Firestorm made it clear that they had every intent to kill her if she surrendered.

Specter had no choice but to believe her. The Maelstrom pilots, now knowing that they were going to be in serious trouble for starting a gunfight in a bar and failing to kill Firestorm, soon rushed to the airport to leave town. Manfred and Firestorm decided they couldn't be allowed to continue operating in the area after their behavior, and the town sheriff offered them a bounty for either bringing them in or taking them out for starting a dust-up. With that, Specter and Firestorm made a mad dash for the airstrip as well to grab their aircraft and take off after the Maelstrom pilots. Fortunately, the mercenaries were delayed by procedural issues in taking off at the tower and had only been in the sky a few moments before Specter and Firestorm caught up. A dogfight ensued, and showing a surprising amount of coordination, the two pilots managed to bring down the Maelstrom Mercenaries, putting an end to them. After claiming, and splitting the bounty, Specter was a little hesitant to offer Firestorm a place in Ghost Squadron after what happened, but given how well they flew together, he decided there was little harm in giving her a shot. As if to confirm the idea was good, Firestorm told him that she would walk the moment Manfred crossed a line she wasn't willing to cross herself, without a moment's hesitation. With that, a deal was struck, and Firestorm became Ghost Two. But there was still the matter of the one Maelstrom pilot that was killed in the bar. His plane was still left in the hangar at the airstrip. Specter asked the sheriff if he could assume ownership of it, given the circumstances. In Westport, such a thing wouldn't be allowed: the plane would be impounded by the authorities until such a time it was either returned to the next of kin, or sold off for profit or scrap. In Sorlio, though, such rules were much more flexible. The sheriff was really glad to be rid of it, because although selling the aircraft might make more money for the town, having it be taken by another mercenary group would be less hassle, especially with Ghost Squadron contracted to protect the town anyway.

With a used F-14 in his possession now, Specter knew immediately what to do. Though he thought about keeping the aircraft for himself to upgrade from his F-4E, he had really warmed up to the old crate and very much enjoyed how it flew. Plus, there was the sentimental value it held. So instead, he decided to expand his ranks and give the F-14 to Revenant, allowing him to come on board as Ghost Three. His roster now bolstered and the significance of the squadron now cemented, Specter was free to start looking for more work for his squadron.

A few months passed, the squadron at first struggling to find real jobs, but they were able to get by through small-time contracts. Their reputation for reliability grew, but they still never had that much of a big client. But word of mouth spread into the Sorlian Air Force, and an influential officer got wind of them. When the tensions between neighboring Kallia and Galga sharply rose, he decided to hire some of the more reliable mercenary squadrons to perform combat air patrols along the borders to ensure security without putting the public on edge. SkyKnight was one of the hired squadrons, and they were sent to patrol a region near the Kallian border. This mission was ongoing, with tensions quickly escalating... until open war finally broke out, with Galga declaring war on Kallia.

The war didn't last very long. Galga's immense military might compared to Kallia resulted in a very fast paced war, with the Galgan Air Force quickly penetrating into the Kallian homeland. Despite the bravery of many Kallian squadrons, they couldn't hold against the huge tide of aircraft rolling in from the huge aggressor nation. Kallian casualties were very heavy in the air, and the lack of Kallian air dominance opened up the ground war... which the Galgans proved very adept at. In a matter of weeks, the country was overwhelmed, with only a couple of cities holding out. Specter himself was quite horrified that something like that could happen, given the War of the Range produced nothing but a stalemate, but it looked like all of Kallia would be annexed into Galga.

And then, late in the war, just before the last of Kallia fell, SkyKnight Squadron picked up an anomaly on radar: what appeared to be a lone fighter was heading full-speed toward the Sorlian border, pursued by a handful of other planes. Firestorm theorized it to be a Kallian aircraft fleeing from Galgan pursuers. Initially, the SkyKnights were hesitant to go help; after all, currently the Kallian aircraft was still in Kallian airspace and violating it might provoke conflict with Galga. But eventually Specter and Firestorm both agreed that it was best to fly out to the extreme edge of Sorlian space to investigate. It wasn't long before the Kallian Mirage-2000 fighter reached the border and contacted SkyKnight Squadron, pleading for asylum. Six Galgan interceptors were hot on her tail, itching for blood and an easy kill. Unfortunately, the SkyKnights were unable to contact the military for a formal asylum request, but Specter had an idea. Knowing the international law regarding mercenaries and how mercenary squadrons had the legal right to defend themselves inside Sorlian airspace from any threat, he quickly offered the Kallian pilot an opportunity to join SkyKnight Squadron, at least temporarily. She accepted, albeit with a little reluctance, though the Galgan fighters were still closing in and broke into Sorlian airspace.

After Specter relayed that the Kallian fighter was now part of his squadron and that the Galgans were violating the sovereignty of Sorlio, he had hoped they would break off. No such luck. The Galgans pressed the attack and engaged SkyKnight Squadron, but were summarily wiped out to the man. Still, the Kallian fighter pilot expressed thanks for the save, and introduced herself as Heron. Though she was eager to get back home to fight, the three other SkyKnights convinced her there was no way she could save the nation alone, and that she should be patient and wait for a better day, when Galga's hold was not so strong.

This incident earned SkyKnight some fame in the Sorlian military. It was quick thinking, and good use of law and technicalities to save someone in need of it. To be frank, Sorlio did not hide that it took in a number of Kallian refugees, so Heron being brought into SkyKnight at least solved the mystery of what to do with one of them, at least. The military proceeded to reward SkyKnight for its performance with additional contracts, usually to wipe out bandits or aerial gangs threatening the region. Their high rate of success earned them much renown and respect as well as several pilots asking to join. Most of these pilots were rejected, though when Specter's old friend and academy wingmate Tsunami contacted them, Specter was quick to offer him a job when he heard he was having trouble finding work.

Shortly thereafter, Specter received a call from an unexpected source. A Huran noble family, interested in competing in the Huran Annual Air and Combat Tournament, wanted to hire him as a representative of their family. As it happened, the family's main participant was injured in a suspicious flight accident and would be unable to participate. Though Huran families often scoffed at the hiring of mercenaries, especially for such a prestigious tournament, they had little option if they wanted to participate. Specter was hesitant and reluctant to go to Huran, having no particular love for the country. Firestorm eventually talks him into it, and with some great reluctance, he accepts, heading to Huran with the rest of SkyKnight Squadron. Though they only needed one competitor, he insisted on bringing his flight along because they were a team.

Once there, Specter was not well received by many of the competitors or people of Huran. A Westport mercenary participating in their national tournament was something of an insult to their pride. One ace, by the name of Frost, was especially harsh to him, calling his honor into question and boasting she would best him in the skies. Annoyed, but not enough to quit the tournament, Specter quickly realized he had something to prove. The tournament had three phases: aerial racing, aerial maneuvering, and aerial combat, with points awarded for placement in the first two events, and then for number of "kills" in the last. The racing was a straightforward affair, much like many of the racing leagues worldwide: fly through a designated course, passing checkpoints and avoiding hazards along the way. Specter placed second in this event, ahead of Frost but behind a competitor known as Vail. Vail had been favored to win the tournament to begin with, and his strong finish in the race was not good for Specter's chances of winning.

Of course, Vail proved to be something of an arrogant individual from a very high-class family, and taunted Specter and Frost after the race in a public interview. Frost for losing to a dirty Westporter, and Specter for flying an inferior aircraft in an amateur showing for such a tournament. Both pilots were understandably angered by this, and though Frost still viewed Specter as a rival, her dislike for him was much less than it was for Vail. They both channeled their anger into the aerial agility contest, though Vail still managed to best both of them, with Frost taking second and Specter placing third.

While this was going on, the rest of SkyKnight squadron was looking into the suspicious accident surrounding the pilot Specter had replaced, and found incriminating evidence of sabotage. Tracing that evidence took time, but eventually led them to members of Vail's support staff, and upon questioning and intense... pressure, Revenant and Heron unearthed that the orders to sabotage went as high as Vail himself. Unfortunately, this find was not in time for the third round: aerial combat.

All participants were thrown into a massive simulated melee, unarmed. Missiles and guns would be tracked via computer, and successful hits and kills would add to the participant's score from the previous rounds. If a competitor's plane was damaged too heavily, their attack systems would shut down and they would be removed from the IFF and forced to descend and leave the battlefield. This was effectively the lightning round, allowing competitors with lower scores a shot at reaching the top. Specter really got to show his stuff in this fight, tearing through his competitors and quickly took a pace to overtake Vail as the leader. But Vail was not one to take chances. Midway through the melee, a number of unmarked, but armed aircraft joined the melee, and moved to attack Specter, Frost... and supposedly Vail. All three competitors were unarmed, and Specter and Frost were forced into evasive maneuvers, and Vail feigned them. Understandably, the crowd watching was confused and outraged, wondering where these aircraft had come from... even if it made for an entertaining show.

But then three of the SkyKnights, Firestorm, Revenant, and Heron, joined the melee, fully armed, to attack the bandit aircraft, while Tsunami gave the evidence they had collected to their employer, who rushed it to the tournament's official staff. The SkyKnights announced that the planes were hired on Vail's dime to make sure he won the competition, and with the evidence given from an official of a noble family, the accusation was damning. Vail quickly threw away his facade and ordered all of his planes to shoot down Specter after one of them damaged Frost's aircraft and forced her to pull out.

Specter wasn't about to give up the game, though. With his wingmates protecting him, he dove in to attack Vail with simulated missiles and guns, logging in several recorded hits. At this point, Specter was simply proving a point and twisting a knife; it was clear that even though Specter was using an inferior aircraft, he was the better combat aviator by far. It wasn't long before the armed SkyKnights mopped up the aggressor aircraft and forced Vail to land by training multiple missile locks on his plane, along with knowing Huran fighter pilots would be scrambled if he refused to comply. Vail was immediately arrested upon landing and disqualified from the tournament, with Specter finishing as the leader, with Frost coming in second.

Surprisingly, Specter's daring and heroic show in continuing to compete under fire endeared him to many Huran spectators, though many more were still not happy a foreigner won their most prized tournament. Though his employer's family was the one presented with the trophy and title of victor of the competition, it was well known who won it for them. Specter and SkyKnight Squadron were commended and paid well for their participation in the event and the discovery of Vail's underhanded and dishonorable tactics. Even Frost begrudgingly congratulated her rival, but stated that she would best him the next time they met.

The happenings at the tournament pushed SkyKnight to the forefront in Sorlio again, and demand for SkyKnight's services from many sources spiked. Missions came and went regularly, ranging from mundane to dangerous, and soon the SkyKnights' ranks grew, with the hiring of Hammerhead, Zephyr, Moss, and the twin Kallian siblings Seraph and Devil. Given their size and reputation, they grew to be respected by many circles, and loathed by others.

Still, the world goes on. New Ria, famous for both its brilliant minds and political instability, is threatened with open and armed civil war, and once again Sorlio contracts SkyKnight for combat-air-patrol along its New Rian border. For weeks, SkyKnight maintains patrols while the situation in New Ria breaks down. Two forces, one known as the New Rian Loyalists, and the other known as the Armed New Rian Liberation Front begin openly clashing, with both sides hiring mercenaries and using their own soldiers to attack the other, all the while civilians were caught in the middle. A repeat of many events in Kallia played here, with many New Rian refugees pouring into the neighboring countries of Westport, Huran, and Sorlio in particular. SkyKnight became increasingly drawn into the conflict while protecting refugees, having to fend off attacks from both Loyalist and Liberation forces constantly.

Soon the situation grew bad enough that both Huran and Westport favored intervention in the New Rian conflict to stop the carnage and senseless loss of human life. Westport's military offered SkyKnight Squadron a very lucrative contract to join them in the intervention effort, and it was one Specter could not refuse, especially with the New Rians in his squadron being anxious to put an end to it as well. Specter and the SkyKnights were sent into frequent sorties and battles designed to suppress both sides of the conflict and restore order to the battered nation.

On one of these many missions, Specter encountered something unusual. A distress call, intended directly for his squadron. It came from a relatively remote and mountainous region of New Ria, and they chose to investigate, landing at an airstrip that looked long abandoned. Fearing a trap, only Specter, Heron, and Zephyr landed, while the rest of the squadron flew top cover. The three investigated the seemingly abandoned hangar facility, only to be greeted by an elderly scientist in the main hangar. The scientist quickly introduced himself: he was formerly a citizen of Trilltrious, and a renowned aircraft engineer, known as Dr. Mellers. Mellers was an aviation expert of no small name; he had been the developer of the F-4 Phantom aircraft half a century ago, along with many others since, including the F-15 Eagle that Heron had taken to flying. Mellars explained that his favorite aircraft had always been the F-4, a design of which he felt most never got the full potential out of. Having left Trilltrious to pursue construction of his pet project instead of others he could care less about, he set about making the ultimate fighter he could from a 50 year old airframe. He had just put the finishing touches on his aircraft... and needed a pilot to fly it. Specter, he explained, was one of the only pilots that was both young and skilled enough to take the F-4E airframe to its absolute limit; and that made him the best choice for operating his magnum opus: The F-4X Phantom II.

Intrigued by this, Specter investigated the aircraft and was stunned at its design and construction, and could scarcely believe it was the same airframe. A test flight or two solidified for both Dr. Mellers and Specter alike that the aircraft fit him like a glove. Meller's only asking price was to extract him from New Ria and see him safely to Sorlio, where he retire, and where he could continue to maintain and refine the F-4X as Specter piloted it if the mood took him.

Shortly after acquiring the F-4X Prototype, Westport assigned SkyKnight on a critical mission. A reporter from New Ria supposedly had stumbled upon a secret meeting between Liberator forces and an outside party that revealed the nature of the war. Backed by an elite Westport squadron and a trio of Huran aces, one of them being Specter's old rival Frost, SkyKnight was assigned to protect the reporter as they escaped on a helicopter to Westport at all costs. Unmarked aircraft, Liberator, and even Loyalist forces soon swarmed into the area to attack the helicopter and attempt to destroy whatever evidence the reporter was carrying. Though Loyalist forces engaged Liberation forces as well, their appearance and eagerness to kill the reporter suggested something great was amiss. The allied squadrons successfully drove back the attacks, and the reporter made it safely into Westport, where a startling bit of news was revealed.

Galgan intelligence agents, sponsored by the highest level of government in Galga, had been manipulating and stoking tensions in New Ria for years. Their interference was so great that Galgan agents had even been involved in the incident that sparked the war. The governments of Huran, Westport, and New Ria all demanded answers from Galga... and all they got in return was a full declaration of war from Galga on all three nations. The motivations behind the attacks, and why Galga brazenly started an open continental war, were very much unclear. Following the declaration, the Loyalist and Liberation forces fell apart, with some rejoining the New Rian government and others becoming guns for hire.

Galga then immediately invaded New Ria in full, sending waves of fighters and ground troops to take the land. Westport and Huran scrambled their entire armed forces and threw them toward New Ria, hoping to stop the Galgan advance. Westport, Huran, and New Ria formally united as the Western Allied Coalition, and they fought valiantly against an incoming storm of Galgan troops. SkyKnight remained under Westport's hire, but were occasionally loaned out to Huran and New Ria as needed.

Despite lots of fighting, Galgan forces continued pushing into New Ria and nearly took its capital. The fighting reached a fever pitch during that battle. Aces from all sides and all colors fought over the capital while soldiers marched in below. The Allied Coalition was steadily losing ground, however. Galgan reinforcements kept arriving whenever the Allies were making headway, and the battle looked like a losing one.

Until a miracle happened. Sorlio, long known for isolationism and leaving other nations to their own affairs, declared war on Galga for destabilizing the continent and joined the Allied Coalition. And no sooner did the declaration go out than the Armed Forces of Sorlio and its many mercenary squadrons scramble to aid the battle in New Ria. Bolstered by hundreds of Sorlian pilots, the Allied Coalition took control of the skies and shoved Galga back, pushing its forces out of the small nation. SkyKnight participated directly in many key operations during this time. After flying several sorties alongside Frost, he formally made an invitation for her and a Huran helicopter pilot she had acquainted with, Serac, to join SkyKnight squadron formally. Initially hesitant to leave the positions that both Hurans had been appointed to, their families actually encouraged it: since the tournament, many in Huran followed the SkyKnights with curiosity, and a lack of Huran pilots in the team made people there disappointed. Knowing that it was a chance for Huran to show what it could do in a group of famous aces, Serac accepted, and Frost did so as well, with the caveat that she and Specter would remain rivals.

The Allied Coalition wasn't done yet. Deciding that while the momentum was still theirs, they turned their attention toward Kallia, who had been occupied for the past two years by Galgan forces. Knowing well that their people were awaiting liberation, the Allied forces wheeled toward Kallia and commenced a massive aerial invasion, unlike which the world had ever seen. SkyKnight helped spearhead the attack, especially with its three very famous Kallian aces. The Kallian Liberation War took months, and though the Galgan forces fought tooth and nail, the numerically superior Allied Coalition backed by the Kallian Resistance pushed them back to the capital. The Galgans grew increasingly desperate, and rumors circulated of a massive behemoth that had been spotted two years prior was in the skies again...

But with months of fighting finally coming to a head with the potential liberation of Kallia's capital city, Specter and his team of aces steeled themselves for what might be their most intense battle yet...

Canon Point: After forming the entirety of SkyKnight Squadron, just prior to the Liberation of Kallia City.

Personality:

Manfred Vaeris is not your typical mercenary fighter pilot from Sorlio. Many are in it for the money, and many more are in it for the fame. Manfred, on the other hand, while not strictly an idealist, took up the mantle of mercenary squadron leader with some intent on making the world at least a little better place to live. Though he is not naive enough to think that his actions will revolutionize the world or stop some of the more brutal competition and injustice out there, he hopes that leading by example will be enough to change things. Instead of being a cutthroat competitor like many mercs, instead he puts himself and his squadron above such things, prioritizing keeping civilians safe and completing his contract over personal glory. He isn't even above letting damaged enemy fighters flee if they pose no further threat to the battle. That said, he refuses to take contracts from potentially illegal, fraudulent, or untrustworthy sources. This has cost his squadron a great deal of money, but has ensured their reputation as reliable and trustworthy, which gains them work for more reputable clients, up to and including the Sorlian Armed Forces, a noble house of Huran, and the governments of Westport and New Ria. He takes great pride in his work as a mercenary and fighter pilot, to the point where he prefers to be called by his callsign: Specter.

So while on the business front he is noble and honest, on the ground he is mostly a serious, though confident, man. In public, he frequently wears an expression some might call dour, made worse by his piercing, falcon-like gaze. In general, he does not look like a man with much of a sense of humor, and he does not readily display it when business is afoot. In the times where he will make any sort of joke while on the job and on the ground, it is usually a sarcastic remark. In this way, he might seem difficult to approach, but Manfred knows very well that the stern, professional attitude gets better results from potential clients and is better for their reputation. Moreover, he is unlikely to hold too many grudges, as in the field of being a hired gun, things are almost never personal. Incidents are all almost strictly business, and he does his best to make sure things never get to be about vendettas or revenge. Don't make unnecessary enemies, and don't turn down legitimate and good clients because of old, bad blood. This explains why he was willing to work for a noble house of Huran to participate in the Huran Annual Air and Combat Tournament. Specter never much liked the nation or its people for most of his life, and during the War of the Range he was quite anxious for a chance to fight them. Nevertheless, the noble house that contracted him was honest and was interested in dealing fairly. He may not have been fully comfortable in Huran during that time, but he would've found it much more foolish to turn down a lucrative and legal contract. In fact, participating in the tournament and completing the contract helped to eliminate some of the prejudice he had with the nation.

When business is not involved and he is spending downtime with his squadronmates or friends, Manfred is much less serious and intense. Though his gaze and general demeanor provide him quite a commanding presence even during relaxed periods, he is still well liked by his team. His wit and sense of humor generally manifest more in downtime, making him more approachable. Though not the joker and, for lack of a better term, smartass he was prior to Rattler Squadron's destruction, he can still be loose enough to make his squadronmates laugh from time to time.

As a leader and a friend, Specter puts his people first and makes sure they're well taken care of, and that he has good relationships with all of them (though he argues with Seraph from time to time), often by bonding with them on the ground as much as in the air. He is a good friend, often listening to his squadronmates and giving counsel to them if need be. These sorts of affairs often happen over drinks, or in more casual, relaxed environments, which he actually prefers. The times Specter is not training or working, he often spends in the squadron rec-room, frequently socializing while playing various games of skill... which he often loses to his comrades. Being a great pilot does not necessarily make you good at board games, gambling, or many other things, after all.

In the sky, and at the controls of his aircraft, Specter becomes somewhat different. Though he is still focused on mission completion, he becomes bolder and more outspoken. Though not unduly cocky, Specter is not afraid to voice his confidence and let go a little more. He's more likely to tease his wingmates, or make bolder declarations or sillier statements likening them all to actual knights. This is not at all helped by the fact that every member of his squadron has a different paint scheme; like how every knight possessed their own heraldry. He is especially fond of saying "visors down" when battle is about to be joined, referencing medieval knights lowering their helmet's visors. That said, while he has fun saying those things, he knows well the gravity and danger of combat... and the attitude he takes in the air as the more daring and bolder knightly pilot? It's how he has fun and it's also how he helps manage the stress of battle. It is when he drops these habits and becomes stern and short of word is when you know things have gotten extremely serious or when he's lost his temper.

Prior to the decimation of Rattler Squadron, he was more jovial and fun-loving, even if he spent much of his time participating in arduous training. But his immediate demeanor quickly changed following that defeat. When he was left without a mercenary squadron to call home, or even a job of any kind, he quickly matured, knowing very well he was done playing wingman. In fact, much of Specter's serious side in dealing with business comes from his brief foray in Rattler Squadron, and it was only amplified by losing most of the people he was working with. Surprisingly, it did not shake his confidence for long, but instead tempered him into a solid flight leader. After rescuing Revenant and meeting Firestorm at Shepard's Point and defeating the bandit ace terrorizing the region, that's exactly what he became. Commanding the then Ghost Squadron was a new endeavor for him, but one he took with seriousness and caution. He didn't want a repeat of Rattler Squadron, not when it would be their blood on his hands if he failed them.

In fact, he is very careful about the lives of his wingmen. In mercenary work, it is all too common to lose your wingmates and allies to foolish mistakes or misplaced greed or pride. Good wingmen are hard to come by, and once people are initiated into SkyKnight Squadron, Manfred takes it upon himself to protect them as best as he is able. He knows and understands very well he cannot be everywhere at once, but it is why he constantly drills working in at least pairs to keep casualties and aircraft damage to a minimum. This sense of camaraderie and teamwork is what makes SkyKnight stand out amongst mercenary squadrons and is a large part of their success. Though he is very confident in his own abilities to handle many threats alone, he is not a lone wolf. He would rather share the glory with his wingmates than allow one of them to die to advance his own wealth or fame. He most often works with SkyKnight Two, better known as "Firestorm," as his main wingman, though he has worked with SkyKnight Three (Revenant), SkyKnight Four (Heron), and SkyKnight Eleven (Frost) extensively as well. He is generally at his best working with Firestorm, however.

Emotionally, Specter is generally healthy. Though the destruction of Rattler Squadron left him with an initial bit of survivor's guilt, being forced to make his own way and eventually forming his new team helped him cope. Nowadays, the incident does not haunt him at all, but rather it taught him a very valuable and important lesson. Beyond that, Specter keeps his head and mind clear even during times of war. He has to. Even setting the necessity aside as a leader, he doesn't suffer much in the way of mental scarring even during the conflict, given he is mostly distanced from the horrors of ground-based warfare. Besides, his livelihood is made in combat, war, and strife. Not being able to handle its rigors would make him a poor mercenary at best.

In dealing with people outside his squadron he is generally cordial, but he rarely gets emotionally invested unless he trusts or has warmed up to someone. The barkeeper in Shepard's Point, and Revenant's grandfather, who owns the airstrip they operate from there, and a handful of other people in town are some of Specter's friends. They won that friendship through fair dealings and through their imparting of stories and wisdom.

In short, Manfred Vaeris is a mercenary with a heart, though one he does not easily open up fully. He shows compassion and honor despite his profession, and will use those to follow through on contracts to the best of his ability. He doesn't abide underhanded tactics or dishonorable combat, preferring for his victories to be clean. But the most valuable thing to him, more than the money he makes in contracts, are his wingmates. It takes a special breed to be a SkyKnight... and all those who make the cut are very important to him.


Skills and Abilities:

Manfred is close to a typical Earth human, though Osion Humans have a handful of minor differences. All Osion humans have an increased tolerance for gravitational forces; meaning they can pull maneuvers in aircraft that might cause a typical Earth human to pass out. And as such, they can handle gravitational shifts slightly better than a normal human. Moreover, Osion Humans typically are generally a bit tougher to kill than Earth humans; long periods of hardship and nomadic living prior to the Common Era have resulted in this adaptation, and it remains in place even to this day. The extra resilience to gravity will not allow Osions to survive extreme gravitational forces or long-term gravitic changes, and nor does the extra toughness allow them to especially resist bullets or magic. Instead, it just gives them a slight edge on survival, and may allow them to take just slightly more punishment. That said, Specter's extensive flight experience further honed his ability to resist the negative effects of gravitational forces; the difference is enough to tell between a hardened Earth pilot and Manfred. Manfred can push himself further, but is not entirely immune to blacking out should G forces get too high.

Beyond that, Manfred's own abilities are fairly straightforward. He is one of the most skilled aviators in his world, and in a world full of pilots, this is a remarkable feat. Despite being only 23, he has racked up hundreds of "kills" in the air already utilizing what many consider an outdated and nearly obsolete aircraft. Though he did not get most of these kills alone, the amount of skill and capability Manfred has in operating a fighter aircraft is highly unusual. His skill comes from a mix of raw talent, years of training, practice, and tempered with genuine combat experience. Some speculate he has not yet hit his peak and may still grow in skill... and this is very much true, given he has many years left ahead of him to take to the skies.

Helping his piloting skill are common attributes among great fighter pilots: spectacular eyesight, reaction time, marksmanship, and reflexes. Manfred's vision is considerably better than average and he can often spot things other people will miss, and from further away. Though his vision is not superhuman or unnatural in any way, some people remark on it as impressive nonetheless. Pairing well with these are his lightning reflexes, which are considered about peak for a human to reasonably have. He can still be caught off guard, but he's quick on the draw both in the air and on the ground, so the element of surprise will generally be short-lived. To top it off, Specter's ability to line up and aim difficult shots makes him a highly proficient firearms user, both in the air and on the ground. Specter tends to prefer the use of pistols on the ground, but knows how to operate and maintain various rifles as well.

Though Specter did not graduate at the top of his class in flight school, he performed well enough to pass with flying colors. He has a keen understanding of flight and how to maintain and fly various aircraft; everything from fighters, to bombers, to civilian aircraft, and even attack helicopters. If it has wings, propellers, rotors, or jets, he can probably fly it. And if he can't immediately, flipping through an operations manual will probably be enough for him to get the gist of it. More complex machinery like highly advanced space fighters or giant robots are likely beyond his immediate ken, however, and would require some dedicated training. However, just about any plane from the dawn of aviation into the fifth or even sixth generation, he should be familiar with it.

Unsurprisingly for a successful mercenary, Specter owns a handful of different aircraft, though until his setting comes into play, he'll only have access to one aircraft: his trademark F-4X Phantom II, which will be detailed below. His other aircraft which he may be seen operating include his older F-4E Phantom II, as well as a Mi-24 "Hind" attack helicopter, though neither of these will be available to him initially.

F-4X Phantom II Prototype

Characteristics:

Crew: 1 (A Weapons Operation Officer is optional, pushing the aircraft to 2 crew if elected)
Length: 63 Feet
Height: 16.5 Feet
Powerplant: 2x Talonite Opti-Fusual Thrust Engines
Avionics: Rhino System MK.X
Top Speed: Mach 4 (2,880 Mph)
Service Ceiling: 65,000 ft
Thrust to Weight Ratio: > 1

Appearance: Here

Armaments:
1x Internal 20mm "Reaver" Gatling Cannon
2x Garter Heat-Seeking Multi-Purpose Mini-Missile Pods (60 Missiles Each for 120 Total)
4x Modular Weapon Pod Mounts, which may include a combination of the following:
-Swallow Radar-Guided A2A Mini-Missile Pod (20 Missiles each)
-Vulture Multi-Lock A2A Mini-Missile Pod (30 Missiles Each)
-Pegasus QuickLock/Manuever A2A Mini-Missile Pod (15 Missiles Each)
-Rutger-class ECM Pod, designed for Electronic Warfare and Missile Jamming
-Unguided Talonite Bombs (10 per Mount)
-Reaver Gatling Cannon Pod (No more than 2 due to drag concerns)
-Additional Garter Multi-Purpose Missile Pods

Description:

The F-4X Phantom II represents the pinnacle of design using the venerable F-4 Airframe. Though the F-4A Phantom II entered service a half-century ago, and was later improved to the once prolific F-4E variant, few expected the level of capability that the admittedly lumbering and large airframe actually had. The original F-4 design came from a young aeronautical engineer from Trilltrious, who later developed aircraft in Sorlio and New Ria. The F-4X was his pet project for years, taking the airframe and technology it was compatible with, to its limits.

The X Variant differs from the typical E variant in several key fashions. Kilometers of unneeded wiring have been removed entirely, and many of the metal components have been replaced with composites to reduce weight and improve durability. The F-4's admittedly antiquated avionics package has been replaced with a much more modern one, allowing for much better tracking of targets, especially in penetrating through aircraft stealth. Though not flawless, the Rhino System Mk. X allows much easier detection of aircraft like the F-22 Raptor, F-117 Nighthawk and the B-2 Spirit. As well, the system allows the F-4X to be compatible with numerous weapon systems it previously could not mount, notably the Vulture MLAA and Pegasus QLMAA missile systems. It also mounts numerous improvements to help with the aircraft's agility, such as an overall lighter weight and maneuverability slats and jets, which would normally come at the cost of top-speed.

However, the F-4X's greatest asset is its improved Talonite powered Opti-Fusual Thrust Engines. Using a highly advanced method of gathering power from Talonite minerals, the engines produce thrust and power unseen before in a fighter of this size. The F-4X Prototype is capable of an absolute maximum top speed of about Mach 4, or four times the speed of sound. Though it is capable of such an astonishing feat, it cannot hold the speed for terribly long as the stress of that speed on the engines will take its toll rather quickly. For its standard intercept speed, the F-4X can safely operate at Mach 3 for much longer, as it will tax the airframe and its engines much less. That said, the F-4X typically cruises at a lower speed, though as a supercruise capable aircraft, it is able to fly at an airspeed of about Mach 1.5 without using afterburners. Additionally, the extra energy and thrust produced by these engines also enhance the already natural tendency of Talonite engines to jam radar signatures, resulting in the F-4X being more difficult to track with conventional missiles. This does not render it immune to missiles or tracking tech and it is not truly stealthy, however. Radar-Guided Swallow class missiles have a better chance of dealing with this jamming, but the F-4X's great speed and maneuverability make it an evasive target in its own right.

That said, for all of its magnificent performance, piloting and handling the F-4X requires extensive flight experience. Though at low speeds it is not terribly hard to operate, at speeds above Mach 2 the aircraft requires a more skilled hand to truly bring out its potential. Harsh maneuvers at speeds at Mach 3 or higher will put enormous strain on the pilot and aircraft, and those too inexperienced may black out or lose control of the aircraft. Moreover, the F-4X can be aggravatingly maintenance-prone if the airframe is pushed too hard; usually this means in excess of speeds above Mach 3. Additionally, the greater power the engines have require the Talonite powering the aircraft to be replaced more frequently. When the F-4X is pushed, the Talonite only lasts about 80% as long as it would in a conventional fifth generation fighter, but the increase in performance is considered more than worth it. Another drawback to the design of the F-4X is that despite its increase in overall performance, it is still less agile than the likes of the F-22 Raptor and the PAK-FA, though it is about on par with the YF-23 Black Widow II.

Overall, the F-4X Phantom II is a marvel of aeronautical engineering. Though it lacks true stealth capability like many fifth generation aircraft like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, the rest of its performance is more than capable of matching many modern airframes designed almost a half a century later. Packing a large weapons suite, powerful engines producing a blistering max speed, above-average maneuverability, and highly advanced avionics and radar, the F-4X Phantom II is a unique machine capable of great feats in the hands of Manfred Vaeris.



First Person Sample:

Unbelievable. Dragons. Other worlds. Goddamn magic. White, furry things with deedleboppers growing from their heads. This place is unbelievable. It should be impossible. But yet, here I am, smack-dab in the middle of something out of some ridiculous video game I played as a kid. I don't even remember the trip here at all. Just when I told that dragon that I had a job to do, a really important one, it just didn't take no for an answer and then the next thing I knew I'm waking up like I slept for a week.

I'm not happy about this. I have a contract to fulfill. Heron, Seraph, and Devil all want their homeland liberated and I can't be doing that if I'm stuck here. I have faith Firestorm can lead them to victory, but if I'm not there what does that say about me? And the squadron as a whole? I worked hard to keep my word and contracts, and now some oversized, scaly lizard is putting that all into jeopardy.

...Calm down, Specter. This is a setback, but it's also a new opportunity for a venture. And if that whole "save the universe" thing does turn out to be true, I can't very well sit by and do nothing. I know one pilot can't change the world and all, but I can still do my part to make sure things go for the better. And it looks like they brought me my plane too. I guess maybe that's what they wanted me to do this whole time. Maybe they thought that I could make a difference.

Now if they gave me a runway so I could take off, I might be able to get started on that.

...Nobody's perfect, I guess.


**********

From the desk of Manfred "Specter" Vaeris, Commander of the 924th Sorlian Mercenary Squadron "SkyKnight":

Firestorm,

It seems our long-standing good squadron reputation has caught up with us. Apparently we aren't content to just impress governments and snooty Huran nobles. Looks like we've managed to impress something entirely different and not entirely human. You're probably wondering what the hell I'm talking about, and if I've been snorting boomers or something. I can assure you that I'm neither crazy or on some kind of psychedelic drug-fueled bender. No, what it seems we've attracted the attention of is dragons. Like in those silly fairy tales. Dragons. I know, I wouldn't believe it either, but considering I found a lizard scale about the size of an aircraft tire not far from where I woke up? I only wish I was making this up.

So it seems they've forcibly hired me for some long-term project, supposedly involving the saving of multiple universes and worlds. So, I have no idea how long I'm going to be stuck here before they decide I've done my part and send me back to you guys. Until then, you're in charge of the squadron. I'd prefer to be back there liberating Kallia City with the rest of you, but it looks like I don't have much choice in the matter. I can only hope this letter finds you and that weird Moogle thing makes sure this gets delivered to you. He charged enough postage that it had better get there.

...This world is weird. I'm not sure I like it. Magic and dragons and all that are cool enough on paper but when you're actually seeing them in action, that's a whole other monster. Oh yeah, there are monsters here too. At least they don't like being hit with missiles, just like anything else. I bagged a giant flying skeleton of some kind just a couple of days ago. Not sure what kind of kill to log that as though.

Anyway, as I said, you're in charge. I'll do my best to find a way back. Hopefully with a decent paycheck at that. Tell the others to keep strong and keep doing what we've been doing.

-Specter

Third Person Sample:

The skycity of Bhujerba... it seemed like it should be paradise to a man like him. A city in the clouds, far above the ground, where controlling the skies meant controlling everything. Still, this whole place felt incredibly foreign, and incredibly... wrong. The fighter pilot had been in this strange new world for a few weeks now, but everything still was new and different, and it all took a lot of getting used to. Still, he was here for a reason, having been contacted by an important city official for a potential job. And when it came to business, he really couldn't afford to say no. Food, ammunition, and spare parts weren't free, after all.

The man who summoned him was older and moustached, hair well grayed. He had chosen to meet with Manfred outside the local constable station, where there was quite a presence of armed guards. Specter supposed it was in case he proved to be less than trustworthy. He was a mercenary, after all. And he was long used to the idea that mercenaries were not always welcomed with open arms.

"Do you have the order I sent you, son?" The man asked, speaking quickly and with a thickly accented voice.

The mercenary nodded, producing a letter from the inside pocket of his coat. "Right here, sir. You said you had a problem that needed solving."

The elder waved him off when he offered the letter to him as proof. He already recognized the seal on it and needed nothing further. This was the man he had sent the moogles to find. "Yes, that is correct. As I am sure you are aware by now, our city relies on the trade of Magicite from the mines below for our economy to function. But we've run into a bit of a problem in recent weeks."

The mercenary furrowed his brow. "What sort of problem, sir?"

"Sky Pirates," he said, quicker than he probably intended. "There have been pirates raiding some of our ground-bound convoys and plundering their magicite supplies entirely. Sometimes they go so far as to destroy the airship when they're done and hold the crew for ransom. So far they've all been returned safely once the ransoms have been paid, but... this cannot be allowed to continue."

The pilot's eyes sharpened and hardened. "So what do you want me to do? Act as an escort to your transport, or do you want me to hunt them down and destroy them?"

The old man looked surprised at the sudden intensity the young man displayed. He had the look of a real warrior, someone who had already seen quite a bit of action.... strange for someone so young. "Preferably... I would like you to hunt them down. We have intelligence on their rendezvous point, but we fear our airships may not be able to catch them. I've heard yours is exceptionally fast. Perhaps you will have more success."

Manfred nodded, his scarf catching a breeze and fluttering behind him. "It's more than fast enough to catch a few pirates. What's the target look like, and what are its combat capabilities? Do you have a schematic for visual identification?"

"So very to the point... I like that. Here, we have these." The older gentleman produced a series of intricate and detailed designs of airships, though they looked somewhat less savory than most commerce airships in the region. Manfred took the pictures, and traced his finger along parts of the drawing, looking for easily identifiable signs and silhouettes on each airship. The weapons were antiquated... certainly not a threat to him in the F-4X.

"Perfect. Before I accept, what's the compensation for this mission?"

"35,000 gil."

That brought a smile to his face. That was some damn good money for such an easy job. They must've really wanted these pirates dead. Manfred extended a hand to the old man to shake.

"You got yourself a deal. SkyKnight One, at your service."

***********

The steel bird cut through the sky like a knife, leaving trails in the air behind it as its engines roared. Faster than the speed of sound, the F-4X cruised high above the clouds toward the rendezvous point the old man had listed. Specter was making good time on his flight, having caught a tailwind. At this rate, he would be able to waste the pirates and return to Bhujerba in time for dinner and a drink. And with the money he stood to make, he could eat well tonight, and that thought alone was enticing.

His thoughts of food were cut short when the radar in his cockpit beeped at him, indicating three new contacts popped up ahead... right where the old man said they'd be. Now the only thing left to do was visually identify them. He nosed the aircraft down through the clouds, to crest below, and roared toward the airships, closing on them rapidly.

It only took a moment as the F-4X flew past all three airships in what felt like the blink of an eye, a sonic boom trailing behind him, and shaking the crews on deck. Those were the pirates all right. Specter didn't need long to identify them, after all. But the pirates were not too happy about being discovered. Cannon fire immediately erupted from the broadsides of each of the airships, but Specter was already well outside of effective range.

The pilot smiled as he slipped on his oxygen mask. Even if he was alone, he couldn't help himself.

"Visors down, lances up! Time to ride, SkyKnights!"