Manfred "Specter" Vaeris, DragonHaven Application (History Only)

[skyknightone]

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...