The Let's Play Archive

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War

by nine-gear crow

Part 2: Mission 2 - Operation Roselein, April 15th, 1995

”Annex”

Mission 2: Operation Roselein – April 15, 1995

Overview: The Galm Team is deployed to Arlon, Sapin to retake Route 171 over the Aare River and secure a vital supply line between the Sapin and Osea branches of the Allied Forces.




ROSELEIN
This is our first tenuous thread in the tapestry of “HEY GUYS DO YOU KNOW ABOUT KING ARTHUR?! ” that comprises Zero’s internal mythic arc. In this instance, the reference is bound up more in modern pseudohistoric bullshit than anything that actually links back to Arthur and Camelot, but I guess Project Aces was like “hey, The Da Vinci has something to do with the Holy Grail right? That’s KINDA King Arthurish, riiiiiiiiiiiight?” And then everyone just sighed and did this and moved on with their lives.

Giving the term the briefest of glosses (because it is anti-historic BS), the name is a two-fold reference to Rosslyn Chapel (formally referred to as the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew) a 15th-century chapel located in Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland and believed to be linked to the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail thanks to works like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. And, of course, one of the major plotlines of the modern Arthurian mythos was Arthur’s search for the Holy Grail. The term “Rose Line” was also the bullshit term given to the Prime Meridian (equally referred to as the Zero Meridian) which runs through both Paris and London and serves as the basis for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The name “Rose Line” also comes from The Da Vinci Code, and a 1967 document from the Priory of Sion which also referred to the Prime Meridian as the Rose Line.

And yes, “Random, Tangential Arthurian References” are going to become a thing over the rest of the game. Strap in folks, we’re just getting started.




EAGLE EYE
Real Name: Unknown
Callsign(s): Eagle Eye, AWACS
Age: Mid-40’s (speculative)
Sex: Male
Nationality: Ustio
Signature Plane: E-767
Voice Actor: Daran Norris
On-Camera Actor: None

An operator aboard an Ustio Air Force Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) E-767 who serves as in-field mission control for pilots of the Ustio 6th Air Force division, including Galm Team’s Cipher and Pixy. Operating under the callsign “Eagle Eye”, he will be our eye in the sky for the rest of Ace Combat Zero, our ‘sky eye’, if you will

Calm and professional, Eagle Eye never loses his cool, but has been known to occasionally rib the pilots under his charge. Eagle Eye will inform us of mission-critical updates, enemy dispositions, environmental advisories, and other developments from Allied Forces HQ. He will be our link to the outside world while up there in the unfriendly skies.


INTEL
Real Name: Unknown
Callsign(s): None
Age: Mid-40’s (speculative)
Sex: Male
Nationality: Ustio
Signature Plane: None
Voice Actor: Patrick Seitz
On-Camera Actor: None

The Valais AFB intelligence officer. By-and-large a forgotten about presence, he will relay our mission briefings to us via the pre-mission briefing screens and post-mission after-action reports. He is the on-ground counterpart to Eagle Eye, informing us about what we expect to be going into compared to Eagle Eye who informs us of what has changed since we arrived in the combat zone.

He comes in, does his job, and gets out of the way… Unlike some assholes in this series I can think of…



Aircraft featured in Mission 2: Operation Roselein


Mig-21bis Fishbed
Manufacturer: Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB
Role: Fighter / Interceptor
Manufactured: 1959–1985
Status: In Service
Primary Operators: Libya, Egypt, Vietnam, India, USSR (nation defunct, plane retired)
Quick Facts:



A small, single-engine fighter, code named “Fishbed.” While its electronics and weapons capability are outdated, it makes up for it with high maneuverability and low cost.

AMMO
Missiles: 56
RCL: 8
UGB: 10
QAAM: 6

Repeat Offenders




005
Gerd Vogts
"Glueck"
33, Male, Belka
04.15.95 Operation Roselein - Shot Down
Mig-21bis Fishbed
Difficulty: Any
Ace Style: Mercenary

Having been involved in twelve crashes and several life threatening accidents, his countless brushes with death have become legendary among his squadron. After retirement, he settled down in Dinsmark, the capital city of the Principality of Belka.


006
Lothar Fink
"Kritiker"
30, Male, Belka
04.15.95 Operation Roselein - Shot Down
F-1
Difficulty: Any
Ace Style: Soldier

During the war, he was tried for leaking information regarding Belka's nuclear weapons possession. However, the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. He remained a pilot until the end of the war, but the suspicions continued to cast a shadow on his record. After the war he became an anti-war activist.


007
Johann Braess
"Storch"
35, Male, Belka
04.02.95 Operation Roselein - Shot Down
A-10A Thunderbolt II
Difficulty: Any
Ace Style: Knight

The conclusion of the war offered him the opportunity to proceed with a career in North Belka as an engineer in the exploration of marine resources. He continues to put forth all of his efforts into the mining of the favored next generation fuel source: Methane Hydrate.


008
Manfred Ketzer
"Wuerfel"
27, Male, Belka
04.02.95 Operation Roselein - Killed In Action
Mirage 2000D
Difficulty: Any
Ace Style: Any

Shot down and killed in an aerial battle over Route 171, his remains, along with a diary addressed to his wife and child, were recovered from the wreckage. After the war, the diary was published under the title "A Letter to My Lovely Rose", and became a best-seller.


009
Herrick Engel
"Harpune"
42, Male, Belka
04.02.95 Operation Roselein - Shot Down
F-15E Strike Eagle
Difficulty: Ace
Ace Style: Any

Formerly part of the Anfang Flight Instruction Unit, he was moved to the front line at the outbreak of the war. During the war, he purposed fundamental revisions regarding the transportation of troops, as well as aerial fighting tactics at Area B7R. After the war, he applied himself towards reducing the operational damage incurred on fighter airframes.





Tracks Featured In Mission 2