Mimic Squadron

Mimic Squadron
Part Of	General Resource Limited GR Guardian Mercenaries
Leader(s)	Otto van Dalsen (Mimic 1) † Howard Clemens
Members	Elke van Dalsen (Mimic 2) †
Equipment	Modified Su-47 Berkut
Deployment	Lighthouse War

"They're neither Osean nor Erusean. They're just filthy bats!"

― Húxiān

Mimic Squadron, often referred to by their enemies as simply "the bats," was a mysterious mercenary and assassin unit belonging to GR Guardian Mercenaries. The squadron was hired by former Osean Brigadier General Howard Clemens to assassinate Trigger. They bore Osean roundels but were hostile to both Osean and Erusean forces. The squadron was comprised of the van Dalsen siblings: Otto, callsign "Rage"; and Elke, callsign "Scream". Upon the deaths of both siblings, the squadron is believed to no longer exist.

The siblings briefly appeared as minor antagonists in the first two DLC missions for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, serving as boss fights during both "Unexpected Visitor" and "Anchorhead Raid".

Etymology

According to Masahide Kito, principal story writer for Ace Combat 7's DLC missions, Mimic Squadron's nickname of "bats" was based on Aesop's fable The Birds, The Beasts, and the Bat. The story depicts a war between birds and beasts. Bats, having fur like beasts and wings like birds, are able to make a case for joining either side, and would switch sides when it suited their interests. For their treachery, they were abandoned by both sides and accepted by neither by the end of the war.

In Ace Combat 7, Mimic Squadron are treacherous mercenaries who attack both sides of the war but belong to neither, and are ultimately abandoned by their benefactor Clemens.

History

Sometime before September 4, 2019, Osean Brigadier General Howard Clemens contracted the siblings to assassinate Trigger.

First Contact

A damaged Mimic aircraft dogfighting against Trigger

During Operation Sighthound on September 4, 2019, as the LRSSG's Strider Squadron cleaned up Erusean aircraft threatening their landing fleet, Mimic Squadron appeared on radar posing as Osean forces. They used Osea's radio frequencies but did not show proper IFF. This, along with the fact that there were no more scheduled reinforcements, lead AWACS Long Caster and Wiseman to identify them as hostile.

As the siblings entered the battle, Elke downed an Erusean aircraft, earning the ire of Otto. The siblings bickered before engaging Trigger in a heated dogfight, using their modified aircrafts' ECM capabilities to create fake targeting boxes and to break their opponents' lock. Ultimately, the siblings were forced to retreat from the airspace. As they fled, Elke went on an open channel to warn Trigger that they would meet again and that the Osean ace would die the next time they met. The Strider Squadron pilots quickly dubbed them 'the bats'.

Operation Domino

"To unidentified aircraft! Cease combat immediately and withdraw!"

― Howard Clemens to Mimic Squadron during Operation Domino

Six days later, during Operation Domino on September 10, 2019, Mimic appeared at Anchorhead just as the LRSSG's operation was ending. Armed with stronger ECM and new stealth missiles that didn't trigger missile alerts, Otto and Elke once again engaged Strider Squadron. Elke damaged Lanza's aircraft in a surprise attack with a stealth missile, forcing him to retreat. Mimic then engaged the remaining two Strider pilots, Count and Trigger.

During the dogfight, Clemens contacted them and ordered them to withdraw from the airspace, with the Osean top brass having determined that Trigger was necessary to win the war. Both siblings refused to comply on the basis that their reputation would be damaged if they returned without eliminating their target. Exposing Clemens as a traitor and breaking their contract with him, they continued to engage Trigger and Count. Despite their technological advantages, Count switched to a secure line to communicate a plan to Trigger—he would draw their attention while Trigger dealt the death blow to the bats. Count was able to lure the two apart long enough for Trigger to shoot them both down without them coming to each other's aid. Both pilots refused to eject and died when their aircraft exploded. Their benefactor, Clemens, was later arrested by Osean military police on charges of treason.

Gallery

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  Scream engages Trigger at high altitude. Note the false canopy on the underside of the plane's fuselage.

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  Rage's Su-47

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  Scream's Su-47

Trivia

• Mimic's livery appears to reference dazzle camouflage, a World War I-era camouflage for naval vessels intended to make it difficult for hostiles to gauge the ships' distance, speed, and heading. They also feature false canopies in the form of reflective paint on their front landing gear doors.
• Curiously, Mimic Squadron's name is never mentioned during gameplay, nor do Rage and Scream ever refer to each other by their callsigns of "Mimic 1" and "Mimic 2," respectively. The name "Mimic" is only used in the game's subtitles, along with the description of the official Mimic Squadron emblem.
• The track "Mimic", played during the duo's "Anchorhead Raid" boss fight, is comprised of four separate audio tracks: three drumlines and a guitar and keyboard section. At the beginning, the "default" drumline plays along with the guitar and keyboard. Depending on which sibling is killed first, the music will switch to match the situation.
  • If Rage is shot down first, the drums lose their organized rhythm and devolve into mindless percussion, representing Scream's mental state completely falling apart after her brother's death. Consequently, Scream is much less difficult to fight alone as she will only fire one missile on occasion.
  • If Scream is shot down first, the drums begin to play faster and frantically as the guitar grows even louder, representing Rage's cold and calculating demeanor being replaced with blind fury over his sister's death. Consequently, Rage is much more difficult to fight alone as he will start to fire volleys of four missiles.