Operation Crossroad
Operation Crossroad was an operation performed by the Razgriz Squadron and the Yuktobanian resistance to rescue Yuktobanian Prime Minister Nikanor. The Prime Minister was imprisoned following a coup d'etat, and his rescue allowed him to later join Osean President Vincent Harling in ending the war.
Background
Early in the Circum-Pacific War, Wardog Squadron's flight leader, Jack Bartlett, was shot down and captured by Yuktobanians but he quickly escaped.[1] He joined the Yuktobanian resistance along with Nastasya Vasilievna Obertas and covertly assisted the Razgriz Squadron by sending the OFS Andromeda encrypted messages. His first two messages led Razgriz to Mount Schirm[2] and the Payavlenie Ravine.[3]
On December 22, 2010, the Andromeda received a third encrypted message from Bartlett: 18007130. At 1800 hrs, the members of Razgriz Squadron tuned in to the radio frequency 7130[note 1] and heard Bartlett explain that he'd broken Prime Minister Nikanor out of the Shtil Internment Camp and needed the squadron's help.[4]
Prison break
At about 0654 hrs on December 23,[note 2] Razgriz entered the airspace and Bartlett's convoy began its trip towards Krylo Airfield. The convoy included many members of the Yuktobanian resistance, including Major Obertas. Other members of the resistance had already infiltrated the airfield and were lying in wait for the scheduled time.[5]
The route towards Krylo Airfield was heavily defended by the Yuktobanian Army, particularly by security checkpoints, pillboxes, APCs, and some howitzers. In addition, the Yuktobanian Air Force launched several groups of Su-32s, AC-130s, and AH-64s to destroy the convoy. Razgriz Squadron assisted Bartlett and his convoy by destroying a majority of the Yuktobanian forces. Blaze, Razgriz's flight lead, also guided Bartlett by helping him choose which path to take when the road forked.[5]
The resistance fighters that infiltrated the airfield seized an aircraft hangar and captured a C-1 Trader. Bartlett stormed the airfield's gate and thanked Blaze for the escort as he boarded the C-1 with the Major and Prime Minister. As Bartlett took off, Razgriz's number two, Kei Nagase, informed him that they would rendezvous with the OFS Kestrel to the east.[5]
The Grey Men's Grabacr Squadron entered the airspace to block the C-1's flight path and engaged the Razgriz Squadron, identifying them as the ones who attacked the mine at Mount Schirm. Razgriz shot down all of the Grabacr planes, but the pilots all bailed out. Razgriz, Bartlett, the Major, and the Prime Minister escaped the area and arrived at the Kestrel.[5]
Aftermath
Despite Prime Minister Nikanor's rescue, his country was still being led by the military that overthrew him. He remained on the Kestrel and would attempt to defuse a situation between the Kestrel's fleet and a Yuktobanian fleet before leaving to deliver a televised address with President Harling.[6]
Major Obertas also provided the Kestrel with an encrypted disk containing the Grey Men's ultimate plan. The Kestrel decrypted the disk and discovered plans to use the V2 with the Strategic Orbital Linear Gun.[7]
Footnotes
- ↑ The radio frequency is not specified.
- ↑ Bartlett confirms at the start of the mission that the agreed time to storm the gate is 0705 hrs. According to page 126 of the Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War Perfect Guide, the convoy has 11 minutes and 30 seconds to reach the airfield.
References
- ↑ Cutscene 23: "Heartbreak One #2", Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Solitaire, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Ghosts of Razgriz, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 22: "Heartbreak One #1", Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Heartbreak One, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Sea of Chaos, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ ACES, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.