User:TheUseanFireBird

Biography
Bret Folen a.k.a The Usean Firebird is a Usean Mercenary Pilot who was famed for his participation in all of the major conflicts in the world starting from the Kalugan Conflict in 1987 to the Aurelian/Leasath War in 2020. He is best known for flying his signature PAK-FA and PAK-FAN (Navalized Version) with his custom variant of the Scarface Squadron emblem and his inhuman flying abilities. Once a quiet, young boy who wanted to become a video game developer, he turned into one of the greatest fighter pilots the world has ever known, on par with famous ISAF Ace Mobius One, whom he flew with during the Usean Continental War. He is the owner and leader of the UMF (United Mercenary Forces), an organization made entirely of mercenaries devoted to preventing catastrophies like the Belkan War and Circum Pacific War from happening again. He currently resides in the UMF GHQ in San Salvacion with his wife Sasha, and two children Brad and Kiara.

Early Life
Bret was born in 1967 to a famed Usean Pilot and his wife during a time of great uncertainty. The Cold War between Osea and Yuktobania was still going on at the time and was in full effect around the world. With his father on combat standby nearly all the time and his mother usually looking after him, Bret became one who doesn't socialize much with other people. He would often seclude himself in his room most of the time either drawing or playing video games, usually ranging from air shooters to RPG's. He was able to make a few friends when he hit his early teens though, which was a relief to his parents. At the age of 16, he enrolled at San Salvacion University, hoping to get a major in graphics design. But just after his 18th birthday, tragedy struck.

Becoming a pilot/Enrolling into Scarface Squadron
On June 8th, 1987, Kalugian rebels who snuck into Usea began bombarding San Salvacion. As chaos spread, the officials ordered an evacuation of the local civilians. As the bombing continued, Bret tried his best to help however he could in the ensuing chaos. He even saved a woman's baby from falling debris before the little one was crushed. As Bret made his way towards his parent's house, his life was forever changed. His father and mother lay dead before his feet, caught completely off guard by the Kalugian raid. As Bret drowned in a sea of sorrow, a lust for revenge came over him. After his parents funeral, Bret traced every single one of his father's squadron mates and learned everything he could about piloting from them. But with the Usean Air Force in a state of watching the ongoing Cold War between Osea and Yuktobania, they could not respond to the Kalugian Rebels. So they enrolled the help of mercenaries from around the world to stop the threat. Bret enrolled as well, mastering everything he learned from his father's squad mates. Just before he left with the other members of Scarface for Kaluga, he met their leader Phoenix One, who was an old friend of his father's. Phoenix One gave him what would become his signature aircraft for the rest of his carrier: the PAK-FA Multirole fighter. A rare stealth fighter that was well sought out by collectors world wide.

Rise of the Fire Bird - The Kalugian War
After arriving at an allied airbase in still held by the Kalugian Military. The welcoming of the mercenaries of Scarface was mixed at best, but Bret shrugged it off. Avenging his parents came first. He spent most of his time prior to the first engagement either maintaining his plane or just looking out to the distance from his quarters window. On July 11th, he'd get his first taste of vengance. The Rebels attacked the base, hoping to snuff out the remaining Kalugian Government officials and military members. But they did not expect Scarface Squadron. The battle was brief, but fierce. During the engagement, Bret shot down 10 enemy aircraft in what seemed like a blink of an eye. The rebels were forced to retreat out of losing so many of their people to the mercs. Everyone was in shock of Bret's seemingly unnatural abilities as a pilot. But not everyone took it shock. He drew the attention of three individuals who would affect his life later on. One was Sasha Kei, a F/A-22 mercenary pilot from Osea, whom when he first saw her, Bret became emotionally attracted to. Later on in life, she would return his feelings. Another was Roy Lampert, an Emmerian J-20 mercenary pilot who started out as a rival of Bret's, but would become his best friend before the war ended. The last one was Alexis Genette, an Aurelian KF-X mercenary pilot, who admired Bret's skill and later would become Roy's wife. The four of them would be assigned to fly together by Phoenix One due to what he saw as "a great chemistry between the four". As the war raged on, Bret began to open up more and more to his new squadmates, and eventually they shared why they became involved in joining Scarface in the first place. On December 20th, 1987, the Rebels were pushed back to Scorpion Island, where their Sky Fortress was located. The entire Scarface Squadron was deployed to the area to put an end to the rebellion once and for all. While Phoenix One and the rest of the Scarface Squadron attacked the rebel fighters, Bret and his team attacked the fortress head-on. After a few passes, Bret charged the Sky Fort's bridge and destroyed it in one fell swoop. The Kalugian War had come to a close after the Sky Fortress fell into the sea below. Bret finally avenged the deaths of his parents. The Scarface Squadron was praised as heros, with Bret, Sasha, Roy, and Alexis being the most notably praised. Bret returned to San Salvacion after spending a week in Kalugia with his friends and comrades. As he landed, he realized that his true calling was to become a pilot like his father. But the Kalugian War was just the beginning of his carrier as a pilot.

The Usean Coup War - A Name Becomes Known
Three years after the Kalugian War, Bret was just relaxing at the San Salvacion airbase when he recieved word that a coup had occured all over the Usean Continent. San Salvacion immediatedly fell under siege by the Coup Forces, with Bret barely escaping. After being hailed by Sasha to head to Twinkle Islands, he rendezvoused with his comrades and old friends in the Scarface Squadron. Bret also met Phoenix One again, now known as Scarface One. After being brought up to speed on current events about the coup, Bret learned about why the Usean heads of state left during the current events: The Ulysees 1994XF04 Asteroid. Although it was a topic of concern, he had to stay focused on the situation at hand. When Scarface Squadron deployed, the Usean Forces were able to push back the Rebel Forces, largely thanks to Scarface One and Bret's team. As soon as ground was gained, Bret and the rest of Scarface began encountering the mysterious ace pilots known only as Z.O.E Squadron. After destroying the Dragonet-Class Submarines and the XB-10 "Big Bad Mama" Bomber, a battle between Scarface and Z.O.E Squadrons ensued over San Salvacion, which the Rebels were holding hostage. During the engagement, Bret discovered the identity of Z.O.E leader: Allen Malcovitch, who was his father's commanding officer. Bret tried to get Allen to surrender, but Allen said that the Usean Government needed "a change in leadership", leaving Bret to duel his father's former commanding officer. The fight ended in a draw, but Z.O.E was defeated in the final stages of the battle. Their accomplishments also included defeating famed Rebel Squadrons such as Albireo, Lancer, and Cocoon Squadrons. After Operations "Alphaville" and "Bellissima", the United High Command gained the upper hand. Eventually, the Rebels are pushed back to their GHQ at St.Ark. During the battle, Z.O.E Squadron engages Scarface Squadron again. This time however, Scarface One and Scarface Squadron distracted Z.O.E Squadron long enough for Bret, Sasha, Roy, and Alexis to attack the GHQ. Allen tried to stop them, but Scarface One blocked his way. Bret and his team land the killing blow to the GHQ, ending the battle. But as fate would have it, the Rebels wouldn't give up. Another Dragonet-Class was sighted at the coastline approximately 8:54 P.M Usea Central Meantime, and Bret deployed alone to stop it. Even though he destroyed the sub, they were successful in launching an EPCM at St.Ark. Bret pursued it, knowing that Sasha, his friends and allies were counting on him. Despite not being able to use missiles due to ECM interference, he was able to destroy it with his guns. On December 12th, 1990, the United High Command discovered that the Rebels have one last fortress located in eastern North Point called "Intolerance". Scarface Squadron deployed all of their pilots to aid the Usean Forces in defeating the Rebels. Bret and his team went after the Intolerance. As they approached the fortress, Z.O.E Squadron approached them again, with Allen leading them in an XFA-27. While Sasha, Roy, and Alexis dealt with the members of Z.O.E, Bret and Allen dueled one on one. Despite the Falken's superiour abilities compared to Bret's PAK-FA, Bret was able to overcome them by relying on skill. The duel ended when Bret damaged both Allens engines and blew the XFA-27's nose off the rest of the aircraft. Little did Bret know, Allen survived. As the Rebels were pushed back, they resorted to using their last, nuclear equipped EPCM. Bret flew into the fortress and destroyed it, ending the war once and for all. After the Usean Coup War, Scarface was disbanded. But Bret, Sasha, Roy, and Alexis decided to stay together to help the Usean Government get back on it's feet. After reviewing all the intel from the war, Bret learned that the Rebels gave him a nickname: The Fire Bird. This was due to the fact that his version of the Scarface Roundel was different that other members of the Squad. It was also due to the fact it was colored Red, Orange, and Yellow, which was the color of fire. Bret liked this name. And ironically, it would follow him for the rest of his life.

What War is Really Like - The Belkan War
Five years later, Usea was still struggling to get back on it's feet. Knowing that Osea would help since relations with Usea have increased since the Cold War came to a close, they sent Bret and his team to the Osean Continent to be diplomatic representatives for Usea. However, as they passed over the country of Ustio on April 2nd, they found themselves caught in the middle of a battle between the Ustian Mercenaries and the Belkan Forces. It is there that Bret met Cipher and Pixy, whom he would fly with throughout the rest of the year. Seeing that the Ustian Forces needed help, Bret, Sasha, Roy, and Alexis joined the battle and helped the Ustian Forces destroye the remaining bombers, with Bret and Cipher tieing for the final kill as both shot down the bomber at the same time. After being escorted back to Valais Air Force Base, they explained to the Ustians that they came from Usea in order to ask Osea for help in aiding their country in any way they could. It is then that they learned from Pixy a.k.a Larry Foulke about the recently rising war with the Principallity of Belka. They learned that Belka not only invaded Ustio, but Osea and Sapin as well. Deciding to put their work for Usea aside for the time being, Bret and his team decided to help the Ustio and the Allied Forces in defeating Belka. On April 15th, they joined up with Cipher and Pixy in the battle of Arlon, Sapin. The Belkans ironically didn't expect to see Bret's squadron in the fray, as they identified them as foreners from Usea after the Battle of Valais. The battle ended with an Allied Forces victory with Bret and Cipher yet again tieing for the final kill. This is when a sort of friendly rivalry began between Bret and Cipher. On April 20th, the Allied Forces needed a distraction in order to accomplish two objectives: 1. Begin Offensive Campaign No. 4101 and 2. Rendezvous with the Yuktobanian Forces who joined the war following a request from Osea. The Allied High Command sent both Galm Team and Bret's squadron, now called Phoenix Team after Phoenix One a.k.a Scarface One to Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R, a.k.a the Round Table. As the two teams advanced on the Round Table, the Belkan Forces attacked. But they were pushed back within at least 20 minutes. Just then, Sasha called to the teams over the radio, alerting the teams to the three Belkan Squadrons approaching B7R. Phoenix Team and Galm Team engaged Rot, Grun, and Indigo Squadron. After a ferocious battle, Phoenix and Galm Teams emerged victorious. On April 24th, Phoenix and Galm teams fought with the Allied Forces at the Futoro Canal. While Galm attacked the Belkan instalations scattered throughout the canal, Phoenix Team escorted the Ocean Naval Carrier Kestrel through the canal. During the battle, Bret noted that the carrier was "special" in a way. It held it's own even with a full escort. Little did Bret know, this would not be the last time he would see the Kestrel. On May 12th, Phoenix and Galm Teams participated in The Battle of Solis Ortus. This time, Phoenix took care of the ground forces, while Galm gave top cover by battling the fighters. The Teams also lent their support to Osean and Yuktobanian landing troops. On May 13th, Phoenix and Galm Teams participated in the Liberation of Directus, the capitol of Ustio. After the capitol was liberated, they encountered and defeated the Gelb Team. Bret and Cipher ordered their teammates to pull back and hold position while they battled the two Su-37's. Bret and Cipher emerged from the engagement victorious. Bret and Sasha would both remark on their perspectives of the battle later on in an interview years later. On May 17th, Phoenix and Galm Teams would aid the Allied Forces in the Battle of Mt. Ivera, a strike on the Belkan Fortress known as Glatisant. Although the battle ended in victory, Pixy saw something eerie in the distance. That eerie sighting would strike with a vengance on May 19th. Although the two teams would succeed in defeating the Belkans in the Shayne Plains, Belka's Excalibur Laser Weapon would take the Allied Forces completely by surprise. Most of the pilots didn't make it back, but Phoenix and Galm Teams were among the few that made it back. Though Roy's right wing was scathed by the laser, he was able to maintain control long enough to make it back.