Yellow 13

"I won't complain if I buy the farm while I'm airborne, but I can't stand being taken out while I'm grounded."

- Yellow 13, Interlude 07

Yellow 13 (黄色の13) was the callsign of the flight leader of the 156th Tactical Fighter Wing, the Federal Republic of Erusea's top elite squadron. Widely regarded as the greatest Erusian ace of the Usean Continental War, he is the main Erusian character of Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, and Mobius One's "nemesis".

He takes pride in his record of never having lost a squadron member in combat. He is said to have compassion towards the enemies that he shot down, totaling at least 64 aircraft. 13 enjoyed dogfighting with opponents worthy of his skill and continually looked forward to the chance to fight Mobius One. He is a man of honor and hates the resistance, who damaged Yellow 4's plane when they set off a bomb on their runway.

Biography
During his early years, Yellow 13 met a young Yellow 4. They established a relationship, as the former trained the latter in becoming a fighter pilot.

In the early stages of the Usean Continental War, the Yellow Squadron played an important role in attacking ISAF forces and forcing their retreat. One day, the Erusian army invaded the capital city of San Salvacion. The Storyteller Boy was on his way to school on a cliffside when he witnessed an air battle taking place above the city. One of the planes involved exploded in flames as the pilot ejected, and he saw as the plane crashed into the cape he lived at, killing his parents. As the cape was covered in flames, the Storyteller Boy saw the victorious fighter passing by, spotting a yellow "13" emblazoned on its side. After moving in with an uncle in the city, he started making a living by playing harmonica at a bar frequented by Erusian soldiers. One night, the Yellow Squadron's crew barged into the bar, expelling most of the soldiers inside. The Storyteller Boy saw as the team's adjutant counted each member's kills for the day. As his turn came up, everybody turned to stare at Yellow 13, who was silently strumming a guitar in a corner of the bar. With a smile, he convinced the boy to accompany him with his harmonica. Time passed, and Yellow 13, as well as the squadron's air crews, established a friendship with the orphan.

In Nov. 15, 2004, the petrochemical complex that supplied fuel to the Aegir Fleet at Comberth Harbor suffered an attack by ISAF forces. Once they arrived at the nearly destroyed facility, the Yellow Squadron pursued the ISAF fighters out of the area.

Operation: Stone Crusher and assault on San Salvacion
Early during April 2, 2005, the San Salvación resistance bombed the Yellow Squadron's runway, injuring Yellow 4 with light sharpnel wounds, as well as severely damaging one of her Su-37 Terminator's engines. Shortly after the bomb attack, the Erusian forces were alerted of an ISAF assault on Stonehenge, prompting the Yellow Squadron to take off towards STN immediately, with no chance to repair Four's engine. They arrived at the Stonehenge site, but it was too late, as the facility was already rendered inoperable, leaving them to deal with the ISAF aircraft and Mobius One, the pilot that singlehandedly had destroyed STN. During the following dogfight, Yellow 4 was hit. The damage sustained during the resistance attack did not allow her to eject, leaving her to die over the skies of Stonehenge. Yellow 13 asked if "anybody saw [Yellow 4] get out", with no response, forcing the Yellow Squadron to leave the area.

After returning to base, he was met by the Storyteller Boy inside his quarters, silently gazing at Four's handkerchief. The two walked outside into a nearby pond, where he told the Boy of when he first met Four. Some time after the Stonehenge debacle, Yellow 13 posted an Allied-printed paper faxed in by Headquarters in the wall of his frequented bar, with the tagline "Lone fighter destroys Stonehenge". He gathered the attention of all attending soldiers, clamoring "Look! Here's something worthy of praise. Even among the enemy there are many like this. Not all of them are despicable bastards who rob our wings through cowardly sabotage", praising Mobius One's actions.

In the following months, San Salvacion was getting filled by the many Erusian battalions retreating from the east. Preparing for the impending Allied assault on the town, the Erusians started setting up anti-air defenses across the city. Anti-air gun crews had set up a weapon on the roof of a hospital, as an angered Yellow 13 modestly hid his hate. During one particular night, the Barkeeper's Daughter was caught by Erusian soldiers while she was planting laser transmitters for triggering explosives. She fled across the night-time streets of the town, eventually reaching a dark alley where Thirteen was waiting on a small car, blocking her path. The two stared at each other silently for a few moments before the Storyteller Boy caught up to them. He shouted at Yellow 13, calling him a "fascist pig" and telling him to "get out of [their] town". Pained, 13 asked him "Do you hate us that much?", later remaining silent for a moment before telling them to escape. The morning of the day after, he resumed his daily life, making his usual requests the Yellow Squadron's crew chief, who told him about the poor quality of the fuel used by their aircraft and their effect on thrust.

In midnight July 10, the resistance would end the usual Erusian blackout over the city, opening a window for the ISAF to launch an assault with the intention of freeing the city. However, Yellow 13 was nowhere to be seen.

Assault on Farbanti and death
In September 9, the ISAF launched an invasion on the Erusian capital of Farbanti, hoping to end the war. However, the Yellow Squadron arrived just as the battle had ended. Ready to make one last stand for Erusea, they engaged in a dogfight with Mobius One. After minutes of battle, all Yellow pilots had been shot down, leaving Yellow 13 as the sole remaining fighter. In the ensuing duel, 13 was shot down, and presumablly killed. Before his Terminator exploded, he tossed Yellow 4's handkerchief out the window, which floated through the skies and into a forest below, where the Storyteller Boy and the Barkeeper's Daughter watched the battle for Farbanti from, burying it.

Personality
"He's so close. If he manages to stay alive for just a while longer, that pilot could be a worthy opponent."

- Yellow 13, Interlude 06

Yellow 13 was a skilled fighter pilot, as well as a calm, and collected man. He had a sense of honor, praising Mobius One for his actions on the battlefield, while hating the San Salvación resistance, describing them as "despicable bastards" following the death of Yellow 4, whom he had a deep relation with.

Ace Combat X2
Yellow 13 makes a non-canon appearance in Joint Assault on mission SP2 "Ace of Aces." He appears as the 60th aircraft.

Trivia

 * Yellow 13's record of never losing a wingman before Yellow 4 was shot down by Mobius One could be compared with that of similar real-world pilots, such as Erich Hartmann and Saburō Sakai (Germany's highest and Japan's 5th highest scoring aces in WWII respectively.)
 * ACES WEB has an image with a number of badges and the name 'David Jordan' or 'Dave Jordan' under one of them. That is believed to be his name, but accounts vary.
 * Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War features a particular ace named Erich Klinsmann, callsign "Reiher", who can be engaged only in mission #10 if the Knight ace style is chosen. Many facts about this pilot, such as his "unavailable information" biography, have led to rumours that Klinsmann was 13's former identity much as Cipher was Mobius 1's.
 * There was a real Yellow 13, Lieutenant Wilhelm Crinius who flew with the Luftwaffe's JG 53 during WWII.
 * In Ace Combat 5 during the mission Aces, on the tunnel of Sudentor, you can see a enemy ace with the callsign Yellow chasing Jack Bartlett with two Belkan fighters.
 * Yellow 13 appears as a enemy ace in Ace Combat 6 in the mission Heavy Comand Cruiser on Ace of Aces difficult flying an Su-33 Flanker-D with Estovakian special colors.