Mobius 1

"There's one thing I can say for certain. Heroes really do exist. We've just seen one, and now he's coming home."

- AWACS SkyEye following the destruction of Megalith

 (メビウス・ワン Mebiusu Wan) was an Independent State Allied Forces Air Force pilot and flight leader of the 118th Tactical Fighter Wing (Mobius Squadron); he is the player-character of Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. His signature aircraft is the F-22A Raptor.

Mobius 1 is renowned for almost single-handedly defeating Erusea during the Second Usean Continental War and the rebellious Free Erusea forces across post-war Usea.

Before the war
Mobius 1's life prior to the war as well as his nationality remain unknown. Although the first in-game appearance of Mobius 1 shows him taking off from the Fort Grace, a Federation of Central Usea (FCU) aircraft carrier, the ISAF is known to have shared aircraft and pilots among the nations within its coalition. The fact that he begins the game as an aircraft carrier pilot, however, could indicate that he was initially part of his country's naval aviation division rather than a ground-based air force pilot.

Furthermore, nothing is known of Mobius 1's identity, apart from his callsign and the nicknames he garnered during the continental war. He is most likely male, given that towards the end of Ace Combat 04, AWACS SkyEye repeatedly refers to Mobius 1 by the masculine "he" or "him".

Late 2004
For the majority of the second continental war, Mobius 1 was the only member of the ISAF's 118th Tactical Fighter Wing; whether this was by design or the result of losing squadmates during Erusea's opening offensive remains unknown. On September 19, 2004, during his first assignment, Mobius 1 earned himself the title of "ace" by shooting down six Tu-95 Bear bombers and their fighter escorts over Newfield Island. In the weeks that followed, Mobius 1 would be assigned to several strategic airstrikes along the eastern coast of Usea: one to eliminate hostile bombers stationed at Rigley Air Base, and another to assist ISAF's evacuation of the mainland by destroying Mt. Shezna's radar stations.

When the ISAF became aware of the Aegir Fleet's redeployment to Comberth Harbor, Mobius 1 became part of the effort to weaken and forestall the fleet's advance on the ISAF's GHQ at North Point. On November 7, Mobius 1 and other ISAF fighters intercepted a convoy of Erusian transport aircraft inbound to Comberth.

More than a week later, on November 19, Mobius 1 and other ISAF pilots launched an early morning raid on Comberth's main fuel source, which successfully halted the Aegir Fleet's plans to invade North Point. During the raid on the oil facility, the infamous Erusian Yellow Squadron entered the airspace, forcing Mobius 1 and the other ISAF aircraft to hurriedly retreat from the area.

On November 23, Mobius 1 contributed to the sinking of the Erusians' "invincible" Aegir Fleet. The victory was decisive, and emboldened ISAF command to strike an Erusian solar power generator plant in Faith Park. Despite encountering high velocity railgun-fire from Stonehenge, Mobius 1 skillfully navigated through Faith Park's narrow ravines and escaped the airspace.

On December 31, 2004, Mobius 1 was sent to the Comona Islands to clear the airspace of hostile fighters, which were attempting to halt the ISAF's launch of a new reconnaissance satellite. During the engagement, Mobius 1 shot down an SR-71 Blackbird, an E-767, a KC-10A Extender, six B-2A Spirit bombers, and landed a hit on a Yellow Squadron fighter. Mobius 1's impressive performance ensured that the rocket launch proceeded smoothly, and the ISAF began final preparations for its mainland landing operations.

ISAF counteroffensive
At the end of January 2005, Mobius 1 flew the stormy skies over Caranda, Halle, and Crowne Beaches during the ISAF's Operation Bunker Shot. Mobius 1 provided close air support for ISAF's amphibious landing forces, allowing the ISAF to begin a counteroffensive to retake the continent.

In late February, Mobius 1 supported the ISAF's efforts to retake Istas Fortress and circumvent the Erusians' defensive "Tango Line". Then in mid-March, Mobius 1 was given a mission of utmost importance: escort two civilian aircraft carrying the engineers responsible for Stonehenge back to ISAF territory. Mobius 1 shot down several hostile fighters, and the two airliners made it safely away from Erusian territory. Mobius 1's success in this mission was another turning point in the war: the intelligence provided by the defectors would be used later to eliminate Stonehenge.

On April 2, 2005, Mobius 1 and other ISAF aircraft approached the Stonehenge airspace. Mobius 1 dove beneath the railgun-fire and knocked out the facility's central ECM jamming system with his aircraft's machine gun. With the jamming offline, Mobius 1 proceeded to destroy the railgun cannons one-by-one. Just as the STN site was neutralized, Yellow Squadron arrived in the airspace and engaged Mobius 1 and the other ISAF fighters. In the ensuing dogfight, Mobius 1 shot down a Yellow fighter, forcing the remaining Erusian aces to retreat; ISAF's victory was absolute. Following the destruction of Stonehenge, talk of the "Ribbon" fighter's prowess began to spread among the uneasy Erusian forces, and Mobius 1 received praise from Yellow 13, leader of Yellow Squadron.

Ending the war
After the fall of Stonehenge, Mobius 1 was often deployed along the frontlines and over hostile territory. Over the coming months, Mobius 1 would assist the safe return of a spy plane through Gnome Ravine, support ISAF's northern landing operations in Ice Creek, and on July 10, deal a serious blow to the Erusians by liberating San Salvacion. Mobius 1's victories propelled the ISAF ground forces forward and forced the Erusians into full retreat.

By mid-August, Erusea had established a final line of defense in the Whiskey Corridor. Mobius 1 and the other ISAF fighters provided close air support and helped the ground forces break through the Erusian line. On September 19, 2005, exactly one year to day since his first assignment over Newfield Island, Mobius 1 entered the airspace over the Erusian capital, Farbanti, and supported the ISAF's siege. Mobius 1 shot down the remaining Yellow Squadron pilots, including Yellow 13, and destroyed several V-22 helicopters carrying the Erusian military's command personnel. Mobius 1's contributions would result in Erusea's unconditional surrender at 1200hrs that day.

On September 26, one week after the war's official end, Mobius 1 led the recently expanded Mobius Squadron to destroy the Megalith superweapon, which had been activated by a group of young Erusian officers. During the engagement, Mobius 1 shot down the defending Erusian fighters and destroyed Megalith's power generators. Mobius 1 then flew into the superweapon's central silo and destroyed the missile within it, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed the facility. Mobius 1's action following the destruction of Megalith remain unknown.

After the war
In 2006, Mobius 1 returned to active duty to defeat the last of the Erusian extremists. The group, calling themselves "Free Erusea", launched an armed insurrection against ISAF observers and the interim Erusian government in protest of Erusea's disarmament. Mobius 1, aided once more by SkyEye, was deployed to halt the rebels' combat operations and suppress the resistance. There are no records indicating what became of Mobius 1 after the end of the conflict.

Appearances in other Ace Combat titles
The success of Ace Combat 04 has led to Mobius 1 becoming one of the most iconic characters in the Ace Combat franchise. He has been featured as a non-canonical enemy ace in several bonus missions and is often referenced throughout the series:
 * Mobius 1 appears as the final boss of Ace Combat Zero's special stage, "The Gauntlet".
 * Mobius 1 will only appears on Ace difficulty and under the condition that the player shoots down Espada Squadron in under one minute.
 * The game files also contain a .vut file with the comment * Mebiusu 1_-_Megalith Alt , an allusion to the starting altitude of Megalith: 6,666 feet.
 * In Ace Combat 6, a pilot calls out to someone named "Mobius" in the background radio chatter during the Chandelier mission: the character is heard softly saying "Mobius, back me up".
 * Mobius 1 can also be fought in the Ace of Aces DLC mission "Heavy Command Cruiser".
 * Mobius 1 appears as one of the "legacy" enemies in Ace Combat: Joint Assault's special mission "Ace of Aces"; he is the 70th aircraft the player must face. Although he initially flies slowly, he later adopts the aggressive flight patterns of the Varcolac Squadron.
 * In line with Ace Combat Infinity's various references to AC04, Mobius 1's nickname "The Grim Reaper" is adopted as the callsign of the player character, Reaper. Additionally, aircraft based on the ones he used, the F-22A -Mobius1- and the F-4E -Mobius1-, were included in the game.

Trivia

 * Mobius 1's livery can be found in most of the series' installments following Ace Combat 04:
 * Mobius 1's livery is the SP paint of the OADF F-22A in Ace Combat 5; however, the engine nozzles lack their golden coloration.
 * Ace Combat Zero: Mobius 1's livery is the "Soldier" paint scheme of the F-22A.
 * Ace Combat 6: Mobius 1's livery is a DLC color for the F-22A, dubbed the "F-22A -MOBIUS-", which achieves improved maneuverability by foregoing all armor.
 * Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception: Mobius 1's livery is the Special 2 paint scheme for the F-22A, which is unlocked by filling the aircraft's Kill Bar. The paint scheme is also available for the F/B-22 Concept as the Special 1 color, which is unlocked by shooting down the ace "ORCA" in Offline.
 * Ace Combat: Assault Horizon: Mobius 1's callsign and livery are awarded to the player after being titled a "Hero" in online multiplayer (dealing the final blow to the enemy's HQ in Capital Conquest).
 * Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy: Features a customization part called the "Mobius Loop".

Мобиус 1 Mobius 1