Continental War

The Second Usean Continental War was a long-lasting war that took place on the Usean Continent, between the Independent States Allied Forces and the Federal Republic of Erusea.

Prelude
In 1994, the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid was discovered and expected to collide with Earth in 1999. In response, the nations of Usean banded together to create the Stonehenge Turret Network, an advanced railgun network designed to combat the threat of Ulysses. Stonehenge was built south of the city of San Salvacion and engineered to ensure that it could only fire into space towards the asteroid. On July 8, 1999, Ulysses split into multiple fragments on its approach and rained down on the planet. Stonehenge performed as best it could, but a large number of fragments still impacted the surface, causing mass devastation.

In the aftermath of the Ulysses disaster, the nations of Usea, in a coalition known as the FCU, agreed to admit a certain quota of civilian refugees who had been displaced by the disaster. However, sometime in 2003, Erusea refused to take in any more refugees, citing their inability to handle the large influx of refugees along with the rebuilding efforts within their own country. Other nations boycotted Erusian exports in protest as displaced refugees began to succumb to disease and starvation along the Erusian borders.

First Battles
Suddenly, in August 2003, Erusea invaded San Salvacion and seized control of the Stonehenge Turret Network. The FCU warned Erusea to withdraw its forces by September 14 or face military retaliation. Soon after, rumors began to circulate that Erusea was modifying Stonehenge in some way. In preparation, the countries of the FCU, in addition to Delarus, Amber and Ugellas formed into the Independent States Allied Forces, a military and economic alliance of the Usean nations in opposition to the Erusians' brinksmanship.

Erusea then launched a surprise attack on the ISAF forces at their newly-formed GHQ in Istas Fortress utilizing Stonehenge as an anti-aircraft weapon. Caught off-guard and unable to maintain air superiority against the overwhelming firepower of Stonehenge, ISAF was forced to retreat. Soon after, ISAF attempted a daring airborne operation consisting of their finest pilots to destroy Stonehenge, but was thwarted by the Erusian Air Force's infamous 156th Tactical Fighter Wing ("Yellow Squadron"). After suffering two crushing defeats, ISAF made a full retreat from the Usean mainland and regrouped at its new GHQ at North Point.

On September 19, 2004, after a long period of sporadic fighting, Erusian operatives disabled part of ISAF's early warning radar network, allowing a large bomber force to deploy from Rigley Air Base with the intention of destroying ISAF's North Point GHQ. ISAF scrambled their remaining fighters, including several new pilots, to intercept the bombers before they could hit Allenfort Air Base and move on to targets at North Point. The operation was a success, giving ISAF a temporary breather.

A month later, ISAF GHQ deployed fighters to destroy Rigley Air Base, thereby eliminating the threat posed by the remaining Erusian bombers stationed there. The bombers were caught on the ground, and ISAF fighters were able to successfully complete the mission. ISAF then made preparations to regroup its remaining ground forces at North Point. ISAF fighters were able to knock out the radar facilities atop Mount Shezna and blind the Erusians to ISAF's troop movements. With its ground forces rallied, ISAF began preparations for a counterattack.

In response to ISAF's string of victories, Erusea deployed its "invincible" Aegir Fleet to destroy ISAF's GHQ at North Point. The fleet's power was immense—far too much for ISAF to confront directly. However, ISAF command recognized the perfect opportunity to strike the fleet was while it was docked at Comberth Harbor. For this to succeed, ISAF opted to delay and disrupt the fleet's launch by impeding its resupply efforts. ISAF fighters first interdicted the Erusians' aerial supply routes by shooting down transport aircraft bound for Comberth. ISAF then targeted a petrochemical complex supplying the fleet with fuel, which was deemed a partial failure due to the arrival of Yellow Squadron, who managed to shoot down several ISAF fighters attempting to flee the airspace. Despite this slight setback, both operations proved successful in crippling the Aegir Fleet, giving ISAF the advantage it desperately needed. The entire Aegir Fleet, deprived of fuel and supplies, was destroyed on November 23, 2004 as it sat immobilized in Comberth Harbor.

A few weeks later, ISAF fighters were able to incapacitate the Erusians' solar-powered generator plants at Faith Park, which supplied approximately 60% of the power for the Erusians' military industrial complexes. This continued success gave ISAF an opportunity to turn the tide of the war in its favor.

Return to the Mainland
In preparation for its impending invasion of the Usean mainland, ISAF planned an operation to launch a military reconnaissance satellite (intended to track Erusea's troop movements and determine the best location to counterattack) from Riass Space Center in the Comona Islands. Despite a large-scale air battle over the islands, including a force of Erusian B-2A Spirit bombers as well as Yellow Squadron's reappearance, the satellite was successfully launched.

On January 24, 2005, ISAF commenced Operation: Bunker Shot, the official name of the landing operation undertaken by ISAF forces on the Caranda, Halle, and Crowne beaches (the only suitable landing spot outside Stonehenge's attack range). ISAF ground, sea, and air units were mobilized for this large-scale operation, and, despite numerous casualties, were able to establish a beachhead.

ISAF's next step in reclaiming the mainland was to retake Istas Fortress, the former ISAF GHQ. Despite the difficulty presented by the area's mountainous terrain along with Stonehenge's intermittent attacks, ISAF fighters managed to inflict heavy damage to the occupying Erusian forces, giving the ISAF ground troops an easier fight to take back the fortress. A forward HQ was established to spearhead the push into the mainland, reclaim lost territory, and (eventually) destroy Stonehenge—all with the hopes of bringing about a quick end to the conflict.

Destroying Stonehenge
Soon after the retaking of Istas Fortress, ISAF was contacted by some of the engineers responsible for Stonehenge. The scientists, as well as their families, were attempting to defect and requested amnesty in exchange for vital information that would help ISAF destroy Stonehenge. ISAF accepted, and the defectors boarded two civilian flights (Air Ixiom Flights 701 and 702). However, Erusea caught wind of the defectors' plans and dispatched fighters to shoot down the civilian planes, choosing not to employ Stonehenge. A sole ISAF fighter, Mobius 1 (one of the pilots who had assisted ISAF's recent victories) was launched to dispatch the Erusians and escort the defectors to safety.

The two flights landed in ISAF territory, and the engineers provided crucial information regarding Stonehenge's defenses, including a sophisticated jamming system that prevented missile lock-on and a vast network of anti-aircraft guns and surface-to-air missiles. With this new information in hand, a second assault on Stonehenge was planned.

On April 2nd, 2005, ISAF fighters took to the skies and approached Stonehenge. Early warning alarms sounded in San Salvacion, where Yellow Squadron (assigned to protect Stonehenge since the war's opening) had been stationed, and the squadron took off. Yellow 4, however, had suffered light shrapnel wounds, and her aircraft was damaged by a bomb that had been planted on Yellow Squadron's runway by the San Salvacion Resistance. Disregarding her injuries and aircraft's damage, Yellow 4 scrambled with the rest of her squadron.

As ISAF's fighters approached the airspace, Stonehenge opened fire. The fighters managed to slip inside the perimeter of Stonehenge and destroy the jamming facility at its center utilizing machine guns. Following this, while the rest of the ISAF fighters were tangled with defending Erusian fighters and evading Stonehenge's volleys, Mobius 1 single-handedly destroyed the railgun cannons one-by-one, eliminating the threat of Stonehenge once and for all. Yellow Squadron arrived too late to prevent the destruction of Stonehenge, but engaged the ISAF fighters nevertheless. Mobius 1 shot down Yellow 4, forcing the rest of the Yellows to retreat. The operation was a resounding success.

Ending the War
With Stonehenge out of the way, ISAF forces began to advance on Erusian positions and slowly push them back. In May 2005, ISAF launched a spy plane to gather intelligence on Erusian operations. Mobius 1 assisted in the spy plane's safe return through Gnome Ravine (northwest of Los Canas), which provided ISAF with information on another Erusian superweapon under development named Megalith. ISAF's high command was alarmed; they now realized that the war had to end much faster in order to prevent this superweapon's deployment.

To secure the northern part of the continent, another invasion force was deployed, and Erusea responded by launching cruise missiles at the ISAF landing forces. Once again, Mobius 1 undertook a solo operation and intercepted all of the cruise missiles, including a single Burst Missile. The landing operation was a success, and soon enough, the northern part of Usea came under ISAF's control.

Finally, ISAF made preparations to liberate San Salvacion, which had been under Erusian control since the beginning of the war. Erusea's occupation forces fought fiercly, refusing to relinquish the city easily. Yellow Squadron was among the Erusian forces stationed in the city, attempting to maintain control for as long as they could. Eventually, with the capture of key areas throughout the city, San Salvacion was liberated and the Erusians were pushed back even further.

Following their expulsion from San Salvacion, the Erusian forces fell back and set up a defense line in the Whiskey Corridor between the Lambert and Amber Mountains; it would be the last line of defense before their capital city, Farbanti. The ground and aerial forces on both sides were numerous, and the operation was very drawn-out. Slowly but surely, ISAF's tank brigades inched forward through the desert sands, closing in on Erusea's field HQ. After suffering considerable losses, the Erusians abandoned their position and retreated to Farbanti in preparation for the oncoming invasion.

On September 19, 2005, exactly one year to the day after ISAF's successful defense of North Point, ISAF laid siege to Farbanti. All of ISAF's forces engaged the remainding Erusian forces in key areas throughout the city. With fighters providing close air support, the ISAF ground troops fought their way towards the Erusians' GHQ. Erusea's top military leaders attempted to escape the besieged capital via helicopter before the GHQ could be taken, but were shot down. (ISAF ground units would later find the Erusian Supreme Commander's remains inside one of the helicopters that failed to take off with the others.) As the ISAF forces infiltrated the GHQ, Yellow Squadron appeared once more. Mobius 1 met them alone, shooting down all five Yellows and maintaining ISAF's air superiority over the capital. With the loss of Yellow Squadron and the Supreme Commander, ISAF ground troops ordered all Erusian forces to cease fighting; the war was over.

Despite Erusea's unconditional surrender, a group of young Erusian officers eluded capture and seized control of Megalith, the superweapon whose deployment ISAF was hoping to prevent. As a rocket launch facility, Megalith was capable of turning near-Earth objects (leftover fragments from Ulysses that still lingered in orbit) into ballistic weapons that could strike the planet's surface and cause mass destruction; Megalith would be Erusea's weapon of retaliation. To eliminate this dire threat, ISAF launched a joint operation to infiltrate and destroy the fortified facility from within.

Exactly one week after the war's official end, ISAF special forces units entered Megalith while ISAF fighters, newly formed into the 118th Tactical Fighter Wing ("Mobius Squadron"), approached the facility. The remainder of Yellow Squadron (15 rookie pilots) defended Megalith as best they could, but were eventually shot down by the veteran pilots of Mobius Squadron. Mobius One then entered the facility to destroy three power generators that were preventing the infiltration team's advance. Once the ground troops gained control of the sub-control room, they opened the panels to the central silo in which a large missile was being stored. Mobius 1 flew into the silo, destroyed the missile—triggering an explosive chain reaction—and escaped unharmed as the facility was destroyed from within.

Operation Katina
After the war's end, steps were taken to form a new, provisional Erusian government to ensure that war would not break out again. However, the provisional government was criticized by militaristic Erusian citizens and officers. In 2006, a large force consisting of Erusian expersonnel, calling themselves "Free Erusea," took control of a large munitions factory in the White Valley Bay region and attacked ISAF. ISAF responded by launching Mobius 1 into battle once more, who inflicted considerable damage on the Free Erusian forces and quashed the insurrection.