"The Bringer of Death"
Dominic "Vulture" Zubov is a Yuktobanian mercenary fighter pilot sided with the Belkan Air Force, and the leader of the Schwarze Squadron. Feared even among the Belkan ranks as an "escapee killer", Dominic and his fellow pilots were infamous for being the only squadron in the BAF who actively hunted & assassinated fleeing allies without hesitation, which led to fellow Belkan disdainfully calling the Schwarze crew "The Vultures".
He is portrayed by D.C. Douglas.
Biography
Early Career
In the 1980s, Dominic Zubov flew as a mercenary at conflicts in various regions of Yuktobania, his home country. During this time he flew as a member of the 9th Air Division 112th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which sustained heavy damage during the 1986 Tyumen Dispute in southern Yuktobania, as well as in the Romny coup d'état suppression operation. Zubov's team also participated in the Battle of Dimitr, the fiercest battle of the Tyumen dispute, where they managed to eliminate all opposing squadrons from the Republic of Kaluga, at the expense of losing about 80% of their aircraft. All surviving pilots of Dominic's squadron were psychologically devastated by the Dimitr engagement, forcing every last man to abandon the Yuktobanian Air Force. Of them all, Dominic (and possibly Schwarze 2, Sergei Karkov, another Yuktobanian) was the only survivor whose sanity was left untouched. After the south Yuktobania wars, Dominic left the YAF, continuing to fly as a lone mercenary. Afterwards he was hired by Romny (ironically, the same country he fought years before), then by the Kingdom of Valga. In 1990, Dominic went lone wolf once again, crossing the Ceres Ocean, after which he was found and contracted by the Principality of Belka.
Belkan War Experience
After being enlisted in the BAF, Dominic joined the force's resident foreign legion, the Schwarze Squadron. The squadron was of great importance to Belkan High Command, as Dominic and his crew soon found themselves operating as an Special Forces unit, undertaking "surveillance" operations behind the frontlines—those "surveillance" operations however, were actually the assassinations of any and all defecting personnel, with authorization from high echelon. Said targeted killings were top secret, and were it not for their nature, Dominic would be a major ace in the Belkan air arm. As a "hitman" of the BAF, Dominic chose the MiG-31 Foxhound as his personal plane, taking advantage of the plane's superior acceleration to cleanly fulfill his mission objectives. His role as an special forces operative and the nature of his missions led many pilots of the BAF to call Dominic "Vulture", often with a hateful tone. Dominic joined the BAF right as the force was being generally remodeled, and he was an important part in this process.
When the Belkan War broke out in 1995, the Schwarze team was one of the major ace squadrons participating in the war. Many details about his actions early in the war remain unknown.
In May 28, 1995, Schwarze Team was dispatched on an assassination mission; however, the target this time was not an average pilot but experienced veteran Wolfgang Buchner, also known as "Huckebein the Raven. After disobeying a superior's orders on dropping a nuclear bomb on an unspecified Belkan city, Wolfgang fled through the Belkan skies southward, with Dominic hot on his heels. After evading the Schwarze Team for some time, Wolfgang arrived at the Belkan Air Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R, also known as the Round Table, right as the Operation Battle Axe took place. Buchner flew into the furball in an attempt to lose Schwarze amidst the confusion, but ended up accidentally leading Schwarze into the Ustian 66th Air Force Unit, the Allied Forces' most feared squadron, who just had singlehandedly turned the tables at the Round Table. Enraged at Huckebein's escape, Zubov ordered his team to kill Galm Team at all costs. After an intense duel, Galm Squadron overcame Schwarze's superior numbers, defeating Dominic once and for all.
Post-War and Later Life
After being shot down in Operation: Battle-Axe, Dominic fled his country to avoid prosecution as a war criminal.
Dominic Zubov while in hiding as a fugitive.
His whereabouts afterwards remained unknown for some time, until he was found and interviewed by Brett Thompson of the OBC as part of his documentary, Warriors and the Belkan War. The interview is confirmed to have taken place somewhere in Osea (possibility in Oured). His whereabouts after his encounter with Brett Thompson are unknown.
Quotes
Interview
"Sorry about the accommodations. It goes with the business. I'm not active during the day. Back then, I was a shadow assassin. An "escapee killer." Given the order, I'd even shoot down my own comrades. I received an order to take down deserting craft on that day. It was a typical assignment. But... Something unexpected happened. My target was no new recruit, but a top ace of the Belkan Air Force. And he just had to go and run straight into the chaos at the Round Table. The man was sharp just like the rumours. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the mercenary team of Solo Wing and him were there. Thanks to them, I lost my target. I figured the least I could do was take them down in return. Of course, that was where my luck ran out."
"Is the man still alive? Though I guess it's hard for bad guys like us to die. The real heroes always manage to die first. But guys like him, Solo Wing, and me, we live the rest of our lives in hell. But then again, being alive is proof that we were good."