- "All planes, focus all fire on Garuda Team. The others aren't worth wasting bullets on. "
- ― A Strigon Team member during the Battle of the Moloch Desert
The Garuda Team is a squadron within the Republic of Emmeria Air Force. It served in the REAF's 8th Air Division as its 28th Fighter Squadron.
During the Emmeria-Estovakia War, Garuda Team proved to be a very valuable asset to Emmeria, becoming such a threat to Estovakia that they were force to dedicate entire operations just to take them down. This renown resulted in them becoming national heroes for the Emmerian people.
They were a key factor in deciding the outcomes of many crucial battles during the war, ultimately allowing the Emmerians to emerge from the war as the victors.
Garuda Team is the player's squadron in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
History
Invasion of Gracemeria
- "Garuda 1, you do not have a wingman. Let's see... Shamrock. Shamrock are you alone, too? Very well. As of now you're Garuda 2."
- ― AWACS Ghost Eye
After scrambling from Gracemeria Air Force Base, AWACS Ghost Eye was quick to realise that Garuda Team only consisted of one member, Talisman. He shortly after realised that Marcus Lampert callsign "Shamrock" was also alone and so assigned him to be Garuda Team's number 2.[1]
Garuda Team along with the rest of the Emmerian forces fought valiantly to defend their capital city of Gracemeria. They almost managed to drive out the Estovakian invaders but were forced to retreat from the airspace when cruise missiles launched from the P-1112 Aigaion wiped out large portions of the defending forces. The enemy ace squadron Strigon Team, led by Victor Voychek soon arrived after to shoot down remaining aircraft. However, during the retreat Garuda Team managed to damage Voychek's plane forcing him to land and relegating him to ground duty.[1]
Khesed Island
- "Garuda 1, I've got a hunch we'll be going home a lot sooner with you on board."
- ― Marcus Lampert
After the loss of major cities and key locations on the Anean mainland, Garuda Team along with a substantial amount of the Republic of Emmeria's armed forces were forced to retreat to Khesed Island, an island off to the east of the Emmerian mainland.[2]
The Bombing of Vitoze, Estovakia launched a bombing campaign on the city of Vitoze where Emmerian forces were stationed to try and bring a swift and decisive end to the war. Garuda Team and other air squadrons were sent up to defend the territory from the approaching bombers. They were successful in this operation and soon began plans to retake the island of Khesed from Estovakian control.[3]
The Battle of Sipli Field, the first step in retaking Khesed was to wipe out a large portion of Estovakian ground forces located in Sipli Field. This was the first time Garuda Team participated in a battle of this scale but despite this, managed to spearhead the assault and successfully drive all enemy ground forces out of the vicinity.[4]
The Battle of Bartolomeo Fortress, this battle was the final battle fought on Khesed and it resulted in Estovakia being driven off the island thanks to the efforts of Garuda Team and combined efforts from the Emmerian air forces and ground forces. During the battle two members of the Strigon Team arrived to try turn the tide of the battle however they were shot down by the team.[5]
Pushing towards the capital
- "Garuda Team, you guys work to hard. You're stealing all our thunder!"
- ― Saker after recapturing Bartolomeo Fortress
Garuda Team during the Siege on Silvat
After successfully retaking the Island of Khesed, the Emmerians then went on the draw up plans to retake the mainland. They would land at the southern tip of the Anean continent where the Battle of Ortara would be fought. Garuda Team played a key role in completing multiple operations during battle.[6]
The first major operation the Emmerians launched after establishing a beachhead on Anea was to to help rescue a substantial portion their forces pinned down in Silvat Town. Garuda Team provided support to multiple units across the battle ultimately allowing the Standoff in Silvat Town to result in an Emmerian victory. Following this decisive battle, Garuda Team would help its allies push further into the Anean mainland.[7]
Garuda Team over the Selumna Peaks.
During the operation over the Selumna Peaks, Garuda Team successfully aided the Emmerians in almost successfully pushing through the area when Nimbus missiles from the P-1112 Aigaion once again began to pose a threat to them. Due to this, the Emmerians began to pull out and Garuda Team was tasked to escort the evacuating forces. The cruise missiles were being guided by UAVs which Garuda Team proceeded to shoot down, ending the missile threat for the time being. After te operation was completed, the Emmerian command began to draw up a plan to end the Estovakian cruise missile threat by destroying their Aerial Fleet. In order to do this however, they needed to secure a staging point from which they could launch their surprise attack. Concluding that an airfield within the coastal city of San Loma would suffice, the Emmerians began to move towards the city to recapture it from occupying forces.[8]
The Emmerians began to move on the city with the main goal of taking control of its airfield. At some point during the sortie, UAVs arrived to guide cruise missiles at the Emmerian forces to try and prevent then from recapturing the city. Garuda Team aided in ensuring that the Liberation of San Loma was a success by supporting various operations during the battle. Estovakian ace pilot Goran Rosandic was shot down over San Loma by the Garuda Team.[9][10]
Garuda Team watching the Aigaion fall.
Launching from San Loma's airfield, the Republic of Emmeria Air Force flew over the Fuscum Sea to meet the Aerial Fleet whilst its radars were hampered due to midair refuelling. Garuda Team was the lead squadron during the Assault on the Aerial Fleet. Shortly after Emmerian forces began attacking the fleet, the several Strigon Team members which were stationed at the Aigaion took off to defend it. Lorenz Riedel, the Belkan defector responsible for the Aerial Fleet also took flight. There was a fierce battle over the Dead Sea between Estovakian and Emmerian forces but in the end, all Strigon members present and Riedel were shot down with the Aerial Fleet. Talisman of the Garuda Team landing the final blow on the Aigaion which send it crashing down into the sea below.[11]
Defying orders
- "Ghost Eye, what the hell do you know about losing a family member? I'll take whatever the hell action I see fit!"
- ― Marcus Lampert
Garuda Team with Hammerhead Squadron.
During the battle in the Moloch Desert, Emmerian forces were on the brink of victory when they received an order to retreat in response to the Estovakian WMD threat. As the order was being relayed, the Strigon Team entered the combat airspace. Shamrock, outraged by the order decided to go against it claiming he wouldn't stop this close to reuniting with his family in Gracemeria and Garuda Team proceeded to down all Strigon planes that had arrived.[12]
When they returned to base, Talisman and Shamrock were penalised for defying a direct order and were restricted to doing nothing more than accessing their barracks.[12]
Redemption
- "Looks like you're going to have to face the music. Eliminate those enemy planes!"
- ― AWACS Ghost Eye
The Emmerian military soon realised that they would need to deal with the newly discovered WMD threat posed by Estovakia. They would need to infiltrate Fort Norton and destroy the enemy's WMD catalyst. They understood that the only team within their ranks which would be able to successfully complete the mission is Garuda Team and permitted them to go on sortie.[13]
Garuda Team successfully destroyed the WMD catalyst but on their way back to base they were intercepted by an entire battalion of enemy fighters which they would need to fight. It was an arduous battle but Garuda managed to hold off until allied re-enforcements arrived.[13]
When they arrived back at base, all of their previous commendations and medals were restored.
The Liberation of Gracemeria
- "They've opened up the gate to our city! We've got the Garuda Team to thank for this!"
- ― Emmerian Ground Unit following the success of Operation Free Gracemeria
On March 31st, 2016 the Emmerian military launched Operation Free Gracemeria. The goal of the operation was to liberate their capital and end the Emmeria-Estovakia War. Garuda Team was the core flight on this mission and their support ultimately resulted in the capital city Gracemeria being liberated and freed from Estovakian control.[14]
Talisman facing off against Ilya Pasternak
However soon after the battle the newly appointed leader of Strigon Team, Ilya Pasternak piloting a CFA-44 Nosferatu arrived in Gracemeria with many UAV-45s. His goal was to defeat the Garuda Team and to allow the remaining Strigon Team survivors to flee the battle and survive. He was unsuccessful in defeating Garuda Team but his sacrifice managed to allow the rest of his team to escape.[14]
Estovakia retaliates
- "What the hell is with these guys? Haven't we seen enough death?!"
- ― Marcus Lampert
The night after Gracemeria was liberated, the Emmerian pilots took to the skies to patrol their newly recaptured capital in case of an enemy re-invasion. It is here where Shamrock reveals that his wife and daughter were both killed during the war and goes onto say that this was going to be his last mission. After their patrol mission, Snake Pit detected something on radar. Cruise missiles escorted by Estovakian fighters began entering the airspace on course to destroy the city and every air force squadron and missile defence platform moved to destroy all incoming cruise missiles. Garuda Team aided in defending from the missiles and soon after AWACS Ghost Eye triangulated where these missiles were coming from.[15]
The Battle of Sonne Island is the last known deployment of Garuda Team and it was to be one of their fiercest yet. The Estovakians completed their asteroid defence railgun, the Chandelier and were now using it as a weapon against the Emmerian capital. During the battle, Marcus Lampert bravely went in to acquire key data on the Chandelier's back up cooling unit, successfully transmitting the data but getting shot down in the process. Garuda 1 then flew in and destroyed the backup cooling unit thanks to the data provided by Garuda 2, though this was not the end of the Chandelier and Talisman was forced to fly into the gun barrel of the giant rail gun to destroy its final area. Talisman then flew home with the rest of the Emmerian air force and Shamrock was picked up by a rescue team.[16]
After war
- "Talisman, this is it. This is what we've been fighting for."
- ― Marcus Lampert
Marcus "Shamrock" Lampert after war.
Not much is known what happened to Garuda 1 after the war but it is currently believed he is still a part of the Republic of Emmeria Air Force.
Marcus Lampert, now confined to a wheelchair for the time being due to his crash now resides in Gracemeria. He then visited Melissa Herman's home, where he finally met the person whom he had heard on the radio during his final mission.[17]
Gallery
Garuda Team flying F-15Es.
- Eagles Rising.jpg
Three Garuda Team members. Note that AI-controlled planes except wingman never have any visible special weapon
Three-men Garuda Team flying Tornado GR.4s
Three-men Garuda Team flying F-15Es
Trivia
- There is evidence to suggest that Garuda Team was a three-man squadron early in the game's development.
- Early screenshots show three pilots using the same aircraft (see #Gallery).
- The Garuda Team emblem shows three stars, implying three aircraft in the same way that Galm Team's emblem shows two stars for two aircraft.
- The prototype video for Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, which is based on Ace Combat 6's engine and believed to be set in Gracemeria, shows the player forming up in a flight of three at the end of their air battle.[18]
- The Garuda, in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology, is a large bird-like creature that acts as the mount of Vishnu.
- "Garuda" is used in Hindu to refer to the constellation Aquila, after which the Yellow Squadron was named.
- The callsigns of the two members of Garuda Team - Talisman and Shamrock - are both symbols of good luck.
- In Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception, an enemy ace named Garuda can be found in the mission Pinned Down. The ace flies a Mirage 2000D.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Invasion of Gracemeria, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation Cutscene #02: Realization.
- ↑ Vitoze Aerial Defense, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Sipli Field, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Bartolomeo Fortress, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Anea Landing, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Siege on Silvat, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Selumna Peak, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Ace Combat 6 Assault Records #20 - Goran Rosandic.
- ↑ San Loma Assault, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Heavy Command Cruiser, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Moloch Desert, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Weapons of Mass Destruction, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Liberation of Gracemeria, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Gracemeria Patrol, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Chandeleier, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
- ↑ Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation Cutscene #17: A Brand New Day.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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