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"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[1] following the destruction of Megalith

Mobius 1 (メビウス1 Mebiusu Wan) was an Independent State Allied Forces Air Force ace pilot and flight leader of the 118th Tactical Fighter Wing "Mobius."

He is renowned for his contributions to defeating Erusea during the Continental War and the rebellious Free Erusea forces across post-war Usea.[2][3] In 2014, Mobius 1 once more fought against a resurgent Free Erusea as part of the IUN's peacekeeping forces.[4]

Mobius 1 is the player character of Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, but also stars as the player character of several side modes, such as Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War's Arcade Mode and Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown's VR Mode. His signature aircraft is the F-22A Raptor.

Biography[]

Before the war[]

Mobius 1's life prior to the Usean Continental 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,[5] a Federation of Central Usea (FCU) aircraft carrier,[6] 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 a male, evidenced by that towards the end of Ace Combat 04, AWACS SkyEye repeatedly refers to Mobius 1 by the masculine "he" or "him".

Service with ISAF[]

Late 2004[]

For the majority of the 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 squadron mates 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.[7] In the weeks that followed, Mobius 1 would be assigned to several strategic air strikes along the eastern coast of Usea: one to eliminate hostile bombers stationed at Rigley Air Base,[8] and another to assist ISAF's evacuation of the mainland by destroying Mount Shezna's radar stations.[9]

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 Erusean transport aircraft inbound to Comberth.[10]

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 Erusean Yellow Squadron entered the airspace, forcing Mobius 1 and the other ISAF aircraft to hurriedly retreat from the area.[11]

On November 23, Mobius 1 contributed to the sinking of the Eruseans' "invincible" Aegir Fleet.[12] The victory was decisive, and emboldened ISAF command to strike an Erusean 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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15]

In late February, Mobius 1 supported the ISAF's efforts to retake Istas Fortress and circumvent the Eruseans' defensive "Tango Line".[16] 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 Erusean 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.[17]

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 Erusean aces to retreat; ISAF's victory was absolute.[18] Following the destruction of Stonehenge, talk of the "Ribbon" fighter's prowess began to spread among the uneasy Erusean forces, and Mobius 1 received praise from Yellow 13, leader of Yellow Squadron.[19]

Ending the war[]

After the fall of Stonehenge, Mobius 1 was often deployed along the front lines and over hostile territory. Over the coming months, Mobius 1 would assist the safe return of a spy plane through Gnome Ravine,[20] support ISAF's northern landing operations in Ice Creek,[21] and on July 10, deal a serious blow to the Eruseans by liberating San Salvacion.[22] Mobius 1's victories propelled the ISAF ground forces forward and forced the Eruseans 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 Erusean line.[23] On September 19, 2005, exactly one year to day since his first assignment over Newfield Island, Mobius 1 entered the airspace over the Erusean 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 Erusean military's command personnel. Mobius 1's contributions would result in Erusea's unconditional surrender at 1200hrs that day.[24]

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 Erusean officers. During the engagement, Mobius 1 shot down the defending Erusean 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.[25]

2006 Free Erusea attacks[]

In 2006, Mobius 1 returned to active duty to defeat the last of the Erusean extremists. The group, calling themselves "Free Erusea", launched an armed insurrection against ISAF observers and the interim Erusean 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.[3]

2014 Free Erusea resurgence[]

In 2014, Mobius 1 operated under the IUN's peacekeeping forces to fight against a resurgent Free Erusea. In his first operation, Mobius 1 shot down a large bomber formation accompanied by escorts attempting to destroy the IUN's Fort Grays Island air base.[4] In the following operation, Mobius 1 defended the IUN's air base in the Scofields Plateau from an air and ground assault.[26]

The IUN later received intelligence that suggested a Free Erusean transport was going to carry a weapon of mass destruction over the Waiapolo Mountains. Mobius 1 sortied with his allies and found the transport, but it was unmanned. Free Erusean fighters ambushed the IUN forces and Mobius 1 engaged them. After shooting down all the bandits, Free Erusea's Ghost Squadron engaged Mobius 1 but he shot them down as well.[27]

Memorial Day in Osea[]

On June 30, 2020, IUN and former ISAF aircraft were showcased at a ceremony being hosted by Osea on Memorial Day commemorating 25 years since the end of the Belkan War. Mobius 1's original F-4E Phantom II was displayed in a formation at Redmill Air Force Base alongside the aircraft of other nations.[28]

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 a secret final boss during Ace Combat Zero's non-canon special stage, "The Gauntlet".
    • Mobius 1 will only appear on Ace difficulty and under the condition that the player shoots down Espada Team in under one minute. He flies his famous F-22A and is one of the few enemies in the series to fire four missiles at you simultaneously, simulating an XMAA. He will shoot down all four Wizard aircraft (who would normally serve as the final challenge if the same conditions were fulfilled on a lower difficulty) in front of the player before engaging them in a one-on-one dogfight.
    • 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: Fires of Liberation, the name "Mobius 1" can be heard being spoken as an easter egg by Emmerian pilots during the opening cutscene of "Selumna Peak". Additionally, in the game's final mission, "Chandelier", another background easter egg features an allied pilot saying "Mobius, back me up".
  • 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.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. Aces At War: A History, page 137. Published 2011.
  2. Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Arcade Mode, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
  4. 4.0 4.1 VR Mission 01, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  5. Cutscene prior to Sitting Duck, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  6. "Overseas Troops To Return Home Temporarily", Usea Today: Asteroid on Collision Course With Earth!. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  7. Sitting Duck, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  8. Imminent Threat, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  9. The Northern Eye, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  10. Blockade, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  11. Lifeline, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  12. Invincible Fleet, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  13. Deep Strike, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  14. Shattered Skies, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  15. Operation Bunker Shot, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  16. Tango Line, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  17. Escort, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  18. Stonehenge Offensive, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  19. Interlude 08, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  20. Safe Return, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  21. Breaking Arrows, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  22. Emancipation, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  23. Whiskey Corridor, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  24. Siege of Farbanti, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  25. Megalith, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
  26. VR Mission 02, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  27. VR Mission 03, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  28. ACES at WARS: The classified document about Circum-Pacific War was revealed. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
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